I thought I had the perfect Rogue One question for Felicity Jones. I really was quite proud. While sitting across from her and Tom Hanks as they discussed their involvement in Ron Howard's Inferno -- a sequel to both The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons -- I asked Jones if her own upcoming Rogue One was structured in a way that sequels were even possible. What if audiences love Jyn Erso? Will we ever see her again? And I think I almost got her, though as she skillfully deflected my expertly posed question, I learned that her Inferno co-star, Tom Hanks, also tried (and failed) to get Star Wars information out of Jones on a daily basis. Watch this adorable exchange for yourself.
And if you won't tell Tom Hanks, one of the greatest actors of our generation, any Rogue One information, what chance do the rest of us mere mortals have? The answer is "None."
Here's why I still love that question, despite Felicity Jones' non-answer. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a prequel to the original Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the movie explains how the Rebel Alliance acquired the plans -- OK, stole the plans -- to the Empire's top weapon, the Death Star, so that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his X-Wing colleagues can blow the thing to smithereens at the end of A New Hope. We know how Rogue One is going to end. What we DON'T know is what happens to Jyn Eros (Felicity Jones) and her fellow Rebel spies after this story.
Do they all survive? Is a Rogue One 2 -- that's a weird title -- even possible? If Jyn and her crew do survive the actions of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, maybe they went off on other missions for the Rebellion in other parts of the galaxy. I can't see Disney or Lucasfilm closing the door on a potential new hero that audiences might adore. And with an Oscar-nominated actress like Jones in the fold (and possibly under contract), more Jyn Erso stories may be in the cards.
Just, don't ask Felicity Jones about those cards, because she's holding them very close to her vest. Not even Tom Hanks, a two-time Oscar winning LEGEND who spent months filming Inferno alongside Jones could get any secrets out of her, Unless he knows all of the secrets, and just agreed to play Jones' game. Oh, Hanks. You sly devil. I trusted you!
Inferno, starring Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones, opens in theaters on October 28. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, meanwhile, hits theaters on December 16.
