Every other year when Disney and Lucasfilm aren't releasing a new primary Star Wars installments, there will be an Anthology movie to provide cinematic excitement set in a galaxy far, far away. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will kick off this new endeavor next month, and these spinoffs are intended to be standalone tales. While there's a chance that future Anthology movies (I'm looking at you, young Han Solo) have the potential to be awarded sequels, in the case of Rogue One, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy says that particular movie won't travel down such a path.
While speaking with Empire Magazine, Kennedy insisted that Rogue One is a one-and-done story, and that there are no plans to make Rogue Two. In her words:
I think that's what makes it exciting. You can just drop into Rogue One and not feel like you're being pulled along into something you need to make a commitment to. It means anything can happen.
Director Gareth Edwards later stated in the article that if Rogue One did have a sequel, it would be directed by George Lucas, subtly referring to how the newest Star Wars movie takes place right before A New Hope, the story (as all of you know) that kicked the franchise off nearly 40 years ago. There's no need to release a Rogue Two because we already know how this turns out. The Death Star plans eventually make it back to the Rebellion, Luke Skywalker blows up the space station, the legend goes on. That also means that all the new characters in Rogue One likely won't be seen in another movie. No surprise there, as judging by the content and dark tone, we suspect many of them will bite the dust. And hey, for the ones who do survive, maybe they can be brought back in a novel. Also, if you're eager to learn about what some of Rogue One's characters were up to before the movie, I would suggest checking out the recently released book Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel.
Even though Rogue One is a one-off tale, it nonetheless will delve into an important chapter from the Star Wars universe. Taking place shortly before the events of A New Hope, the first Anthology movie will follow a team of Rebel operatives sent to steal the Death Star plans as the battle station moves closer to being 100% operational. The main cast includes Felicity Jones as Jyn Erson, Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Ben Mendelssohn as Orson Krennic, Donnie Yen as Chirrut Îmwe, Jiang Wen as Baze Malbus, Mads Mikkelsen as Galen Erso, Alan Tudyk as K-2SO, Riz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook and Forest Whitaker as Saw Gererra.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16, and once that's ended, that's it for exploring this particular corner of the Star Wars universe.
