Yesterday, new photos andcharacter detailssurfaced from the highly-anticipatedRogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is set for release on December 16. After plenty of speculation, it was confirmed thatMads Mikkelsen’s character is in fact Galen Erso, the father ofFelicity Jones' Jyn Erso, while the studio dropped another big bombshell, revealing thatForest Whitakeris actually playing Saw Gerrera from the animated seriesStar Wars: The Clone Wars. Today we have even more photos from this spinoff, which give us a closer look at the Death Troopers, the beach attack and a whole lot more.
Entertainment Weeklyhas 16 new photos in total, the first of which features a squad ofDeath Troopersscouring a beach. We also get another look at Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who LucasFilm PresidentKathleen Kennedysays is the “Joan of Arc of this story.” We also get a new look atBen Mendelsoh’s villainous Director Orson Krennic, who is responsible for keeping the Death Star mission secure. Here’s what LucasFilm’sKiri Harthad to say about this character.
“He understands the system and he knows how things work, but he also is not above trying to bend it to get what he needs or what he thinks he wants.Gran Moff Tarkinis the model for these really cool, icy types, you know? Krennic runs a little hotter than that, so that’s kind of fun and it’s a little bit different. He is unpredictable and volatile.”
We also get another look at the blind warrior monk Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), who isn’t a Jedi but believes in the ways of the Force, and his protector, Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang).Kathleen Kennedystated that, much like many aspects of the entireStar Warsfranchise, these characters were inspired byAkira Kurosawa’s 1958 classicThe Hidden Fortress, with Kennedy teasing that these characters are actually similar to R2-D2 and C-3PO.
There is one particular photo that is quite intriguing. We see a Death Trooper holding on to what is actually a Stormtrooper doll, which is described as a “galactic version of a toy soldier.” While it seems like a throwaway shot, this doll will actually have an important role to play in the story. Decades later Rey (Daisy Ridley) will fashion a similar doll, although it will be an X-Wing pilot. We also see a behind-the-scenes shot from the Yavin-4 base, which we can see is quite diverse. And a direct tie back toA New Hope. Here’s whatKiri Harthad to say.
“People are coming to the Rebellion because something has happened that has galvanized or politicized them. The question just becomes: What are those triggers for different people in different places?”
We also see images of a newStar Warsworld that is comparable to the South Pacific, plus a detailed look at the new droid K-2SO, voiced byAlan Tudyk. It was recently confirmed thatGareth EdwardsandKathleen Kennedywill be atStar WarsCelebration next month with some special guests, which is where we may see the new trailer. Until then, check out these photos below fromRogue One: A Star Wars Story.
