"Many Bothans died to bring us this information"
Both Kathleen Kennedy and the official "Star Wars" Twitter account has confirmed a long standing rumor - that the upcoming spin-off film "Star Wars: Rogue One" will be a direct prequel to the original 1977 "Star Wars". Kennedy made the announcement at the "Star Wars Celebration" convention in Anaheim two hours ago.
Set between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," the film will follow a group of rebels banding together to steal plans for the original Death Star. Felicity Jones remains the only confirmed actor at this point in the film, she'll play a Rebel soldier.
The stand alone spin-off films, of which at least three are planned, have also scored a new moniker - the "Star Wars Anthology" films and will include 'Anthology' in the title to differentiate them from the main series.
Gareth Edwards directs the film which will hit cinemas late 2016. Speaking at the panel, Edwards says: "It comes down to a group of individuals that don't have magic powers, that have to bring hope to the galaxy. It's about the fact that god's not coming to save us, and we're on our own. The absence of the Jedi is omnipresent in the film. It hangs over the whole movie."
A 'proof of concept' teaser was also screened and cam versions of it can be found on Youtube. It features Obi-Wan's 'before the dark times' lines from "A New Hope" and shows a lush jungle planet with a large moon in the background - the moon is revealed to be the Death Star. Then comes the title which breaks up like static as shouting and screams can be heard over comm channels.
Both Kathleen Kennedy and the official "Star Wars" Twitter account has confirmed a long standing rumor - that the upcoming spin-off film "Star Wars: Rogue One" will be a direct prequel to the original 1977 "Star Wars". Kennedy made the announcement at the "Star Wars Celebration" convention in Anaheim two hours ago.
Set between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope," the film will follow a group of rebels banding together to steal plans for the original Death Star. Felicity Jones remains the only confirmed actor at this point in the film, she'll play a Rebel soldier.
The stand alone spin-off films, of which at least three are planned, have also scored a new moniker - the "Star Wars Anthology" films and will include 'Anthology' in the title to differentiate them from the main series.
Gareth Edwards directs the film which will hit cinemas late 2016. Speaking at the panel, Edwards says: "It comes down to a group of individuals that don't have magic powers, that have to bring hope to the galaxy. It's about the fact that god's not coming to save us, and we're on our own. The absence of the Jedi is omnipresent in the film. It hangs over the whole movie."
A 'proof of concept' teaser was also screened and cam versions of it can be found on Youtube. It features Obi-Wan's 'before the dark times' lines from "A New Hope" and shows a lush jungle planet with a large moon in the background - the moon is revealed to be the Death Star. Then comes the title which breaks up like static as shouting and screams can be heard over comm channels.