Though many expected it to be tethered to Doctor Strange early next month, Disney and Lucasfilm have gone ahead and lifted the lid and on the latest (and greatest?) trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It’s been billed as the final one, too, so savour this while you can before the inevitable onslaught of TV spots and clips as December 16 draws near.
Offering up a better overview of the battle that awaits – both on the sun-kissed beaches of Scarif and among the stars – this is undoubtedly our best look at a near-complete Rogue One yet. The Rebels are up against it, no question about it. Without a Jedi in sight – Vader notwithstanding – Gareth Edwards’ imminent offshoot is very much embracing its militaristic aesthetic, adopting a style of hand-held cinematography at times to ramp up that feeling of being in the trenches, for lack of a better phrase.
And that’s something that really shines through in this new sneak peek, opening with a poignant exchange between Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) and a young Jyn. We already know that Galen has a history with the Galactic Empire – a scientist deemed instrumental in the construction of the Death Star – forcing the older Jyn Erso and Co. to stage a rebellion built on hope.
Anchoring that on-screen action is Felicity Jones’ Jyn, a reckless, aggressive, and undisciplined loner who falls in line with the Rebel Alliance. A major weapon’s test is imminent, and Jyn’s ragtag crew is the last line of defence from total annihilation. We also see a brief glimpse of the menacing Darth Vader, though it’s really that aforementioned heist that acts as the focal point. Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, and Forest Whitaker round out the ensemble cast.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is expected to hit theaters on December 16 and when it does, it won’t be expected to scale the box office heights of The Force Awakens ($2 billion). Disney is clearly being more conservative in its projections, but with such a stellar cast in tow, who knows how far Gareth Edwards’ Anthology film could reach?
