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The first non-trilogy/standalone Star Wars film will be released in December 2016, will star Felicity Jones in a lead role and will be titled Rogue One
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31861511

Star Wars producers have announced the name of the new stand-alone film, to be directed by Brit Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones.

Rogue One is the title of the first film in a series of big-screen adventures exploring characters from the core Star Wars saga.

No details have been released on the character to be played by The Theory of Everything star Jones.

Rian Johnson has been asked to write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII.

The film - which will follow on from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, out later this year - will be released on 26 May 2017.

That date and the Rogue One title was revealed on Thursday in San Francisco by Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger at a shareholders meeting.

Edwards' film begins shooting this summer in London and is due for release on 16 December 2016.

Episode VIII will be released in May 2017, so 1.5 years after VII rather than 2.


Kind of dissapointed it's not the rumoured Boba Fett/Han Solo film, but that was only ever speculation/wishlisting. I recently saw rumours that Jones would be playing a younger Leia, which may pan out now.

Considering I haven't even seen VII yet I really can't be arsed to worry to much about anything after it at this point.

My theory is, that considering Denis Lawson isn't supposed to be interested in returning to the films as Wedge and, considering the length of time involved, perhaps she will be playing Wedge's daughter (it is a new continuity after all), who has taken over her dads old squadron.

On the other hand, I've also been reading rumours that it's more of a sequel to the Star Wars: Rebels series.

So this is the Ewok Adventure of the reboot series?

You are never allowed to say the name Ewok again.

No. This means that they decided to restart the Star Wars EU with Rogue Squadron.

This is just awesome news. I know everyone wants a Boba Fett movie- but think about all of the Boba Fett EU fiction out there.

Now compare it to the Rogue Squadron material.

This...this is what I wanted. Rogue Squadron in the off year. Pleasepleasepleaseplease

Yeah, I certainly wouldn't be averse to something at least loosely based on the Rogue Squadron stuff. Especially if it takes a possibly more down-to-earth/military look at the setting. Leave the 'Big Damn Hero' stuff to the main films, as that is the essence of Star Wars, but let these spin-offs do something new with the setting/style.

Confused. I thought this was supposed to be years into the future with Old Solo/Skywalker etc.

que?

This is the off year fraz. Not part of the new trilogy if that makes sense.

 Frazzled wrote:
Confused. I thought this was supposed to be years into the future with Old Solo/Skywalker etc.

que?

The numbered episodes are. VII through to IX (and oerhaps beyond) will follow on in chronological order from the Original Trilogy, with one film every 2 years. In between those, there will be other standalone movies (like this one) and we don't yet know where they will sit in the timeline.

The rumours were a week or so ago that this would feature Felicity Jones as a younger Leia, between III and IV, but Rogue Squadron was formed (I believe) after the Battle of Yavin from what whas left of Red Squadron and a few others, so if this is that, then it would be after VI and probably fit alongside the new ones.

 motyak wrote:
This is the off year fraz. Not part of the new trilogy if that makes sense.

To paraphrase June Cleaver, "Oh motyak, I speak wiener dog. Frazzled was expressing confusion over just how much time has elapsed in the Star Wars EU between episodes VI and VII. Years? Decades?"

Also not to be that guy, but Wedge's daughter joined wraith squadron from memory #neverforgettheeu

 Paradigm wrote:
Kind of dissapointed it's not the rumoured Boba Fett/Han Solo film, but that was only ever speculation/wishlisting. I recently saw rumours that Jones would be playing a younger Leia, which may pan out now.

Wouldn't a Boba Fett movie kind of ruin the idea of Boba Fett, because part of the reason for Boba Fett's coolness is the fact that we know so little about him.

Is rogue squadron from the EU?
Who or what are they?

Avoiding EU things fo rnow.

They're in The Empire Strikes Back. - It's basically Lukes starfighter / snowspeeder squadron, which was led by Luke and Wedge Antilles (the surviving X-Wing pilot from A New Hope).

Wedge's X-Wing squad was then called Red Squadron in Return of the Jedi, matching the name of the squadron in Star Wars: A New Hope.


In the EU novels, the ROTJ namechange explained as 'honouring' the original name of the squad that took on the first Death Star, but the main squadron name is Rogue Squadron. - Who are in several novels and proceed to kick a whole lot of rear end.

 Ratius wrote:
Is rogue squadron from the EU?
Who or what are they?

It's a series of books about an elite squadron called rogue squadron, who pull the hardest jobs but punch through regardless. Just cool space battles and banter. But great for that same reason, and because of all the ideas it gave me for flying in EotE.

 Compel wrote:
Avoiding EU things fo rnow.

They're in The Empire Strikes Back. - It's basically Lukes starfighter / snowspeeder squadron, which was led by Luke and Wedge Antilles (the surviving X-Wing pilot from A New Hope).

Wedge's X-Wing squad was then called Red Squadron in Return of the Jedi, matching the name of the squadron in Star Wars: A New Hope.


In the EU novels, the ROTJ namechange explained as 'honouring' the original name of the squad that took on the first Death Star, but the main squadron name is Rogue Squadron. - Who are in several novels and proceed to kick a whole lot of rear end.

Wedge Antilles is present at every major space-battle on film in Eps 4-6, and survives all of them. He is a bigger badass in space than Han Solo and Lando Calrissian combined.

I see thanks, sounds interesting.

Wedge is the best pilot alive in terms of kills and survivability, even better then Luke Skywalker.

Alright here's my theory for Rogue One. As we know, Alliance fighter squadrons use the "Six" designation for a leader, and well, we all know who Rogue Squadron is. (If you don't, go read the Michael Stackpole books and come back). So with Felicity Jones in the lead, I believe she'll be put into the squadron as a promising pilot getting tossed to the proverbial lions of the Alliance's "tough problems" squadron as the new Rogue One, with a bad ass and grizzled Wedge Antilles acting as Squadron Commander, or Commanding General for the Rogues and the rest of their wing/task force and providing an "antagonist" for Jones, outside of the remnants of the Empire, as this will probably be PBE.

 Psienesis wrote:

 Compel wrote:
Avoiding EU things fo rnow.

They're in The Empire Strikes Back. - It's basically Lukes starfighter / snowspeeder squadron, which was led by Luke and Wedge Antilles (the surviving X-Wing pilot from A New Hope).

Wedge's X-Wing squad was then called Red Squadron in Return of the Jedi, matching the name of the squadron in Star Wars: A New Hope.


In the EU novels, the ROTJ namechange explained as 'honouring' the original name of the squad that took on the first Death Star, but the main squadron name is Rogue Squadron. - Who are in several novels and proceed to kick a whole lot of rear end.

Wedge Antilles is present at every major space-battle on film in Eps 4-6, and survives all of them. He is a bigger badass in space than Han Solo and Lando Calrissian combined.

And also had a replacement actor for his most visible spoken line to the point that almost no one realised it was meant to be Wedge.

Exactly. He's already proven his role is bigger than any actor. Wedge is one of those ridiculous background characters that rationally are more heroic than the heroes.

 Ratius wrote:
Is rogue squadron from the EU?

Yes and no. They're most well known for their EU exploits, but the Rogues DO officially appear in Empire(even using the Rogue call signs) and Return(using their older Red call signs).

It appears to be a prequel, possibly with young Solo, Chewie and Boba involved.

Because we all want to know more about characters with played out story arcs, involved in resolved plots.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
So this is the Ewok Adventure of the reboot series?

Only if they look like this

 Jehan-reznor wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
So this is the Ewok Adventure of the reboot series?

Only if they look like this

This picture has me .... conflicted.

I'm still hoping for a Darth Maul prequel. He was completely badass in the comics, building his fancy lightsaber just to kill one specific Jedi and slaughtering an entire army of mercenaries without saying a word. Plus a movie from the perspective of the dark side would make a very refreshing and interesting change..

Would you actually want to watch a movie about a guy that gets cut in half by an angry padawan?

Please, can we just outlaw prequels?

 Commander Cain wrote:
I'm still hoping for a Darth Maul prequel. He was completely badass in the comics, building his fancy lightsaber just to kill one specific Jedi and slaughtering an entire army of mercenaries without saying a word. Plus a movie from the perspective of the dark side would make a very refreshing and interesting change..

You should check out the dozen or so episodes of Clone Wars that deal with Darth Maul. No, they aren't a prequel, but they do far more for the character than TPM ever did, making him really the badass he looks like and should be, and for a 'kid's' show, the end of that arc goes to some pretty damn dark places. And there are some episodes that don't feature so much as a single good guy, just darksiders, and yeah, they are a very different take on it.

While we're on the subject, though, the Star Wars films I'd like to see:

A film set entirely on Tatooine, dealing with Hutts and Bounty Hunters in a wretched hive of scum and villainy. No space battles, no planet-hopping, just a good look at life on the Outer Rim, where blasters are cheap and life is cheaper. You could throw in Fett or leave him out, either way it could be very good.

Something told from the PoV of an ordinary soldier/unit. Let the main trilogy do the heroics and galaxy-changing world-beating, and show us life for the Poor Bloody Infantry of the setting. Clone Wars does this well enough (Ryloth, Umbara, Domino Squad arcs are all brillaint), but a live-action one, possibly set in the GCW, would be awesome.

The Old Republic!

I want to see the story of how IG-88 takes over the sound system of the hottest club on Nar Shaddaa, implanting his assassin droid consciousness into the DJ's deck.