We still know very little about the upcoming spin-off movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. However, the ambiguity of such statements certainly has fanatics intrigued. In fact, some die-hard fans have been debating whether the first installment in this anthology will actually be more impressive that The Force Awakens.
“…the thing that interests me about it is Star Wars was basically very black and white, our movie is grey.” – Gareth Edwards, Rogue One director
Certainly, The Force Awakens had a lot to live up to and a variety of movie-goers — old and new, hard-core and average — to appease. Thus, it, perhaps, felt weak in certain areas, depending on the viewer. In comparison, given the boundless creative freedom Edwards has with this movie, Rogue One may surpass The Force Awakens. With this anthology, less loose ends will have to be tied up and, rather, more gaps in the episodes will be filled, which presents a blank space of exciting opportunity.
Rogue One will take us back to the Age of The Empire, set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The plot, apparently, follows a band of resistance fighters who join ‘forces’ to steal the plans of the iconic Death Star, which was referenced in the opening crawl of A New Hope. That pun was unintended and, also, notably not as relevant in the coming Star Wars spin-offs. It seems Rogue One, will be devoid of Jedis and much of the Force, on the defense’s side anyway. This is indicative of the much more brutal war scenes to come and a darker, more hopeless, atmosphere.
However, it’s been reported that Darth Vader (and his unmatchable telekinetic powers) will make a very poignant appearance. His characterization will, supposedly, take full violent form, revealing to us the true horrors that unfolded under his rule. Also, rumors of ‘black storm troopers’ (possibly called ‘shadow troopers’) have been floating around.
This is all we know story-wise, so far. Impatient fans have been speculating when we will finally be granted our first sneak peek. State of the Empire podcast first proposed that as Lucas film and Marvel share the same parent company, Disney, the release of the new Captain America: Civil War Film will accompany a Rogue One trailer to the big screen. Recent talk of Marvel releasing a Rogue One tie-in comic series in October has fans even more convinced. However, new predictions suggest the trailer may leak two days before the USA Civil War release date on May 6th to aptly surprise fans on the 4th – ‘May the Forth be with you’.
Either way, many long-time fans are very patiently awaiting the reveal and, hopefully, all this downplaying and keeping everything under wraps is a good thing and we’ll all be blown away. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be in cinemas December 16th this year.
Let us know your thoughts on the anthology idea and Rogue One in the comments below; we want to share the excitement!
