Disney Reveals Most of the 'Rogue One' Cast
Disney, at the recently concluded D23 EXPO 2015, officially revealed the cast of the first "Star Wars" anthology film, "Rogue One." The IGN report mentioned that the upcoming film had received a major "tweak" in its title. Disney has gotten rid of the "Anthology" part and the movie is now simply called "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
The first standalone film of "Star Wars" is already in production and according to the report, filming has commenced in London. It will be shown in theaters on December 16, 2016 - a year after "The Force Awakens" is released.
The report called its cast a "unique and diverse" one "by Hollywood standards." Through a slideshow of the different cast members, each one was given a quick introduction about the role that they would play, if known. Essentially, this makes up the group of resistance fighters whose mission is to steal the plans of the Death Star.
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First up is one of the lead stars, Felicity Jones. Although her character is not yet known, there is speculation that she may be playing Boba Fett's daughter. Jones recently got nominated for an Oscar for her role as Jane Wilde Hawking in the 2014 movie "The Theory of Everything," opposite Eddie Redmayne.
Diego Luna, a Mexican actor, is also part of the Rogue One team. He recently worked with Mel Gibson in "Blood Father" and has appeared in "Elysium" and "Milk." He is previously known for his starring role in "Y Tu Mama Tambien." His role in the team however was also not revealed.
Riz Ahmed is also joining the Rogue One team. Like the rest of the team, his exact character is not yet known. He recently worked with Jake Gyllenhaal in "Nightcrawler." According to the report, he was cast largely because of his "onscreen chemistry" with Felicity Jones which Disney saw during his screen test.
Another member of the resistance group is Chinese actor and filmmaker Jiang Wen. In the slide show, he looked particularly "fearsome," with a scowl on his face and his body armor.
Hong Kong martial arts actor Donnie Yen is also joining Rogue One. In the picture, he is shown to be playing a character that is blind, but is carrying a stick that seems to double as a weapon. He is better known for his role in Ip Man martial arts films.
Other cast members who were mentioned in the announcement included Ben Mendelsohn, who is likely playing a character that is not part of the resistance. Forest Whitaker is also mentioned. Lastly, Mads Mikkelsen was also announced as part of the cast, and given his choice of roles, he is likely to play a villainous one in "Rogue One."
