Other actors in the intergalactic crew include Riz Ahmed (Jason Bourne, Nightcrawler), Donnie Yen (from Korean martial-arts franchise Ip Man) and Forest Whitaker as the mysterious Saw Gerrera. Image Source: YouTube

May the Force be with the fans. The first trailer of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story debuted on Tuesday night’s broadcast of Rio Olympics, alongside Tom Hank’s “Inferno” and Amy Adams’ “Arrival.”

Every four years the Summer Olympics are the biggest live television event, and Hollywood is not missing the chance to bid for the gold in the sport of promoting the upcoming blockbusters.

Some companies, such a Disney, are ditching the theaters altogether. Rogue One’s trailer aired on NBC, a Star Wars spinoff fans won’t get to see until December 16.

Michael Phelps never imagined he would be competing for the trending topics with Felicity Jones (Felicia Hawkins in “The Theory of Everything”) as Jyn Erso, the antihero protagonist of the story.

‘The world is coming undone’

It seems the next installment in the Star Wars franchise will be set with a darker tone than Force Awakens. The rogue Erso is recruited by the rebels to lead an unlikely team tasked to infiltrate the Imperial Army and steal the plans of the –original- Death Star.

It goes back to the first movie, “A new Hope” (1977), where the rebels, joined by Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, destroyed the Death Star by shooting into the only weak spot of the planet destroyer.

For those remembering the lore, the plot should happen sometime between Episode 3 and Episode 4, amid the rise of Anakin Skywalker as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker joining forces with the rebellion.

Before the appearance of the last Jedi, Darth Vader and the Sith Lord ruled the galaxy as they pleased. Hence, the Empire is deemed to be a stronger and more dangerous enemy in Rogue One.

Also, we already know about their fateful mission, where many rebels died to secure the plans. The hero might not see the whole adventure through.

A new ensemble of fighters

Jyn Erso has the potential to become the new nerf-herder of the franchise with a striking resemblance to Han Solo: a rebellion leader with a shady past and a bad-ass attitude. Nevertheless, she seems entirely different, a full-fledged character before the events to unfold, rather than in a quest to search for purpose and meaning, the common denominator in a Star Wars’ protagonist.

But she is certainly not the only character to shine in the upcoming movie. His copilot and apparent right hand, Cassian Andor, will be played by the famous Mexican actor Diego Luna. Luna admits that there is “friction” at the time, and it was his job to keep it together.

Other actors in the intergalactic crew include Riz Ahmed (Jason Bourne, Nightcrawler), Donnie Yen (from Korean martial-arts franchise Ip Man) and Forest Whitaker as the mysterious Saw Gerrera.

James Earl Jones is also cast as Darth Vader voice, although the range of his involvement is unclear. The main villain will be Director Orson Krennic of the Empire, played by Ben Mendelsohn. Gareth Edwards is the director. His recent work includes 2014’s retake at Godzilla; and 2010’s Monsters, a 72% Tomatometer alien occupation flick.

Rogue One is the first of three standalone movies in the Star Wars universe. Producers assure this first installment is “darker, more immersive and more a realistic look” of that galaxy far far away, a long, long, time ago.

On a sadder note, LucasFilm remembers Kenny Baker, the actor who portrayed R2D2 in the six first Star Wars movies. May Baker rest in peace, the arrangements for his funeral are yet to be determined.

Source: The Verge

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