SPOILER ALERT: This should go without saying, but this contains LOADS of SPOILERS for ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’. Be warned!
‘Rogue One’ went from super secretive to full disclosure in just days! The onslaught continues here with over a dozen new photos unveiling the Death Troopers and more, including some set photos that could hint at possible story elements.
Let’s start with those Death Troopers:
These are allegedly elite special ops Stormtroopers tasked with eliminating the Rebel threat. Some have pointed out the similarity between their black armor and that of Darth Vader, so there may be a greater connection there.
Filmmakers wouldn’t comment on this photo other than to confirm, yes that’s a Stormtrooper doll and it does play an important part in the story. (Entertainment Weekly pointed out that Rey in ‘The Force Awakens’ was shown with an X-Wing Pilot doll.)
Darth Vader’s presence is definitely felt in this movie (especially if there IS a direct connection with the Death Troopers). But the major antagonist is Ben Mendelsohn‘s Director Krennic.
Kiri Hart of Lucasfilm said:
“He understands the system and he knows how things work, but he also is not above trying to bend it to get what he needs or what he thinks he wants… Tarkin is the model for these really cool, icy types, you know? Krennic runs a little hotter than that, so that’s kind of fun and it’s a little bit different. … He is unpredictable and volatile.”
Contrary to appearances, no the Stormtroopers are not on vacation at some tropical paradise. They are storming a new planet, which like many others in the Star Wars Universe contains only one ecosystem. While Tattoine is all desert, this unnamed world is all water.
Director Gareth Edwards said:
“There’s this sort of South Pacific, tropical paradise planet that subconsciously leads into some of the imagery associated with World War II. We went to lots of different places around the world, and one of them was the Maldives. When you’re shooting Stormtroopers in paradise, you have the best job in the world, you know? You can’t really deny it at that point.”
Enough about bad guys! Here’s some info about the good guys! K-2SO (pronounced Kaytoo Esso) was performed via motion capture and voiced by Alan Tudyk and is the anti-C-3PO. Whereas the shimmering C-3PO is a protocol droid, K-2SO is a dull gray security droid. Unlike the gabby 3PO, K-2SO is very blunt.
Edwards said:
“He has a very dry delivery. He doesn’t realize what he’s saying is very funny.”
With Tudyk supplying his voice, this should be quite entertaining!
Riz Ahmed plays Bodhi Rook, the Rebels’ lead pilot.
Kennedy describes him, saying:
“He’s a very experienced pilot. Flies a lot of cargo, one of his key jobs. And he tends to be a little tense, a little volatile, but everybody in the group really relies on his technical skills.”
Producer John Knoll came up with the plot for ‘Rogue One’ and from the start, wanted lead figure, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones, shown here in disguise as an Imperial trooper) to be female.
“I’m a father with three daughters, and I felt it was time to have a really good, smart, resourceful, strong female character in the lead of a movie like this. I wrote that before I saw a treatment for Episode VII, so I didn’t know about Rey.”
Here are some additional new photos to enjoy. Click to enlarge:
Directed by Gareth Edwards, ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, and Jiang Wen and will fly into theaters on December 16th, 2016.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
