"Rogue One" teaser trailer unveiled
A teaser trailer for "Rogue One" was released Thursday, giving Star Wars fans their first look at footage from the standalone film about rebel spies out to steal plans to the Death Star.
The "Star Wars" title -- not part of the trilogy sequels that bowed last December -- stars Academy Award-nominee Felicity Jones ("The Theory of Everything") as Jyn Erso, a self-described rebel who is enlisted in an operation to obtain plans to the Emperor's ultimate weapon.
The cast includes Mads Mikkelsen ("The Hunt"), Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland"), Ben Mendelsohn ("Animal Kingdom"), Donnie Yen ("Ip Man"), Alan Tudyk ("Firefly"), Diego Luna ("Milk"), Jiang Wen and Riz Ahmed ("Nightcrawler").
Directed by Gareth Edwards ("Monster," "Godzilla"), and written by Chris Weitz, John Knoll and Gary Whitta, "Rogue One" is set just before the events of the first "Star Wars" film, and has a grittier feel - no light sabers, but there is what looks like a samurai sword.
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is scheduled for release on December 16th, 2016.