Gareth Edwards to direct first new film set outside core Star Wars saga.
As reported on StarWars.com, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) is on board to direct Rogue One, the first stand-alone Star Wars film set outside the current franchise’s storyline. The film, to be written by Oscar-nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz) will star Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) and is slated for a December 16, 2016 release.
According to the report on the Disney shareholders meeting, Rogue One is based on an idea from John Knoll, the Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. He will executive produce along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) are slated to produce with John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as co-producer.
Source: StarWars.com
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
