Lucasfilm recently announced that filming of "Star Wars: Rogue One", the first film in the new Star Wars series, has officially begun. The film will be directed by Gareth Edwards, who has directed "Godzilla" Director Si. Star Wars: Rogue One tells the story of rebel fighters who band together to steal the plans to build the Death Star. The film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and is scheduled to be released on December 16, 2016.

"Star Wars: Rogue One" stars a star-studded cast, Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Alan Tudyk, Max Miko Nelson, Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed.

“Star Wars: Rogue One will take place before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It will be a side story but contain familiar elements from the Star Wars universe.” Katherine Kennedy said: "The film will enter new territory, exploring interstellar conflict from the perspective of ground warfare, while retaining the Star Wars texture that fans are familiar with. Garris is an innovative director, and I am excited to work with him. And the incredible cast he cast."

The original concept for "Star Wars: Rogue One" came from Industrial Light & Magic veteran and visual effects supervisor John Knoll, who worked with him. The origins of the Star Wars movies can be traced back to the mid-1990s. Noel will serve as executive producer on the film along with Alison Hillmore, Simon Emanuel and Jason McGatlin***. Cherie Hart and John Swartz serve as co-producers.

In order to present a convincing sense of realism in "Star Wars: Rogue One", Edwards chose Greg Fraser as the director of photography and Neil Cobbold as the visual effects supervisor. . Star Wars franchise and Lucasfilm veterans Doug Chiang and Neil Lamont will serve as production designers. The rest of the team includes stunt coordinator Rob Inge, special effects styling supervisor Neil Scanlon and co-costume designers Dave Crossman and Glynn Dillon.