Rogue One Bits: A New Trailer, New Concept Art, And A New Character Name
In this edition of Rogue One Bits:
The folks over at Making Star Wars say that the next and presumably final Rogue One trailer may arrive online this week, which is a fair bit earlier than expected. Everyone is fairly certain that the next preview will be attached to Marvel's Doctor Strange, which is set to open on November 4, 2016, because Disney is really, really good at that whole "corporate synergy" thing. If this report is accurate (and Making Star Wars has been frequently accurate in the past), the new trailer will be online in the back half of this week, although they could not specify an exact time. So there you go. Get ready.
The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story isn't due out on bookstore shelves until December 16, 2016, but someone has already managed to reveal the first piece of concept art from the book. Technically, it's the back cover of the book, depicting a sight we saw in the last trailer: an Imperial Star Destroyer hovering over Jedha, the planet that has significant spiritual importance to believers in the Force (and also the location of at least one major action set piece in the film). Follow that link above to take a look at the art – we're not in the mood to get a cease and desist today.
A few days ago, New York Comic-Con hosted the Star Wars Writer's Roundtable Panel, which brought together authors currently working on an assortment of new books to discuss their craft. Although many of the books discussed were already known to us, a few were officially announced at the panel, including a young adult novel written by Beth Revis that will focus on the character of Jyn Erso and a middle grade novel from Greg Rucka following Baze and Chirrut. StarWars.com has posted a complete schedule for upcoming Star Wars books, which stretches into May of next year. There's a little something for all tastes here:
Star Wars: Galactic AtlasFrom Egmont UK
On Sale: November 3, 2016
Star Wars: Catalyst: A Rogue One NovelFrom Del Rey
By James Luceno
On Sale: November 15, 2016
Star Wars Rogue One Junior Novel (eBook)From Disney-Lucasfilm Press
By Matt Forbeck
On Sale: December 16, 2016
Star Wars Rogue One Junior NovelFrom Disney-Lucasfilm Press
By Matt Forbeck
On Sale: March 28, 2017
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (eBook)From Del Rey
By Alexander Freed
On Sale: December 16, 2016
Star Wars Rogue One Ultimate Sticker EncyclopediaFrom DK Publishing
On Sale: December 16, 2016
Star Wars Rogue One: Secret MissionFrom DK Publishing
On Sale: December 16, 2016
Star Wars Rogue One Ultimate Visual GuideFrom DK Publishing
By Pablo Hidalgo
On Sale: December 16, 12016
The Art of Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryFrom Abrams Books
By Josh Kushins; Foreword by Doug Chiang, Neil Lamont, and Gareth Edwards
On Sale: December 16, 2016
Star Wars: Rogue One Mini BuildFrom Egmont UK
On Sale: December 16, 2016
Star Wars: Rogue One: Profiles and Poster BookFrom Egmont UK
On Sale: December 16, 2016
The Art of Coloring Star Wars: Rogue OneFrom Disney-Lucasfilm Press
On Sale: December 20, 2016
Star Wars Rogue One Rebel DossierFrom Disney-Lucasfilm Press
On Sale: December 20, 2016
Rogue One: A Star Wars StoryFrom Del Rey
By Alexander Freed
On Sale: January 3, 2017
Star Wars Rogue One Junior NovelFrom Disney-Lucasfilm Press
On Sale: March 28, 2017
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Young Adult NovelFrom Disney-Lucasfilm Press
Written by Beth Revis
On Sale: May 2, 2016
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Middle Grade NovelFrom Disney-Lucasfilm Press
Written by Greg Rucka
On Sale: May 2, 2016
One of the most promising aspects of Rogue One is K-2SO, the reprogrammed Imperial security droid played by Alan Tudyk in a motion capture performance. Part of the appeal is that an imposing robot fighting for the Rebels is a fun idea, but the chief appeal is the chance to watch Tudyk, one of our most consistently entertaining actors, play a seven-foot tall killer robot. But as he explained to Entertainment Weekly, he came very close to not being able to take the part:
"We sat down and talked and after the talk, he said, 'Do you want to do it,'" Tudyk recalled. "I actually said, as long as it doesn't go in June. Now that I think of it I'm really surprised. I was like, 'Look, I've got some stipulations here.'" As Tudyk explained, he was making Con Man, which at the time had just been crowd-funded by supportive fans. "I was like, 'I have a responsibility here to the people who crowd-funded it to make it on time,'" he said. "I think they would have been okay with it. But luckily they said we start in July."
Tudyk's filmography shows off a guy who never stops working, so it's great that the stars aligned and he was able to make this happen.
Hasbro's New York Comic-Con panel teased the next wave of Rogue One action figures, which includes tiny plastic versions of Chirrut Îmwe, Baze Malbus, Bodhi Rook, a Deathtrooper, Darth Vader, and Jyn Erso undercover as an Imperial operative. But the most important news to come out of the panel was the revelation that the grumpy-looking Mon Calamari rebel we glimpsed in that Comic-Con sizzle reel is getting his own figure and that his name is Admiral Raddus.
