Attendees at Star Wars Celebration Europe were treated to a new “Rogue One” trailer Friday that featured a glimpse of one of the most iconic movie villains: Darth Vader.
The pressure is on for director Gareth Edwards to deliver a successful followup to Disney’s “The Force Awakens,” which hauled in over $2 billion worldwide. The new trailer, behind-the scenes footage, and a star-studded panel discussion at the London event likely earned much goodwill among fans.
“There isn’t much time,” a young version of Felicity Jones’ character, Jyn Erso, says in the trailer. “Every day we grow weaker. This is our chance to make a real difference.”
The camera soon cuts to the black and brooding figure of Darth Vader from behind, the entertainment website io9 reported Friday.
“The pressure is so high,” Mr. Edwards says in behind-the-scenes footage also posted Friday on the official Star Wars HQ YouTube page. “I’ve been making a film that’s right-touching my favorite movie of all time. If you’re too respectful of it and you don’t do anything new and different, or taking risks, then what are you bringing to the table?”
The director’s comments highlight the fact that “Rogue One,” which comes out Dec. 16, made headlines in May when it was confirmed that re-shoots were required.
“The film-making team and the studio always anticipated additional shooting and second unit work to make the film the absolute best it can be, and the actors were aware there would be additional shooting,” Disney said in a statement released May 30. “Coming off ’The Force Awakens,’ there’s an incredibly high bar for this movie and we have a responsibility to the franchise and to the fans to deliver the best possible movie we can.”
Fans at the London gathering, which runs through July 17, also heard the cast speak about their characters and the filming experience.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” stars Ms. Jones, Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen and Riz Ahmed. James Earl Jones returns to voice Darth Vader, the character he first made famous in 1977’s “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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