The release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is imminent (December 16th to be exact) and while some folks are already trying to talk about a sequel, I’m just super hyped to see the film. Some new featurettes from Disney on Jyn and the amazing practical creature effects are here to get you excited.
I previously wrote about another featurette Disney and Lucasfilm released that gave a really great explanation of where the film falls in the overall Star Wars universe but these new videos have me extra excited. Considering Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso is the lead of the film, we’ve already seen a lot about her, but this latest video touches upon the power of fictional characters.
Some fans were up in arms after it was announced a second Star Wars film in a row would, gasp, have a female lead. Representation on screen, and in all areas, is super important, so it’s nice to see things changing. Jyn’s role, like many great heroes, is to be a hero for all. “With Jyn, Gareth [Edwards] and I both felt that it was very important that we found her humanity and her vulnerability,” Jones says in the video. “Everyone should relate to her.”
The second recently released featurette touches on something else I’m passionate about – practical effects! Just check out some of the work behind the aliens in Rogue One.
Our own Mike Ryan got a sneak-peek recently at 30 minutes of the film and wrote a breakdown if you’re interested, Disney released a full scene, and director Gareth Edwards said to keep an eye out for a specific Easter Egg. Personally, I’m hoping to go in as fresh as an entertainment writer can these days.