Taking A Closer Look At The Cast Of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Arguably the most exciting thing to come out of Disney's recent D23 convention was a tantalizing glimpse of most of the main players from Gareth Edwards' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story assembled for the first time. It's not the entire cast mind you - the likes of Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Forest Whitaker also have roles in the movie - but we assume this is most of the motley bunch that makes up the Rebel squadron tasked with stealing those Death Star plans from the Empire. That mission is pretty much the only thing we know about the plot so far, and we don't have a single character name to go on - but a hi-res version of the official still of these guys gathered together was recently released, allowing us to get a much closer look at each of them individually and put our speculation caps on. Plus, the diverse international cast that the Godzilla director has gathered together may be familiar to many of you, but they are still far from household names, so we'll provide some background on them while we're at it. Moving left to right, let's kick off with Riz Ahmed. Riz Ahmed is a British actor and rapper, probably best known for his role in last year's haunting Nightcrawler, in which he played Jake Gyllenhaal's doomed partner. The actor garnered acclaim for his turn as Omar in the excellent Four Lions, and has also appeared in the likes of The Road to Guantanamo, Shifty, Britz, Ill Manors, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. So, what can we tell about his character from this image? Well, the goggles and tools adorning his person seem to suggest that he's fond of a bit of tinkering, and he also happens to be sitting down to work on a console of some sort. So, it's a safe bet this guy (whatever his name is) is the engineer/techie of the group; possibly even the pilot - although that could well be this next fella's job... This cool as ice lookin' mofo is played by Mexican thesp Diego Luna, who will be most familiar to US fans as Matt Damon's sidekick in Neill Blomkamp's Elysium. He's been acting since he was a young kid though and has amassed quite a filmography, standing out in the likes of Y tu mamá también, Rudo y Cursi, The Terminal and Milk. Post Rogue One he's set to star in Ana Lily Amirpour's cannibal romance flick, The Bad Batch. All we know for sure about this character is that he's rocking a very nice jacket similar to the one Han Solo donned in the Empire Strikes Back - but there is an interesting, if implausible theory doing the rounds. Some seem to think this guy may turn out to be Biggs Darklighter: Luke's pal that was mentioned in A New Hope, but only seen on screen in the special edition release. The timelines do match up and it would definitely serve as a nice link to the earlier films, but aside from the fact that he looks like he visits the same barber, there's really not that much to go on here. Now it's on to the leader of the pack, played by the lovely Felicity Jones. By far the most recognizable of the bunch, Jones received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for her turn as Jane Wilde Hawking in The Theory Of Everything, and also popped up as Felicia Hardy (the future Black Cat... if that franchise had a future that is!) in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Other notable film roles include Northanger Abbey, Brideshead Revisited, Chéri, The Tempest and Like Crazy. We know Jones' character will head-up the mission, but pretty much nothing else - though there is one very intriguing rumor out there. Could she be playing the daughter of the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, Boba Fett? There's nothing solid to back this up and when you think about it, it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense (after all, based on this movie's timeline Boba would still have been a kid when she was born), and yet the idea seems to have been taken to heart by many fans who now hope its turns out to be true. Boba was a clone, so maybe that will factor in somehow? Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter and actor Jiang Wen was only rumored to have joined the cast of Rogue One a week or so before his official reveal at D23, and here he is evidently playing a much larger role than anyone expected. One of China's most prominent and popular stars, Wen shot to fame with roles in the likes of Hibiscus Town, Black Snow, The Emperor's Shadow, The Soong Sisters and Red Sorghum. Like everyone else, his nameless character remains a mystery for now - but there's no doubt he cuts quite an intimidating figure. Kitted out with armor, gauntlets, and what looks to be a fairly formidable looking weapon of some kind slung over his back, there's a very good chance this guy is the muscle of the group - because there's always some muscle in the group! Now we come to arguably the most intriguing member of the team, and playing him is an actor that fans seem to be most excited about. Donnie Yen has been known as Hong Kong's most famous action star for years, but has also gone on to be recognized as a great dramatic leading man in his own right. Proficient in over 15 forms of martial art, Yen will be best known for his IP Man movies, but he's appeared in well over 50 films since his debut in 1983's Shaolin Drunkard - all of them well worth a watch just to see Mr. Yen in action. One would assume Edwards wouldn't have cast Donnie Yen in this movie if he wasn't planning to make use of his skills for a physical role, but one of the first things you'll notice about his character is that he appears to be blind. Now let's assume that stick he's carrying isn't just there to help him get around - how exactly does a blind man fight? Well, he might be a Jedi! We've been told this story wouldn't focus on the lightsaber-spinners, but that doesn't mean it won't include just one! If the idea of Yen as a Jedi doesn't excite you, nothing will. That does it for the characters that have been revealed, but of course, Rogue One will also feature a few heavy hitters that we haven't seen yet. Ben Mendolsohn (Animal Kingdom, The Place beyond The Pines, The Dark Knight Rises) is playing a character that is not a part of the rebellion, which has led to speculation that he must be playing a villain - he certainly has the credentials. Also, whoever Forest Whitaker (Last King Of Scotland, Ghost Dog: Way of The Samurai, The Crying Game, Panic Room) is playing remains a complete mystery, though one theory seems to be that he'll be playing a rebel commander, perhaps responsible for planning the mission. Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Casino Royale, Valhalla Rising) has to be playing a villain as well... right? Actually, no! Though the actor didn't get into it too much, he confirmed to a Danish newspaper that he has an "important role" and that "no, my character is actually not a bad guy." So, there you have it, quite a lot of food for thought and speculation, but we're definitely looking forward to seeing what the filmmakers have cooked up with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. What we know so far certainly sounds promising, and you can bet that over the next few months we'll be learning a lot more. And, when we do, we'll be sure to let you know.