One of the lesser-known quirks about the recent teaser trailer for The Force Awakens is that the clip utilizes Instagram’s new-fangled landscape orientation feature that prevents videos from being cut off at the seams. A welcome addition, then, particularly if the Star Wars Instagram feed becomes a bastion of super-short teases for upcoming films.
Looking beyond J.J. Abrams’ sequel, though, and we arrive at the beginning of Disney’s much-hyped Anthology series with Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars: Rogue One. Centering on a group of rogue Rebels, the standalone feature will have the motley crew attempt to steal the coveted Death Star plans from beneath the nose of the Empire. But how about the prospect of seeing the galactic heist on the biggest format possible? Well, we just might.
According to the Playlist – citing a report first unearthed by The Hollywood Reporter a few months back – there’s murmurs of Rogue One treading a similar path to Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and utilizing the Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic lenses. Capturing the western on 65mm film, Tarantino’s bounty hunter bonanza will open in the ultra-wide aspect ratio of 2.76:1. Rogue One cinematographer Greig Fraser is purportedly considering a similar tactic for Edwards’ offshoot, which would make it the first entry in the beloved franchise to take advantage of the ultra-widescreen format.
No word yet from either Disney or Lucasfilm to confirm or deny these reports, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted as this story unfolds.
Rogue One is set to bring together Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Alan Tudyk and Mads Mikkelsen, who may not play a villain for Edwards, but he is allegedly in contention to take charge of the big bad in Doctor Strange.
Star Wars: Rogue One scurries into theaters on December 16, 2016.
