Star Wars : Rogue One , starring Felicity Jones , which is slated for release in December 2016 . The Jedis are all but extinct , the Old Republic is in turmoil and the threat of the Death Star is looming in 'Rogue One , ' fans learned at Star Wars Celebration on Sunday . Gareth Edwards who directed Godzilla debuted a tantalizing trailer to preview the mysterious film , which is part of a series of films exploring other stories outside of the core 'Star Wars ' saga . 'For more than 1,000 generations , the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic . Before the dark times . Before the Empire , ' says Alec Guinness as Obi Wan Kenobi in a voiceover reprised from 1977 's Star Wars : A New Hope . While the ominous words so familiar to millions fans are delivered the camera tracks to show a ghostly Death Star hovering in the clouds . At the screening , audience members were heard to gasp when Guinness spoke and then whoop when the Death Star came into view . Set chronologically between the third and the fourth movies in the 'Star Wars ' saga , the film will follow a band of resistance fighters who unite to steal the Death Star plans and 'bring a new hope , ' referring to the subtitle of the original 'Star Wars . ' At the same time , the iconic franchise 's Twitter account posted a capsule of the storyline , saying : ' A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans in Star Wars anthology film , Rogue One # RogueOne . Preview : Fans at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim , California were able to view a preview of the first Star Wars spin-of entitled Rogue One . More to come : The Star Wars website released this Twitter describing the storyline for the film , which is described as an anthology movie adding to the Star Wars universe . December 2016 : The film is set after Episode III and before Episode IV , added director Gareth Edwards added that his film wo n't have clear-cut villains and heroes . Felicity Jones , who recently garnered an Oscar nomination for her role in 'The Theory of Everything ' is the only confirmed cast member for the film , which will shoot in London this summer for a December 2016 release . Jones will play a rebel soldier , the director said . Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy appears on the Cantina set at Star Wars Celebration : The Ultimate Fan Experience held in Anaheim last week . Edwards said that her character will not just be a stoic soldier , but a complex , fully rounded human . 'We wanted to see fear , warmth , all of those aspects that everybody has , ' he said , excited that Jones embodies 'the complete package . ' In the world of 'Rogue One , ' Edwards said the 'absence of Jedi is omnipresent . ' The characters in the film realize that the 'gods are not coming to save us , ' he said . 'It comes down to a group of people who do n't have magical powers who band together to bring hope to the galaxy . ' 'Cinderella ' scribe Chis Weitz wrote the screenplay based on an idea from visual effects supervisor John Knoll . Josh Trank , who is set to direct the next , still untitled 'Star Wars ' anthology film , did not attend the event although he was originally scheduled to appear . The idea for the film came from award-winning visual effects artist John Knoll , who pitched the idea internally before bringing it to Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm 's Kiri Hart . Hart , vice president of development for Lucasfilm , said that the anthology films will vary in 'scale and genre . ' She added that they are describing them as 'anthology films ' that expand the Star Wars universe without necessarily using the main characters . 'We wanted freedom to do some films that would be able to stand on their own and tell unique stories , ' she said . 'They can still feel like ` Star Wars ' and be ` Star Wars . ' Talented : The upcoming standalone movie will be directed by Gareth Edwards of 'Godzilla ' fame . Coming soon : Rogue One starts shooting this summer , and will be released in December of 2016 .
Rogue One will be a prequel to the original trilogy . First 'anthology film ' will be about Rebels on a rogue mission to steal plans to the Death Star . Felicity Jones - star of Star Wars Celebration will star as a rebel soldier .