The mighty Death Star returns in this trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

By Rick Marshall April 7, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is still in some theaters, but now we have our first look at the next chapter in the Star Wars saga via the first official trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm revealed the Rogue One debut trailer during today’s episode of Good Morning America, and the preview offers a peek at the first installment of a series of standalone spinoff films set within the Star Wars universe.

Directed by Monsters and Godzilla filmmaker Gareth Edwards, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story unfolds in the period between the events of prequel film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and the franchise-starting 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The film follows a group of rebel agents who are tasked with a seemingly impossible (and likely suicidal) mission: stealing the plans to the Empire’s deadly new weapon, the Death Star.

Oscar-nominated The Theory of Everything actress Felicity Jones features prominently in the trailer as a rebellious woman recruited for the dangerous mission who clearly has some demons of her own to confront along the way. She’s joined in the cast by Diego Luna (Milk), Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Jiang Wen (Let the Bullets Fly), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal), and Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler). Firefly actor Alan Tudyk also provides the motion-capture performance for one of the featured characters in the film.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story features a script penned by About a Boy and The Golden Compass screenwriter Chris Weitz, based on a story conceived by Star Wars franchise veteran John Knoll (who also serves as an executive producer on the film) and The Book of Eli and The Walking Dead: The Game writer Gary Whitta. Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The King’s Speech) will provide the film’s score.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to hit theaters December 16, 2016.

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