Due to be released on the 16th of December, 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' is the latest film in the Disney Star Wars reboot, following the hugely successful 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', and introduces a whole new cast of rebels.
'Rogue One' is a spin-off movie, set between episodes III and IV, where the newly formed Galactic Empire has been laying waste to their enemies, seeking to subjugate the remaining resistance, and only a handful of rebels remain.
As per typical 'Star Wars' casting, Gareth Edwards has chosen a few fairly unknown names, such as Felicity Jones and Diego Luna, similarly to George Lucas in the original trilogy. But Edwards has also deviated from the formula slightly, bringing in a few heavy hitters like Forest Whitaker and Mads Mikkelsen.
1 Felicity Jones -- Jyn Erso
Birthday: 17 October 1983
Birthplace: Bournville, Birmingham, UK
In 'Rogue One' Felicity plays the lead heroine, Jyn Erso, a human criminal turned soldier after the Rebel Alliance contacted her regarding information on her estranged father, whilst she normally operated alone, she begins to find a higher purpose with the Rebel Alliance. But Jones' career didn't start here. From the age of 11, Jones has appeared on our screens. From 'The Worst Witch', a British children program that ran from 1998 to 2001, to an appearance on 'Doctor Who', to her most recent foray into Hollywood, playing Jane Hawking in 'The Theory of Everything' alongside Eddie Redmayne. 'The Theory of Everything' achieved huge critical acclaim, mostly due to Jones and Redmayne's performances, and Jones was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and several others. Felicity Jones is also set to star alongside Tom Hanks in 'Inferno', the latest adaption of Dan Brown's books, which is released to cinemas on October 14th in the UK and Ireland and the October 28th in the USA.
2 Diego Luna -- Cassian Andor
Birthday: 29 December 1979
Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
In 'Rogue One', Diego Luna plays Cassian Andor, an experienced Rebel Alliance Intelligence Officer. Andor is respected by many soldiers in the Alliance for his calmness under fire, and is placed alongside Jyn to keep an eye on her reckless behaviour. Luna has also been acting from a young age, with both parents working in the entertainment industry. Luna began performing on the big screen with 'Antonieta' in 1982, and on television with 'El Abuelo y Yo' with a friend of his, Gael García Bernal. Luna has worked alongside quite a few A-listers including Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal', Sean Penn in 'Milk' and Matt Damon in 'Elysium'. In 2012, Luna began directing his first English language film with 'Cesar Chávez' a biopic about the eponymous American labour leader and civil rights activist. Luna is also set to star in 'The Bad Batch' alongside Jason Momoa, Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves.
3 Ben Mendelsohn -- Orson Krennic
Birthday: 3 April 1969
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Ben Mendelsohn plays a villain in 'Rogue One' by the name of Orson Krennic, the Director of Advanced Weapons and Research for the Imperial Military. A cruel and calculating but brilliant man, Krennic will go to any lengths in order to see his dream of constructing the Death Star completed. Once again, Mendelsohn has been acting his entire life, starting with 'The Still Point' in 1986. Since then, Mendelsohn has appeared in several TV shows and films, including 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Exodus: Gods and Kings', starring alongside Christian Bale in both of those. He is also set to act in 'Ready Player One' a new upcoming science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. Mendelsohn will be starring alongside Simon Pegg and T.J. Miller.
4 Donnie Yen -- Chirrut Îmwe
Birthday: 27 July 1963
Birthplace: Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Played by Donnie Yen, Chirrut Îmwe is a blind human monk born on the moon of Jedha. Although Chirrut Îmwe is blind, he is still a very formidable warrior. He is partnered up with Baze Malbus, a pragmatic assassin who contrasts greatly with Chirrut Îmwe's peaceful nature. Despite not being force sensitive, Chirrut Îmwe is a strong believer in the ways of the Jedi and the Force in general. In real life, Donnie Yen is an extremely skilled martial artist, practicing Tai Chi Chuan, Wing Chun, Kickboxing, Hapkido, Taekwondo, Karate and many more. Donnie Yen is most famous for acting in martial arts films in Asia, and in the last decade, has started to bring martial arts to the west. He is famous in the west for such films as 'Ip Man', 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny' and 'Shanghai Knights'. Yen is also set to star in 'American Revenge', which is due to be released sometime in 2017.
5 Mads Mikkelsen -- Galen Erso
Birthday: 22 November 1965
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Mads Mikkelsen plays Galen Erso, the father of Jyn Erso, a scientist for the Galactic Empire. Galen Erso was one of the scientists working on the Death Star, and it was due to the Rebel Alliance intercepting and decoding a message from Galen, that they decided to involve Jyn. Mikkelson is famous for acting in films such as 'Casino Royale' where he plays Le Chiffre, and 'The Hunt' where he plays Lucas and for his work on the TV show 'Hannibal', where he plays the titular character. Mikkelsen is also set to star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton in the upcoming Marvel film, 'Doctor Strange'.
6 Alan Tudyk -- K-2SO
Birthday: 16 March 1971
Birthplace: El Paso, Texas, USA
In 'Rogue One', Alan Tudyk plays K-2SO, an Imperial enforcer droid that was originally created for use in the Galactic Empire's armed forces, but was captured by the Rebel Alliance and reprogrammed by Andor. Alan Tudyk himself has been seen acting in films such as '3:10 To Yuma' and 'Death at a Funeral', but most will know Tudyk as Wash from the cult classic science fiction TV show, 'Firefly', where Tudyk plays the pilot. Aside from 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', Tudyk is set to appear in 'Powerless' an office based TV show set in the DC Universe.
7 Riz Ahmed -- Bodhi Rook
Birthday: 1 December 1982
Birthplace: Wembley, London, UK
Riz Ahmed will be playing a human male Alliance pilot called Bodhi Rook in 'Rogue One'. Rook is a very experienced fighter pilot, but, unfortunately has a tendency to be a bit wild and hot headed. You may have heard of Riz before as he is also a famous rapper in Britain, performing under the name Riz MC. Alternatively, Riz appeared in the dark British comedy, 'Four Lions', and recently, in some big Hollywood blockbusters, such as 'Jason Bourne' alongside Matt Damon, and 'Nightcrawler', where Ahmed worked alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. Currently, Riz is not set to appear in anything in 2017.
8 Jiang Wen -- Baze Malbus
Birthday: 5 January 1963
Birthplace: Tangshan, Hebei, China
Jiang Wen plays Baze Malbus, the freelance assassin, who, due to the harsh realities of life in the Galactic Empire, has become very cynical and pragmatic. Malbus is a crack shot with his repeater cannon, and has a boastful persona that contrasts sharply with that of his counterpart, Chirrut Îmwe, played by Donnie Yen. Jiang Wen started acting in Chinese cinema, in films such as 'Black Snow' and 'In the Heat of the Sun'.
9 Forest Whitaker -- Saw Gerrera
Birthday: 15 July 1961
Birthplace: Longview, Texas
Forest Whitaker plays Saw Gerrera, a rebel leader who fought the Confederacy during the Clone Wars in the prequels. After the rise of the Galactic Empire, Gerrera joined the Rebel Alliance and became a key figure in the Rebellion. You may recognize Forest Whitaker from several films, including 'Good Morning, Vietnam', where Whitaker plays Edward Garlick, and 'The Last King of Scotland' where he plays the infamous President of Uganda, Idi Amin. Whitaker is set to play Desmond Tutu in the upcoming 'The Forgiven', due to be released in 2017.