By Cindy Davis | Star Wars | August 26, 2015 |
By Cindy Davis | Star Wars | August 26, 2015 |
I know we’re all uber-excited about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and I don’t mean to diminish that enthusiasm in any way — BUT, I might be the teensiest bit more excited about the Gareth Edwards directed anthology, newly dubbed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
It’s not just that Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) is directing (I’ll admit to not having quite as much faith in J.J. as some do), or that quite possibly my favorite actor of the year, Bloodline’s Ben Mendelsohn is starring alongside an awesome, diverse, and excellent cast that includes Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Aris — it’s also that at D23, two more beloved actors were announced: Firefly’s Alan Tudyk, and Hannibal’s Mads (mothereffin’) Mikkelsen!
Though you might have automatically assumed Mads’ character is villainous, at a recent Danish premiere, Mikkelsen answered a few questions — despite himself, and… His first statement? “I cannot talk about the film.” But the reporter goes on anyway, and managed to get a little bit more information.
Responding to an observation that on imdb, his name is second after Felicity Jones — so might that mean Mads is playing someone important?
(Translation by Google)
“I have not actually noticed that I stand number 2 in the cast. It is probably because the other might not have come on the list yet [smiles].It is a very important role, as much I can say.”
The reporter then asks if Mikkelsen is “the bad guy.”
“No, my character is actually not a bad guy, and then I can not say more…I can say that the movie will be filmed in Iceland and England. And…[shooting] lasts for three months.”
The rest of what we know about Rogue One is similarly sketchy; a group of rebels attempt to steal plans for the Death Star, and there’s a rumor Darth Vader may appear — though he’ll “not be the main antagonist.”
Mikkelsen, who does play both a villain and main antagonist in Hannibal, closes out that series this Saturday night. We’ll cover the finale and discuss things like how Prison Walls Killed the Hannibal Star, because since Hannibal was jailed, things have really gone downhill.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is scheduled for release December 16, 2016.