Gareth Edwards details Rogue One’s strong tie to A New Hope

There’s just a few weeks until ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ hits cinemas but the specifics of the plot of still firmly under wraps.

Essentially we know that a team of rebels - fronted by Felicity Jone’s Jyn Erso - embark on a risky mission to steal the plans for the Death Star and director Gareth Edwards says the ‘Rogue One’ story is ingrained into the first film, ‘A New Hope’, specifically in its opening scrolling text.

During the latest story featurette to be released, the behind-the-scenes insight reveals similarities to the original movie and tries to link the time period and be in keeping with the aesthetic of the 1977 original.

As the video shows, we see some visual similarities woven into the spin-off.

Above: ‘Rogue One’ tonally tries to emulate ‘A New Hope’ to an extent.

So fans should get a sense of familiarity.

Above: Jyn Erso (Jones) in ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’

“It’s like the world’s greatest toy set; it’s like being a kid again,” says Edwards who also describes directing a ‘Star Wars’ movie as “the greatest job in the world.”

And while we’ve not got access to plot specifics - and let’s face it, why would we want any spoilers? - Edwards, who recently helmed the ‘Godzilla’ remake, made a very simple but relevant link.

“’Rogue One’ takes place very close to Episode 4. The simplest way to explain it is that text you see at the beginning of ‘A New Hope’; that is essentially our movie,” he explains. The video highlights the words ‘rebels’, ‘spies’ and ‘steal secret plans’ from the scrolling intro of ‘A New Hope’ and that pretty much sums up what’s in store for us as an audience.

Check out the featurette below.

We’ve already had some clarity into how the Rebellion first came about, which was during the Clone Wars as a Separatist group formed, as we find out in James Luceno’s novel ‘Star Wars: Catalyst – A Rogue One Story’.

Exactly what takes place with our new characters and in their own stories, not to mention how Darth Vader fits into the new film, will all be revealed very soon.

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ is in UK cinemas from 15 December.

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Picture credit: Disney/Lucasfilm, YouTube