--- description: The first Disney-made Star Wars film outside the new and upcoming main trilogy will be called Rogue One. title: The First Star Wars Spinoff Film Will Be Called Rogue One image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte76584ddce874143/69876e598e06013e454592f3/star-wars-force-awakens2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The First _Star Wars_ Spinoff Movie Will Be Called _Rogue One_  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 12, 2015 6:03 PM CUT  Lucasfilm/Disney  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 12, 2015 6:03 PM CUT The first Disney-made _Star Wars_ film outside the new and upcoming main trilogy will be titled _Rogue One_, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger [said](http://www.starwars.com/news/rogue-one-is-the-first-star-wars-stand-alone-film-rian-johnson-to-write-and-direct-star-wars-episode-viii "undefined") on March 12. Disney gave out a few details about the new film: It’s being directed by Gareth Edwards and written by Chris Weitz, Felicity Jones has been cast for the film, and it’s set for release on December 16, 2016, after _Star Wars: The Force Awakens_ but before _Star Wars: Episode VIII,_ which also had its release date announced. Disney also said the idea for _Rogue One’s_ storyline came from John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer at Industrial Light & Magic, the production company George Lucas started in 1975 to work on the first _Star Wars._ Knoll has worked on visual effects for a host of sci-fi favorites, including the _Star Wars_ prequels and _Star Trek_ TV episodes and films. That’s all Disney is saying for sure about _Rogue One_ for now. So what will it actually be _about_? The film’s title betrays one big clue. In _Star Wars_ lore, several top Rebel Alliance fighter pilots (they’re the good guys of the films) formed up an elite unit after the destruction of the first Death Star, seen at the end of _A New Hope._ The group isn’t mentioned much in the movies, but a series of video games in the late 1990s and early 2000s cemented their status in _Star Wars_ canon. The unit’s name? Rogue Squadron, headed up by “Rogue Leader.” Or, alternatively, “Rogue One.” Does that mean we’re getting a Rogue Squadron spinoff movie? Maybe! In the first trailer for _Force Awakens_, we get a glimpse of an X-wing pilot who very well could be a member of Rouge Squadron. In _Star Wars_ history, Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles have both served as Rogue Leader, but that doesn’t mean a Rogue Squadron film would be about them. It could easily be set more in the future—long after those two had hung up their flight jackets. _Read next:_[ _You’ll Want to Read These_ ](http://time.com/3739103/star-wars-new-books/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined")[Star Wars _Books Before the New Movies Come Out_](http://time.com/3739103/star-wars-new-books/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ### See the Concept Art For the Original Star Wars Movie Trilogy  C-3PO and R2-D2 Courtesy of Lucasfilm  The Millenium Falcon Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Darth Vader Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Y-Wings line up against the Death Star Courtesy of Lucasfilm  An X-Wing versus TIE fighters Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Hoth Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Echo Base Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Battle of Hoth Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Battle of Hoth Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Cloud City of Bespin Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Luke versus Darth Vader Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Dagobah Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Jabba's Palace Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Jabba's Palace Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Luke Skywalker versus a rancor Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Jabba's fall Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Endor Courtesy of Lucasfilm  B-Wings Courtesy of Lucasfilm  Luke Skywalker versus Emperor Palpatine Courtesy of Lucasfilm [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3742808/star-wars-rogue-one/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3742808/star-wars-rogue-one/"},"headline":"The First Star Wars Spinoff Movie Will Be Called Rogue One","datePublished":"2015-03-12T18:03:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:05.990Z","description":"Here's what that title could mean","url":"https://time.com/3742808/star-wars-rogue-one/","keywords":["movies","Star Wars topic","Rogue one"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte76584ddce874143/69876e598e06013e454592f3/star-wars-force-awakens2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte76584ddce874143/69876e598e06013e454592f3/star-wars-force-awakens2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"star-wars-force-awakens2","caption":"","creditText":"Lucasfilm/Disney","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3742808/star-wars-rogue-one/","name":"The First Star Wars Spinoff Movie Will Be Called Rogue One"}}]}] ```