--- description: The film is currently scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2016. title: Diego Luna Said to Join 'Star Wars' Spin-Off 'Rogue One' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8409b0428da8277/6987efb0f887dc22dee8e778/diego-luna.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 # Diego Luna Said to Join _Star Wars_ Spin-Off _Rogue One_ by [Kevin P. Sullivan / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Kevin P. Sullivan / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 14, 2015 1:07 AM CUT  Actor Diego Luna arrives at the 21st Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Oscar Party at BOA Steakhouse on Feb. 22, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. Actor Diego Luna arrives at the 21st Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Oscar Party at BOA Steakhouse on Feb. 22, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.Amanda Edwards—WireImage/Getty Images by [Kevin P. Sullivan / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Kevin P. Sullivan / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 14, 2015 1:07 AM CUT As production on Gareth Edwards’ _Star Wars_ spin-off, _Rogue One_, comes closer and closer, casting is ramping up. The latest actor to jump into the cockpit is Diego Luna, who joins Felicity Jones in the story of the Rebel raid to steal plans for the first Death Star. The _Y Tu Mamá También_ actor will join Jones and Riz Ahmed (_Nightcrawler_) as one of the film’s leads, while Ben Mendelsohn will portray _Rogue One_’s main villain, according to [_Variety_](http://variety.com/2015/film/news/star-wars-rogue-one-diego-luna-cast-1201494752/ "undefined")_._ Luna’s reps and Lucasfilm didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. At _Star Wars_ Celebration last month, Edwards expressed his intention to put the “war” back in _Star Wars_, comparing the film’s military-heavy action to _Black Hawk Down_. Another stand-alone film, which was set to be directed by Josh Trank, was thrown into turmoil when the director left the project. That movie, which [sources tell EW is a Boba Fett-led bounty hunter team-up](http://www.ew.com/article/2013/02/06/star-wars-spin-offs-young-han-solo-movie-boba-fett "undefined"), is now in the hunt for a new filmmaker. Another spin-off film previously in development was [a young Han Solo story](http://www.ew.com/article/2013/02/06/star-wars-spin-offs-young-han-solo-movie-boba-fett "undefined"), but that project has been bumped back to avoid confusion. Harrison Ford will reprise his role as a lead character in this December’s _The Force Awakens,_ and executives were concerned about the appearance of “rebooting” the character with the first stand-alone the very next year. _Star Wars: Rogue One_ is currently scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2016. The Boba Fett film isn’t expected until at least 2018, after the release of _Looper_ director Rian Johnson’s _The Force Awakens_ follow-up, the as-yet-untitled Episode VIII. _Anthony Breznican contributed to this report._ _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/13/star-wars-diego-luna-rogue-one "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://ew.com "undefined") Diego Luna Said to Join 'Star Wars' Spin-Off 'Rogue One' ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3858149/diego-luna-star-wars-spin-off-rogue-one/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3858149/diego-luna-star-wars-spin-off-rogue-one/"},"headline":"Diego Luna Said to Join Star Wars Spin-Off Rogue One","datePublished":"2015-05-14T01:07:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:11:16.752Z","description":"The film is currently scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2016","url":"https://time.com/3858149/diego-luna-star-wars-spin-off-rogue-one/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8409b0428da8277/6987efb0f887dc22dee8e778/diego-luna.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevin P. 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