Mexican actor Diego Luna and Dark Knight Rises actor Ben Mendelsohn are the latest recruits for Disney’s STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE. The first of the announced Star Wars spinoffs, Rogue One will take place between Episode III and Episode IV, but stray closer chronologically to A New Hope and will follow a band of resistance fighters on a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans.
The anthology film as been described as an ensemble heist pic, in the vein of The Dirty Dozen and Saving Private Ryan. Felicity Jones will star alongside Nightcrawler’s Riz Ahmed, though I’ve been told that Luna and Mendelsohn will also be leads.
Mendelsohn was previously in talks, but now he’s officially on board. Hunger Games star Sam Claflin was reported to be in talks. Gareth Edwards will direct the spinoff, with Chris Weitz scripting.
Luna most recently appeared opposite Matt Damon in Elysium and lent his voice to the animated musical-comedy The Book Of Life. He’ll next star opposite Danny Glover and Maya Rudolph in the comedy Mr. Pig and alongside Jason Momoa and Keanu Reeves in the cannibal romance The Bad Batch. He’s repped by WME.
Mendelsohn recently starred in Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods And Kings, Ryan Gosling’s Lost River, and appeared opposite Kodi Smit-McPhee and Michael Fassbender in the upcoming western Slow West. The Aussie actor will next show up alongside Rooney Mara in Blackbird and opposite Ryan Reynolds in the soon-to-be-released Mississippi Grind. He’s repped by CAA and United Management.
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Clark Allen | Associate Editor
