Fans of the Star Wars universe are already pumped up for the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
But a recently released featurette of director Gareth Edwards and the cast revealed why the film may be larger than life. Thanks to IMAX and a bit of history, that is.
A Treat For War History Buffs
War history buffs may have something to look forward to in the new film since many of its battle scenes were inspired by photos of actual war, in all its grim reality.
In the short video, Edwards and the cast talked about how IMAX provides the perfect stage for Rogue One, with Felicity Jones confirming that the clarity of sound is definitely a very important part of the film experience.
Edwards, for his part, disclosed that he and Disney wanted to make the war scenes as realistic as possible, and they chose to use photos from the Vietnam, South Pacific, and Middle East Wars as the production's basis for the scenes.
Raw And Authentic
Edwards revealed that they altered real war photos by photoshopping rebel helmets on the soldiers and changing the military vehicles to X-Wings, as well as changing the background in order to maintain the authenticity and emotions in the still photos and transfer them onto the big screen.
And the execution of the scenes did give the film that raw and authentic feel.
Even Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Jyn Erso's father, Galen Erso, is excited to see some of the battle scenes in the film. He added that IMAX screens bring the scenes to life in a different way. Of course, Jyn agrees with this and claims that the IMAX enhances the whole experience for the viewer.
Riz Ahmed who plays Bodhi Rook also gushes about how Rogue One is a really immersive film, especially with the way it was shot to really situate the viewer in the middle of the action.
Watch the short featurette below:
Even before the cast of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was complete, producer Kathleen Kennedy already clarified that the film would focus on the ground-war perspective and explore the struggles of the non-Force sensitive participants in the battle against the Empire.
Edwards' revelation is only a testament to the production's efforts to show the darker and less "fantastical" side of the intergalactic battle without fully breaking away from the Star Wars universe.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is out on Dec. 16.
