By Jessica Wedemeyer
12:20am PST, Dec 12, 2016
The latest installment in the "Star Wars" franchise arrives on Dec. 16, 2016. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" takes place before the events of 1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" and chronicles a group working for the Rebel Alliance that infiltrates the Galactic Empire to steal the plans to the Death Star. To mark the film's debut, Wonderwall.com got the scoop on everything you need to know about the cast. Keep reading for the highlights…
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Felicity Jones made her acting debut in a 1996 TV movie. Since then, the English actress has appeared in the 2010 adaptation of "The Tempest," "Like Crazy," "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" and "The Theory of Everything," for which she scored an Oscar nomination in 2015. This year, she starred opposite Tom Hanks in "Inferno" and can be seen next in early 2017's "A Monster Calls." Felicity, who previously romanced artist Ed Fornieles, has reportedly been in a relationship with director Charles Guard since early 2015.
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Diego Luna stars as Captain Cassian Andor, an Alliance Intelligence officer who's brought in to supervise Jyn Erso on her mission.
Diego Luna made his acting debut in the '80s but didn't score his first big break until 2001's "Y Tu Mamá También." Since then, the Mexican actor-director has appeared in "Frida," "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," "The Terminal," "Milk" and "Elysium." He also starred in two independent films in 2016 — "Blood Father" and "The Bad Batch" — and can next be seen in the 2017 remake of "Flatliners." The multi-hyphenate made his directorial debut with the 2007 documentary "J.C. Chávez." He also directed 2010's "Abel," 2014's "César Chávez" and 2016's "Mr. Pig." Diego wed actress Camila Sodi in 2008. They had two children, daughter Fiona and son Jerónimo, before splitting in 2013. He's also reportedly romanced Suki Waterhouse and Alice Braga, among other beauties.
Ben Mendelsohn stars as the villainous Director Orson Krennic, the head of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial military who is overseeing the construction of the Death Star. According to his official character bio, Krennic is "a cruel but brilliant man," who "has staked his reputation on the delivery of the functional battle station to the Emperor."
In 1986, Ben Mendelsohn made his feature-film debut and joined the cast of the Australian soap "Neighbours." He went on to appear in "Vertical Limit," "The New World," "Australia," "Knowing," "Animal Kingdom," "Killing Them Softly," "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Place Beyond the Pines" and "Exodus: Gods and Kings." In 2015, the Australian actor earned an Emmy nomination for his work on Netflix's "Bloodline." He won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series the following year. Ben can next be seen in 2017's Winston Churchill drama "Darkest Hour" and 2018's Sci-Fi thriller "Ready Player One." He wed British-American novelist Emma Forrest in 2012. In addition to Ben's daughter from a previous relationship, they have one daughter together.
Alan Tudyk is the voice of Imperial security droid K-2SO, whom Cassian Andor reprogrammed to work for the Rebel Alliance. "Rogue One" director Gareth Edwards has described "Kaytoo" as "the antithesis of C-3PO." The filmmaker told Entertainment Weekly that "Kaytoo is a little bit like Chewbacca's personality in a droid's body."
Alan Tudyk made his acting debut in 1997's "35 Miles from Normal." He went on to appear in "Patch Adams," "28 Days," "A Knight's Tale," "Hearts in Atlantis," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "Knocked Up," "3:10 to Yuma," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," "42," "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials" and "Trumbo." He's also voiced roles in the "Ice Age" franchise, "I, Robot," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," "Zootopia" and "Moana." But true fans of the funnyman know him best as Wash from "Firefly" and "Serenity." Additionally, Alan writes and directs the web series "Con Man," on which he currently stars. The "Suburgatory" alum can next be seen on NBC's early 2017 superhero sitcom "Powerless." Alan wed choreographer Charissa Barton in September 2016.
Donnie Yen stars as Chirrut Îmwe, a deeply spiritual blind warrior devoted to the ways of the Jedi, though he is not one himself. "Chirrut falls into the category of being a warrior monk," producer Kathleen Kennedy told Entertainment Weekly. "He very much still believes in everything the Jedi were about."
The multi-talented Donnie Yen — an actor, director, action choreographer and martial artist — was born in China but grew up in Boston. He made his feature-film debut in 1984's "Drunken Tai Chi" and has worked regularly since then. In Hollywood, the Hong Kong action star is known best for his roles in "Blade II," "Shanghai Knights" and the "Ip Man" franchise. Donnie, who's often credited with popularizing the traditional martial arts style Wing Chun, can be seen next in 2017's "xXx: Return of Xander Cage." The MMA enthusiast reportedly wed beauty queen Cissy Wang in 2003. They have two children: daughter Jasmine and son James. Donnie also has a son, Jeff, from his first marriage.
Jiang Wen stars as soldier Baze Malbus, Chirrut Îmwe's best friend, whose home world has been occupied by the Empire. Though they share different views on the existence of The Force, Baze is devoted to protecting his pal and moral compass.
Jiang Wen made his feature-film debut in 1986, and though he's well-known for his work as an actor, director and writer in China, "Rogue One" marks his first major breakthrough in Hollywood. He shares one daughter with his first wife, French anthropology professor Sandrine Chenivesse, and two sons with his current missus, Chinese actress and former beauty queen Zhou Yun, who has appeared in three films written and directed by her husband.
Riz Ahmed stars as the volatile and hotheaded Rebel squad pilot Bodhi Rook, who once served as an Imperial pilot.
Riz Ahmed made his feature-film debut in 2008, starred opposite Kate Hudson in 2013's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and shared scenes with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2014's "Nightcrawler" but didn't go mainstream until 2016 when he appeared in "Jason Bourne" and headlined HBO's "The Night Of." The English actor also has a side career as a rapper: He's part of rap trio the Swet Shop Boys, who released their debut LP in October 2016, and also released the April 2016 solo mixtape "Englistan" as Riz MC.
Forest Whitaker stars as the morally questionable radical Clone Wars veteran Saw Gerrera, who leads a band of Rebel extremists in "Rogue One." According to his official character bio, "Saw's ailing health has not withered his resolve to fight." (Diehard fans of "Star Wars" will recognize the onetime ally of Anakin Sykwalker from Season 5 of the animated series "The Clone Wars," in which he appeared as a young man engaged in guerrilla warfare against the droid army.)
Forest Whitaker launched his acting career in the early '80s and has enjoyed a diversified and illustrious career since then. His biggest hits include "The Color of Money," "Platoon," "Panic Room," "Phone Booth" and "Lee Daniels' The Butler." The multi-hyphenate — who directed "Waiting to Exhale," "Hope Floats" and "First Daughter" — won an Oscar in 2007 for his performance in "The Last King of Scotland" and an Emmy in 2003 for his work as a producer on the TV movie "Door to Door." He's earned two more Emmy nominations since then: in 2007 for his performance on "ER" and in 2010 for producing the documentary series "Brick City." The "Dope" and "Fruitvale Station" producer has appeared on "The Shield," "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" and the 2016 remake of "Roots." He also starred in 2016's "Arrival" and can be seen next as Desmond Tutu in 2017's "The Forgiven" and as Zuri in 2018's "Black Panther." He's been married to actress Keisha Nash Whitaker, with whom he shares daughters Sonnet and True, for two decades. They have two more adult children: Ocean, Forest's son from a previous relationship, and Autumn, Keisha's daughter from a previous relationship.
Mads Mikkelsen stars as scientist Galen Erso, Jyn's estranged father, who is forced to work on the Imperial Death Star by Director Krennic.
Mads Mikkelsen made his acting debut in 1996 and has since appeared in "King Arthur," "Casino Royale," "Clash of the Titans" and "The Three Musketeers." The Danish actor also starred as the titular serial killer on NBC's "Hannibal" from 2013 to 2015 and portrayed the accountant in Rihanna's "B—- Better Have My Money" music video. This year has been kind to Mads: In addition to "Rogue One," he starred in 2016's "Doctor Strange" as the villainous Kaecilius. Mads reportedly wed his longtime love, dancer-choreographer Hanne Jacobsen, in 2000. They have two children: daughter Viola and son Carl.
