Warning: The following contains possible spoilers for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
There's an interesting new rumor (albeit unconfirmed) making the rounds about Mads Mikkelsen's role in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," the first non-saga Anthology film in the series due out later this year. Mikkelsen is best known for playing devious villains (see: "Hannibal," "Casino Royale") but said last year that his character in "Rogue One" didn't quite fit into that category.
If Making Star Wars' latest report is to be believed, that description sounds accurate. Mikkelsen's character sounds like someone who is tortured by the mistakes he has made in life.
"Mads Mikkelsen (Galen appears to be his name iDen the film) is kind of the key to the film in a way," MSW's Jason Ward wrote. "He is a scientist that took over the Geonosian Death Star project. He solved several of the flaws the Empire could not and is sort of a revered person in the Empire for his contributions. However, Mikkelsen's character is a Robert Oppenheimer-type character. Oppenheimer helped design the atomic bomb only to say, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' The guilt 'Galen feels' for his contributions to the Empire become too much and he defects, attempting to make things right."
Galen appears to be more layered than your typical Empire crony and his defection echoes Finn's in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." But how will he go about righting his own wrongs.
"In order to do this, he enlists the help of his only daughter...
"Felicity Jones' character has to undo the devastation her family has unleashed onto the galaxy. Early versions of this character had her as a bounty hunter type or mercenary. But with the familial connections it appears as if this idea might not interface with the final stuff for the character so I'm hesitant to say she's a bounty hunter/mercenary type in the final iterations of the film."
Even when "Star Wars" isn't dealing directly with the Skywalker lineage, they are still telling deeply personal family dramas. Though that framework may be a bit overused in the "Star Wars" galaxy, "Rogue One" promises to be more of a gritty heist movie than the space operas of the past. Jones' character won't be using the Force or wielding a lightsaber anytime soon. We're excited; what about you?
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" will arrive on Dec. 16.
