Rogue One: A Star Wars Story To Open Early In The United Kingdom

10/23/2016 12:46 pm EDT

Star Wars fans in the United Kingdom will get to experience the franchise's first standalone movie a bit earlier than fans in the United States.

The Star Wars UK Twitter account today announced that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will open in theaters in the United Kingdom on Dec. 15.

That's one day earlier than Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's United States release date of Dec. 16, 2016.

It isn't unusual films to open a bit earlier in the United Kingdom than they do in the United States. Opening just a day early is pretty close by comparison to some Marvel Studios movies, which can open a week earlier or more in the United Kingdom. One day early is also keeping in line with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opened Dec. 17, 2015, in the United Kingdom and Dec. 18, 2015, in the United States.

Earlier this month, Lucasfilm released a third and presumably final trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The trailer offered fans their best look yet at the return of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, to the big screen.

In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in a time of conflict (after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and just before the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is directed by Gareth Edwards and written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, from a story by Gary Whitta visual effects supervisor John Knoll. Rogue One stars Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, Diego Luna as Rebel Alliance Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor, Ben Mendelsohn as Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military Orson Krennic, Donnie Yen as the spiritual warrior Chirrut Imwe, Mads Mikkelsen as Jyn's father Galen Erso, Alan Tudyk as the droid K-2SO, Jiang Wen as assassin Baze Malbus and Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera, a Rebel freedom fighter first introduced in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Principal photography on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story began in August 2015 at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens in the United States on Dec. 16, 2016.

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