The long-gestating Duncan Jones written and directed Rogue Trooper film had its first major information drop in years – naming its solid, updating the standing of the mission and that it’s going to actually be CGI-animated with completion anticipated in 2025. The information got here by way of a Variety article on Monday morning.
Rogue Trooper, created by author Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, is among the standout traditional characters within the treasure trove anthology that’s Britain’s 2000 AD. Loosely impressed by World War One and the struggle in Vietnam, the character debuted in 1981’s Prog 228 and was an immediate hit – that includes a genetically modified tremendous soldier on a blighted war-torn planet who’s on a quest of vengeance to search out the one which betrayed his platoon, joined solely by the personalities of his comrades saved on laptop chips embedded in his helmet, gun and backpack. A beloved character, he made a current return to the pages of 2000 AD final 12 months within the acclaimed Blighty Valley – a particular story by Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard, because of be revealed as a set in July 2024.
The Rogue Trooper film was first introduced manner again in 2018 however little was recognized about it aside from it was to be written and directed by Duncan Jones – finest recognized for Moon (2009), Source Code (2011) and Warcraft: The Beginning (2016). Little data had been launched since and it had begun to be assumed that the movie was both in growth hell or to ultimately be quietly dropped. Until immediately.
As Variety reported in an unique,
“Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden lead the solid of science fiction film Rogue Trooper, written and directed by Duncan Jones…
“The animated film, which is being created with Epic’s 3D tool Unreal Engine 5, was adapted by Jones from the comic book published by 2000 AD, home to Judge Dredd, Halo Jones and Sláine. Rogue Trooper, produced by Rebellion and Liberty Films, has wrapped principal photography at Rebellion Film Studios in the U.K. The film is set to be finished next year.”
Aneurin Barnard shall be taking part in the primary character, the eponymous Rogue Trooper, who within the movie shall be known as ‘19’.
In a Twitter/X submit, Jones introduced who would play (or ought to we are saying ‘voice’?) the Rogue Trooper’s bodiless comrades:
- Jack Lowden shall be Gunner
- Daryl McCormack shall be Helm
- Reece Shearsmith shall be Bagman
We nonetheless have no idea who Hayley Atwell will play nor Jermaine Clement, Matt Berry, Diane Morgan, Alice Lowe, Asa Butterfield, or Sean Bean – they might be something from different Genetic Infantrymen, members of both of the 2 warring armies, scientists, or one thing else fully. And somebody – in fact – would be the mysterious traitor common that Rogue/19 will search out.
The Rogue Trooper film is a coproduction between Duncan Jones and Stuart Fenegan’s Liberty Films, and 2000 AD writer Rebellion with principal filming happening at Rebellion’s specifically constructed movie studios within the British county of Oxfordshire.
Duncan Jones mentioned,
“2000 AD offers a very different flavor of comic action: Political and brutal at times, but always with a Pythonesque twinkle in the eye. Dredd (2012) was a taste of what 2000 AD has to offer and now we get to show the world another side of the beast. It is a genuine privilege to be given the opportunity to make Rogue Trooper.”
Rebellion CEO and producer Jason Kingsley added,
“We are thrilled to be working with Duncan Jones, who is a fellow British creative visionary and 2000 AD fan with global reach. Rogue Trooper highlights Rebellion’s leading position within the entertainment industries. It has been filmed at our dedicated Oxfordshire film studios and combines beautiful storytelling from our iconic 2000 AD comic book universe with animation and production technology from the video game industry. We cannot wait for everyone to see these incredible stories bought to life on screen.”
The film shall be animated by Treehouse Digital, a Dorset, UK, primarily based manufacturing firm that makes use of Unreal Engine 5 to develop animated options. Its earlier expertise was brief movies The Well (2021), Treaters (2017), and Litterbugs (2016). The Well was their first experiment with utilizing Unreal Engine to supply an animated characteristic which has had optimistic buzz on the movie competition circuit and encourage them to pursue additional.
Producer Stuart Fenegan mentioned:
“The advancements in Unreal Engine 5 and the inclusion of MetaHuman rigs mean that it is now possible to achieve a very high standard of animation within an indie budget. Working with our amazing partners at Rebellion, Epic and Treehouse Digital we are pioneering and developing a new creative pipeline that will enable independent production of CG animated films.”
Epic’s Unreal Engine has been a strong software within the videogame area used not only for elaborate and immersive interactive worlds however filmic cutscenes. You solely have to take a look at the likes of Ninja Theory’s gorgeous Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017) constructed on Unreal Engine 4 (with its sequel Senua’s Saga anticipated later this 12 months) to see the probabilities. In more moderen years it has turn into part of the event toolkit for film and TV submit manufacturing and CGI homes – having been used within the likes of The Mandalorian (2019-present), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), War of the Planet of the Apes (2017) and extra.
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