From day one on Rogue One, the identity of Mads Mikkelsen’s character has been shrouded in mystery and even after the reveal of the film’s moody first trailer early last month, questions continued to loom over how exactly he slots into the story.
But thanks to the actor himself, we understand Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will place Mikkelsen in the role of Jyn Erso’s (Felicity Jones) father, and the esteemed Dane recently offered up new information relating to his patriarch.
Word comes by way of Evening Standard (via io9), where Mikkelsen noted the following: “I spend a lot of time with [Jones] and she’s a wonderful actress. I play her dad at the time of Felicity and I play her dad when she’s younger, so we jump back and forth in time.”
Perhaps in the vein of the brief Jakku flashbacks that helped flesh out the backstory of Daisy Ridley’s Rey in The Force Awakens, the time hopping Mikkelsen refers to will no doubt offer a more rounded origins tale for one Jyn Erso, as she gears up to steal plans to the Death Star from an Empire reaching the height of its power.
Also populating that stellar cast list are Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Alan Tudyk and Riz Ahmed – that we know of. When quizzed about the possibility of Rogue One including old Star Wars figures on the level of, say, Luke Skywalker, Mikkelsen teased the appearance of “iconic” characters.
“Some of them – but I would reveal too much. There are iconic characters in our film and also characters you have never heard of. It’s a mix.”
Exploring the narrative void between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will shoot for theaters on December 16.