Star Wars: Made GREAT in Britain – Gareth Edwards

LONDON. 9th December 2016. The Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm and the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign announce a collaboration on the first Star-Wars standalone film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which celebrates the British expertise, creativity and innovation involved in the Star Wars saga.

The collaboration centres around a short film, featuring British Director Gareth Edwards, and celebrates almost forty years of GREAT British filmmaking. This marks the second phase of the Star Wars: Made GREAT in Britain campaign that launched last year in association with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the UK’s biggest film of all time. The campaign, which also features fellow Briton and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor Felicity Jones in an Industry Trust IP awareness film, reveals the unique stories behind the nation’s contribution to Star Wars both in front of and behind the camera.

Almost forty years ago the incredible story between Great Britain and Star Wars began with the production of Star Wars: A New Hope at Elstree Studios which saw the start of the global phenomenon. The story continues with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was filmed in the UK using some truly GREAT British stars including Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Warwick Davis and Director Gareth Edwards, further celebrating home-grown talent.

The film will be launched exclusively online – and will be supported with short form videos and images that will run during the week of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s release.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Director Gareth Edwards said:
“It’s pretty phenomenal, the influence we’ve had on global culture. We really punch above our weight.

“The great thing about British crews is they’ve been doing this for generations. There’s something magical about Great Britain. There are so many great examples of British filmmakers, people like Hitchcock and David Lean; even people from outside the UK, like Kubrick, he ended up making Britain his home because the crews were so good.”

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP said:
"The creative industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories, contributing a staggering £84billion a year to our economy and supporting 1.9million jobs. The UK film industry plays a central part in that success, producing an impressive roster of talent both on screen and behind the camera.

"I am delighted that one of Britain’s most enduring film franchises has partnered up with the GREAT Britain campaign once again, showing the Force continues to be strong in film.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will open in UK cinemas on Thursday December 15, 2016.