'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' release date, news: early viewers give the film a thumbs up

Now that the premiere date of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's" is drawing closer, Disney and Lucasfilm are now promoting the movie like there is no tomorrow. The film hasn't been released to critics yet, but a lucky few were privileged enough to catch 28 minutes of the film at the Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco. The early reviews have been positive so far.

Collider's Steven Weintraub thinks the footage he saw looks fantastic. He also said all the rumors about trouble during production and reshoots does not really matter because the end product was great. Nerdist and IGN contributor Amy Ratcliffe also enjoyed the film, and she said K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) was "awesome." Apparently, director Gareth Edwards allowed Tudyk to improvise, and the actor has some hilarious lines.

IGN's Jim Vejvoda was also impressed with what he saw, and he shared some information about how Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy does not think any "Rogue One" characters were going to appear in other "Star Wars" films. That's too bad. Some of the characters do look interesting.

But for Edwards, one man's opinion matters the most. During a press conference, Edwards told the crowd (via MovieWeb) about what "Star Wars" creator George Lucas thinks about "Rogue One."

"Two days ago we got to show George the movie, and we all had a phone call and I got to speak with him yesterday, and I don't want to put words into his mouth, but I can honestly say that I can die happy now. He really liked the movie. It meant a lot. To be honest, and no offense to anyone here, it was the most important review to me. You know, you guys are important too, but he's kind of god... I will take that conversation to my grave."

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is scheduled to premiere on Dec. 16 in the United States.