'Rogue One' Release Date: No Mysterious 'Force' in Star Wars Spin-Off

"Rogue One," the first in a planned series of planned on-screen adventures exploring stories outside the core Star Wars saga, will relate the story of a group of resistance fighters who are on a mission to steal the plans for the infamous Death Star.

This plot was revealed to fans at the Star Wars Celebration in California last Sunday. The movie will be set right before the first part of the original series, "Episode IV: A New Hope," which was released in 1977 and started out with Princess Leia's ship being pursued by the Empire. The ship contains blueprints to the lethal space station.

According to director Gareth Edwards ("Godzilla"), the story will be different from other Star Wars movies. He said it would not focus on people who were able to use the mysterious "force."

"It comes down to a group of individuals that don't have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy," he said.

Edwards, a certified life-long Star Wars fan, also said he wanted "Rogue One" to be more complex and not as black and white as the other Star Wars movies. "Our movie is grey," he said, noting that "Star Wars" was basically very black and white.

British Oscar nominee, Felicity Jones ("The Theory of Everything") will play a rebel soldier in "Rogue One." The movie is set for release in December 2016, a year after "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Filming will start in the U.K. this summer.