Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden lead the cast of science fiction movie “Rogue Trooper,” written and directed by Duncan Jones, whose credits include “Moon,” “Source Code,” “Warcraft” and “Mute.”
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.
Barnard (“The Goldfinch,” “Dunkirk”) stars as the eponymous Rogue Trooper. Cast alongside him are Atwell (“Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”), Lowden (“Slow Horses,” “Dunkirk”), Daryl McCormack (“Bad Sisters,” “Good Luck to You Leo Grande”) and Reece Shearsmith (“Inside No. 9,” “Saltburn”).
Others in the cast include Jemaine Clement (“Avatar 2: The Way of Water”), Matt Berry (“What We Do in the Shadows”), Diane Morgan (“Cunk on Earth”), Alice Lowe (“Black Mirror”), Asa Butterfield (“Sex Education,” “Hugo”) and Sean Bean (“Game of Thrones,” “The Lord of the Rings”).
“Rogue Trooper” tells the story of 19, a “Genetic Infantryman,” who finds himself the sole-survivor of an invasion force. Desperate to track down the traitor who sold him and his comrades out, the super soldier is accompanied by three killed-in-action squad mates, whose personalities have been stored in his gun, helmet and rucksack.
The “Rogue Trooper” comic book was created by artist Dave Gibbons (“Watchmen,” “Kingsman”) and writer Gerry Finley-Day (“Dan Dare”).
Jones said: “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.'”
Treehouse Digital (“The Well”) is creating all imagery and animation for the film, working with Jones to bring to life the world of “Rogue Trooper” in Unreal Engine 5.
Producer Stuart Fenegan commented: “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.”
Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley, who is a producer on “Rogue Trooper,” added: “’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 brought to life on screen.”
“Rogue Trooper” is produced by Fenegan (“Moon,” “Source Code,” “Warcraft,” “Mute”), Jason Kingsley (“Dredd,” “School’s Out Forever”), Chris Kingsley (“Dredd,” “School’s Out Forever”) and Jones.
