We’re heading back to a galaxy far, far away this Christmas, and Empire could hardly let a new Star Wars movie slip past without letting it grace our cover. So here it is: the first of our Rogue One covers, in all its rebellious glory (as first revealed exclusively by the Star Wars UK Twitter feed).
The cover features the team of rebels tasked with stealing the Death Star plans from the Imperial Military. Pictured on our cover (from left to right): Donnie Yen as Chirrut Imwe; Jiang Wen as Baze Malbus; Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso; Diego Luna as Cassian Andor; and Riz Ahmed as Bodhi Rook. The big droid at the back is Alan Tudyk, on motion-capture duties as K-2SO.
But wait! The circle is not yet complete… This is just the first of our Rogue One covers to be revealed. A second, alternate cover will debut tomorrow (Friday 19th) at 5pm; the exclusive limited edition subscribers cover to be unveiled on Monday. Keep your eyes peeled for those.
Featuring unprecedented on-set access to director Gareth Edwards and his crew, the Rogue One issue of Empire goes on sale Thursday August 25, available in all good and Imperial-affiliated newsagents. Subscribers will be receiving theirs a few days earlier – one of many reasons why it’s worth subscribing to Empire. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, meanwhile, blasts into cinemas from December 16.