The Rogue One: A Star Wars Story cast is led by Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso and Diego Luna as Cassian Andor. Alan Tudyk plays the droid K-2SO, Donnie Yen plays Chirrut Imwe, Jiang Wen plays Baze Malbus and Ben Mendelsohn plays the Imperial officer Orson Krennic. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), directed by Gareth Edwards, opened in US theaters on December 16, 2016, and TMDB lists 172 credited cast roles in all. Forest Whitaker plays Saw Gerrera, Riz Ahmed plays the defecting pilot Bodhi Rook and Mads Mikkelsen plays Galen Erso, the scientist father of Jyn. The ensemble also reaches back into the saga, because Jimmy Smits returns as Bail Organa from the prequel films. Governor Tarkin is played by Guy Henry, who gave the motion capture and voice performance with Peter Cushing's digital likeness mapped over it. If you want the full picture, every credited role sits below in billing order, with notes on the twelve top billed players.
| # | Actor | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felicity Jones | Jyn Erso |
| 2 | Diego Luna | Cassian Andor |
| 3 | Alan Tudyk | K-2SO |
| 4 | Donnie Yen | Chirrut Imwe |
| 5 | Jiang Wen | Baze Malbus |
| 6 | Ben Mendelsohn | Orson Krennic |
| 7 | Guy Henry | Governor Tarkin |
| 8 | Forest Whitaker | Saw Gerrera |
| 9 | Riz Ahmed | Bodhi Rook |
| 10 | Mads Mikkelsen | Galen Erso |
| 11 | Jimmy Smits | Bail Organa |
| 12 | Alistair Petrie | General Draven |
| 13 | Genevieve O'Reilly | Mon Mothma |
| 14 | Ben Daniels | General Merrick |
| 15 | Paul Kasey | Admiral Raddus |
| 16 | Stephen Stanton | Admiral Raddus (voice) |
| 17 | Ian McElhinney | General Dodonna |
| 18 | Fares Fares | Senator Vaspar |
| 19 | Jonathan Aris | Senator Jebel |
| 20 | Sharon Duncan-Brewster | Senator Pamlo |
| 21 | Spencer Wilding | Darth Vader |
| 22 | Daniel Naprous | Darth Vader |
| 23 | James Earl Jones | Darth Vader (voice) |
| 24 | Ingvild Deila | Princess Leia |
Billing order from the film's credits (TMDB). Actors with a Cinvibe page and characters with a character page are linked.
Also in the cast: Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Jimmy Vee (R2-D2), Valene Kane (Lyra Erso), Beau Gadsdon (Young Jyn), Dolly Gadsdon (Younger Jyn), Duncan Pow (Sergeant Melshi), Jordan Stephens (Corporal Tonc), Babou Ceesay (Lieutenant Sefla), Aidan Cook (Two Tubes), Daniel Mays (Tivik), Andy de la Tour (General Hurst Romodi), Tony Pitts (Captain Pterro), Martin Gordon (Vaneé), Eric MacLennan (Rebel Tech), Robin Pearce (Rebel Tech), Francis Magee (Grizzly Rebel), Bronson Webb (Rebel MP), Tim Beckmann (Captain Antilles), Geraldine James (Blue Three), Ariyon Bakare (Blue Four), Simon Farnaby (Blue Five), Angus MacInnes (Gold Leader (voice)), Gabby Wong (Gold Nine), Richard Glover (Red Twelve), Toby Hefferman (Blue Eight), Richard Cunningham (General Ramda), Jack Roth (Lieutenant Adema), Michael Gould (Admiral Gorin), Rufus Wright (Lieutenant Casido), Michael Shaeffer (General Corssin), Geoff Bell (2nd Lieutenant Frobb), James Harkness (Private Basteren), Derek Arnold (Pao), Matt Rippy (Corporal Rostock), Nick Kellington (Bistan), Michael Nardone (Shield Gate Officer), Nathan Plant (Imperial Guard Droid), Christopher Patrick Nolan (Alderaanian Guard), Michael Smiley (Dr. Evazan), Warwick Davis (Weeteef Cyubee), Dee Tails (L-1), Ruth Bell (Jedha Server), May Bell (Jedha Server), Angus Wright (Hammerhead Captain), Keith Dunphy (Blockade Runner Pilot), Alan Rushton (Engineer), Robert Benedetti-Hall (Engineer), Richard Franklin (Engineer), Weston Gavin (Engineer), Nick Hobbs (Engineer), David Acord (Additional Voices (voice)), David Ankrum (Additional Voices (voice)), Steve Bardack (Additional Voices (voice)), Verona Blue (Additional Voices (voice)), Steve Blum (Additional Voices (voice)), David Boat (Additional Voices (voice)), Eugene Byrd (Additional Voices (voice)), David W. Collins (Additional Voices (voice)), David Cowgill (Additional Voices (voice)), Jonathan Dixon (Additional Voices (voice)), Michael Donovan (Additional Voices (voice)), Terri Douglas (Additional Voices (voice)), Robin Atkin Downes (Additional Voices (voice)), Dave Filoni (Additional Voices (voice)), Michael Giacchino (Additional Voices (voice)), John Gilroy (Additional Voices (voice)), Tony Gilroy (Additional Voices (voice)), Tom Harrison-Read (Additional Voices (voice)), Kevin Hickman (Additional Voices (voice)), Karen Huie (Additional Voices (voice)), Tom Kane (Additional Voices (voice)), Lex Lang (Additional Voices (voice)), Vanessa Lengies (Additional Voices (voice)), Yuri Lowenthal (Additional Voices (voice)), Vanessa Marshall (Additional Voices (voice)), Alexi Melvin (Additional Voices (voice)), Flora Miller (Additional Voices (voice)), Mark Hamill (Additional Voices (Voice)), Chris Scarabosio (Additional Voices (voice)), Orly Schuchmacher (Additional Voices (voice)) and 67 more credited roles.
Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, the daughter of the scientist Galen Erso, and the Rebellion sends Jyn to track down a message from her father. Lucasfilm named her as the first actress cast on March 12, 2015, in the announcement that confirmed the film, and pointed to her Academy Award nomination for The Theory of Everything. Beau Gadsdon and Dolly Gadsdon play Jyn as a child.
Diego Luna plays Cassian Andor, the Rebel intelligence officer who travels with Jyn and K-2SO. Lucasfilm confirmed him in the August 15, 2015 cast announcement, citing Milk and Elysium among his earlier films. Luna later returned to the character in the series Andor, and has said Cassian there still has a long way to go before he becomes the man audiences meet in Rogue One.
Alan Tudyk plays K-2SO, the reprogrammed Imperial droid who travels with Jyn and Cassian. The August 2015 Lucasfilm cast announcement described his part as a performance capture character, and the home release featurette K-2SO: The Droid traces the droid from its first pitch and design through his performance. Tudyk came back as K-2SO in Andor Season 2.
Donnie Yen plays Chirrut Imwe, who is paired on screen with Baze Malbus. Lucasfilm introduced Yen in August 2015 as a Hong Kong action star known for Ip Man and Blade II. The home release featurette Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills explores the bond between the two characters, with Yen and Jiang Wen both taking part.
Jiang Wen plays Baze Malbus, the partner of Chirrut Imwe. In the August 2015 cast announcement, Lucasfilm noted that he cowrote, produced, directed and starred in Let the Bullets Fly and Devils on the Doorstep, so he joined Rogue One as an established filmmaker as well as an actor. He is fifth in the TMDB billing, directly after Donnie Yen.
Ben Mendelsohn plays Orson Krennic, the Imperial officer who tracks down Galen Erso because he wants the scientist to finish work on the Death Star. Lucasfilm introduced Mendelsohn in August 2015 as the Emmy nominated star of Bloodline, and StarWars.com lists the character as Director Orson Krennic. He played Krennic again in Andor Season 2, set years before this film.
Guy Henry plays Governor Tarkin in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He gave the motion capture and voice performance, and Peter Cushing's digital likeness was mapped over it, with Industrial Light & Magic producing the visual effects for the film. The home release featurette The Princess & The Governor covers this character together with the young princess from the 1977 Star Wars.
Forest Whitaker plays Saw Gerrera, the rebel extremist who takes in the young Jyn after her mother is killed. The character first appeared in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, voiced by Andrew Kishino, and Kathleen Kennedy described the film's version as a battered veteran who leads a band of Rebel extremists. Whitaker later played Saw again in Andor.
Riz Ahmed plays Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects with a message from Galen Erso. Lucasfilm confirmed him in the August 2015 announcement, pointing to Nightcrawler and the BAFTA winning Four Lions. He reflects on the character with Forest Whitaker in the home release featurette Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary.
Mads Mikkelsen plays Galen Erso, the scientist whom Orson Krennic wants back at work on the Death Star. Lucasfilm added him in the August 2015 cast announcement, noting The Hunt and his villain role in Casino Royale (2006). The story opens with Galen in hiding alongside young Jyn and his wife Lyra Erso, played by Valene Kane.
Jimmy Smits plays Bail Organa, one of the leaders of the Rebellion. TMDB credits him as Senator Bail Organa in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), which makes him a returning actor in a mostly new ensemble. He played Bail again in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022).
Alistair Petrie plays General Draven, the Rebel commander based on Yavin 4. StarWars.com describes Draven as a veteran of the Clone Wars who represents Alliance Intelligence on the rebel council. Petrie returned to the role in Andor Season 2, and he described Draven as representing the hawkish side of the Rebellion, which holds that diplomacy can only take you so far.
Lucasfilm made the casting for rogue one public in two stages during 2015. On March 12, 2015, it confirmed that the film would be the first standalone Star Wars story, with Gareth Edwards directing, Chris Weitz writing and Felicity Jones named as the first actress cast. The same announcement listed Monsters and Godzilla as the earlier films Edwards brought with him.
The rest of the core ensemble followed on August 15, 2015, when Lucasfilm said principal photography had begun. That announcement confirmed Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Riz Ahmed together, each introduced with earlier credits such as Bloodline, Ip Man and Four Lions. Tudyk stood apart, because Lucasfilm described his part as a performance capture character rather than naming a role.
If you are placing this ensemble among the star wars movies, it helps to know that Rogue One is a spinoff, so its story follows Jyn Erso and a new rebel team rather than the main saga's heroes. The returning faces are covered in the next section.
Jimmy Smits returns from earlier Star Wars films as Bail Organa, a role TMDB also credits to him in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Only a handful of roles in Rogue One carry over from earlier films, and most of them belong to the Rebellion's leaders or the Empire.
Two familiar characters were rebuilt digitally. Governor Tarkin is played by Guy Henry, with Peter Cushing's likeness mapped over his motion capture and voice performance, and Princess Leia was played by Ingvild Deila, with Carrie Fisher's likeness superimposed and archival audio used for the voice. Darth Vader is shared across three credits (Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous on screen, James Earl Jones as the voice), and Lucasfilm confirmed his appearance on June 22, 2016.
Saw Gerrera is a different kind of return, since the character began in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, voiced by Andrew Kishino, before Forest Whitaker took the part. Several new players later came back in turn, with Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker and Alistair Petrie all returning for Andor Season 2.
| Director | Gareth Edwards |
|---|---|
| Writers | John Knoll, Chris Weitz, Gary Whitta, George Lucas, Tony Gilroy |
| Producers | Simon Emanuel, Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, Leifur B. Dagfinnsson |
| Music | Michael Giacchino |
| Cinematography | Greig Fraser |
Guy Henry played Governor Tarkin in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, giving both the motion capture and the voice performance. Peter Cushing's digital likeness was then mapped over Henry's performance, with Industrial Light & Magic producing the visual effects. Henry is seventh in the TMDB billing, between Ben Mendelsohn and Forest Whitaker.
Ingvild Deila played Princess Leia in Rogue One, with Carrie Fisher's likeness superimposed over her performance. Archival audio was used for the voice rather than new recordings. The home release includes a featurette, The Princess & The Governor, that covers the character alongside Tarkin.
Yes, Darth Vader is in Rogue One, and Lucasfilm confirmed his appearance on June 22, 2016, about six months before release. The role is split across three credits, with Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous both playing Darth Vader on screen and James Earl Jones credited as the voice.
The main villain in Rogue One is Orson Krennic, played by Ben Mendelsohn, the Imperial officer who tracks down Galen Erso to finish work on the Death Star. StarWars.com calls him Director Orson Krennic. Governor Tarkin, played by Guy Henry, and Darth Vader also represent the Empire.
Forest Whitaker played Saw Gerrera in Rogue One, the rebel extremist who takes in the young Jyn Erso. The character first appeared in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, voiced by Andrew Kishino, and Whitaker later returned to the role in Andor.
No, Rogue One is a spinoff with a mostly new ensemble, and only a handful of roles carry over from earlier films. Jimmy Smits returns as Bail Organa from the prequel films, while Tarkin and Leia were recreated digitally over performances by Guy Henry and Ingvild Deila. TMDB lists 172 credited cast roles in total.
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