text: Star Wars: Rogue One, starring Felicity Jones, which is slated for release in December 2016 . The Jedis are all but extinct, the Old Republic is in turmoil and the threat of the Death Star is looming in 'Rogue One,' fans learned at Star Wars Celebration on Sunday. Gareth Edwards who directed Godzilla debuted a tantalizing trailer to preview the mysterious film, which is part of a series of films exploring other stories outside of the core 'Star Wars' saga. 'For more than 1,000 generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire,' says Alec Guinness as Obi Wan Kenobi in a voiceover reprised from 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope. While the ominous words so familiar to millions fans are delivered the camera tracks to show a ghostly Death Star hovering in the clouds. At the screening, audience members were heard to gasp when Guinness spoke and then whoop when the Death Star came into view. Set chronologically between the third and the fourth movies in the 'Star Wars' saga, the film will follow a band of resistance fighters who unite to steal the Death Star plans and 'bring a new hope,' referring to the subtitle of the original 'Star Wars.' At the same time, the iconic franchise's Twitter account posted a capsule of the storyline, saying: 'A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans in Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One #RogueOne. Preview: Fans at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Anaheim, California were able to view a preview of the first Star Wars spin-of entitled Rogue One . More to come: The Star Wars website released this Twitter describing the storyline for the film, which is described as an anthology movie adding to the Star Wars universe . December 2016: The film is set after Episode III and before Episode IV, added director Gareth Edwards added that his film won't have clear-cut villains and heroes . Felicity Jones, who recently garnered an Oscar nomination for her role in 'The Theory of Everything' is the only confirmed cast member for the film, which will shoot in London this summer for a December 2016 release. Jones will play a rebel soldier, the director said. Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy appears on the Cantina set at Star Wars Celebration: The Ultimate Fan Experience held in Anaheim last week . Edwards said that her character will not just be a stoic soldier, but a complex, fully rounded human. 'We wanted to see fear, warmth, all of those aspects that everybody has,' he said, excited that Jones embodies 'the complete package.' In the world of 'Rogue One,' Edwards said the 'absence of Jedi is omnipresent.' The characters in the film realize that the 'gods are not coming to save us,' he said. 'It comes down to a group of people who don't have magical powers who band together to bring hope to the galaxy.' 'Cinderella' scribe Chis Weitz wrote the screenplay based on an idea from visual effects supervisor John Knoll. Josh Trank, who is set to direct the next, still untitled 'Star Wars' anthology film, did not attend the event although he was originally scheduled to appear. The idea for the film came from award-winning visual effects artist John Knoll, who pitched the idea internally before bringing it to Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm's Kiri Hart. Hart, vice president of development for Lucasfilm, said that the anthology films will vary in 'scale and genre.' She added that they are describing them as 'anthology films' that expand the Star Wars universe without necessarily using the main characters. 'We wanted freedom to do some films that would be able to stand on their own and tell unique stories,' she said. 'They can still feel like `Star Wars' and be `Star Wars.' Talented: The upcoming standalone movie will be directed by Gareth Edwards of 'Godzilla' fame . Coming soon: Rogue One starts shooting this summer, and will be released in December of 2016 .
target: Rogue One will be a prequel to the original trilogy .
  First 'anthology film' will be about Rebels on a rogue mission to steal plans to the Death Star .
  Felicity Jones - star of 'The Theory of Everything' will star as a rebel soldier .