Will The 'Star Wars: Rogue One' Trailer Play Before 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'? Probably Not
One question I've been asked quite a bit by Star Wars fans this past week is this: "Will the Star Wars: Rogue One trailer play before Star Wars: The Force Awakens?" Kathleen Kennedy told me during my interview that the last day of filming on Rogue One happens on December 18th, the same day The Force Awakens hits theaters. So its very possible for Disney to have a trailer ready at this point. But I'm willing to bet we won't see anything from Rogue One despite recent rumors suggesting otherwise.
Fans have been wondering if Disney would include the Rogue One trailer on Force Awakens for some time, but the rumor mill kicked it up a notch this past week as Cinelinx editor Jordan Maison (who has broken a few Star Wars stories in the past) posted that a Rogue One trailer "is done and making the rounds" at Lucasfilm. Maison later elaborated stating that he heard "marketing has been working on stuff for Rogue One for a month or so now" and that the plan as of "a few MONTHS ago" was to have the trailer on Force Awakens but he's "not sure if that's still the plan."
While it's typically unusual to promote a movie with a theatrical teaser over a year before the release, the teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit theaters 54 weeks before the film's release date. And if Disney were to attach the trailer for Rogue One on The Force Awakens, it wouldn't be the first movie to come out with a trailer for the next film in the franchise. And certainly Pixar used to attach the trailers for their next film with their theatrical releases, sometimes over a year in advance (for example, The Incredibles teaser trailer played 18 months before the film's release, with Finding Nemo).
Although theaters full of people paying to see a Star Wars movie would be the exact target audience for the next Star Wars film, I'm betting Disney doesn't want to confuse the consumers coming out to see Episode VII. Rogue One is the first film in Lucasfilm's "A Star Wars Story" anthology series, which might require a little bit or explaining for mainstream audiences. Not only is it the first standalone Star Wars movie, it's also kind of a prequel to A New Hope, which might be confusing for some audiences.
The above image was posted on IMGUR by an anonymous movie theater employee. And while we can't confirm its authenticity, it sure looks legit (some of the trailers listed as being attached have debuted online in the past few days). One movie not listed on this IMAX 3D digital hard drive is Star Wars: Rogue One.
Of course, conspiracy theorists might suggest that Disney included the trailer art the front of the movie file itself, which would allow for the trailer to be unlisted on the container (this has happened one or two times in the past with top-secret film projects). But I just don't think this is the case.
The truth is we don't have a definitive answer, as Lucasfilm has a no comment policy when it comes to anything Star Wars. I keep getting asked this question, so I thought I'd present to you the evidence alongside what I had heard. I guess we'll find out on Thursday night. For now you can instead revisit the Rogue One teaser trailer that was shown to Star Wars fans at Star Wars Celebration: