To add to the loads of recent Star Wars news, Lucasfilm has announced that Rogue One has begun principal photography, also blessing us with the first official photo from the set. Rogue One is the first stand-alone film in the Star Wars Anthology, comprising of stories taking place in the Star Wars universe, but which are not a direct part of the main saga.

While the thermal exhaust port on the Death Star might have been its Achilles’ heel, someone had to get the original plans to figure this out. Rogue One tells the story of the group of resistance fighters who were brave, or foolhardy, enough to steal the blueprint.

Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) is directing Rogue One, and if all goes well will see a 16 December 2016 release. There’s a few interesting actor choices for the movie, including one of our favourites, Mads Mikkelsen (Valhalla Rising, Casino Royale), as well as Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Diego Luna (Milk, Elysium) and Forest Whitaker, which we hope is more Ghost Dog than Battlefield Earth in this one.

“Rogue One takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe,” says the film’s producer, Kathleen Kennedy. “It goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know.”

While a trailer is only expected next year sometime, Star Wars fans can gaze at the set photo below for some clues on what awesomeness might be expected from Rogue One come December 2016.

Star Wars: Rogue One. Left to Right: Actors Riz Ahmed, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.