New Star Wars Rogue One Images Leak from the Set

Production on Rogue One, the first Star Wars spinoff, is well underway and currently filming in London. Now some on-set pictures have been released by TMZ. They show the scene of a spaceship crash, together with dead Imperial Stormtroopers visible near the wreckage, plus some assorted crew shots.

Rogue One is the first of the planned spinoff films that will run alongside the ongoing saga movies. Set before the original 1977 Star Wars, it's directed by Godzilla's Gareth Edwards, and will focus upon a group of mercenaries who are hired to capture the plans to the Death Star.

Last month at Disney's D23 expo, the first official image from the film was released, revealing a cast that includes Felicity Jones, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, and Donnie Yen.

At the same event, producer Kathleen Kennedy described the film as a "departure" from the core, saga movies.

"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," she said. "Gareth is such an innovative director and I'm so excited to be working with him and the extraordinary ensemble cast he's selected for Rogue One."

The film is due for release on December 16, 2016, while the next part of the saga, Episode 7 - The Force Awakens, arrives on December 18 this year.