The Big Picture

Hayley Atwell joins the voice cast of Duncan Jones’ sci-fi film Rogue Trooper alongside a star-studded British comedian cast. Rogue Trooper, based on a British comic from 2000 AD, has completed principal photography and will be released next year. Director Duncan Jones describes 2000 AD comics as political and brutal, but with a humor reminiscent of Monty Python. He is excited to bring Rogue Trooper to life.

MCU mainstay Hayley Atwell is boarding a comics adaptation of a different stripe. She has joined the voice cast of sci-fi visionary Duncan Jones’ latest film, Rogue Trooper. Variety reports that Rogue Trooper has now completed principal photography, and has assembled a high-profile voice cast that includes a number of noted British comedians. The titular role will be played by Aneurin Barnard (The Goldfinch); the supporting cast will include Atwell, Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Daryl McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande), Reece Shearsmith (Saltburn), Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concords), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), Diane Morgan (Cunk on Earth), Alice Lowe (Prevenge), Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) and Sean Bean (Goldeneye).

Rogue Trooper, which has completed principal photography and is on track to be released next year, will be animated with Epic’s 3D tool Unreal Engine 5. It is an adaptation of a feature from the long-running British comics anthology 2000 AD, which has produced a number of notable strips including Judge Dredd, ABC Warriors, and Nemesis the Warlock. Says Jones, “2000 AD offers a very different flavor of comic action: Political and brutal at times, but always with a Pythonesque twinkle in the eye. Dredd was a taste of what 2000 AD has to offer and now we get to show the world another side of the beast. It is a genuine privilege to be given the opportunity to make Rogue Trooper.

What is ‘Rogue Trooper’?
Created by writer Gerry Finley-Day and Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, Rogue Trooper first appeared in the pages of 2000 AD in 1981. It takes place in the far future, on the war-ravaged planet Nu-Earth. Human soldiers have been replaced by mass-produced Genetic Infantrymen, or GIs. One such GI, designated 19, becomes the sole survivor of his squad when they’re betrayed by a man known only as the Traitor General. Going AWOL to find the traitor, 19 becomes the Rogue Trooper. He is accompanied on his journey only by the minds of three of his fallen comrades who live on in the Rogue Trooper’s equipment; Gunnar (in his weapon), Helm (in his helmet), and Bagman (in his rucksack). He is one of the anthology’s longest-running characters, and continues to make appearances to this day.

Rogue Trooper will be Jones’ first movie since 2018’s poorly-received Mute; his previous films include Moon, Source Code, and Warcraft. He will write and direct the film, and produce it alongside Stuart Fenegan, Jason Kingsley, and Chris Kingsley.

Rogue Trooper is expected to be released next year. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch Collider’s interview with Hayley Atwell below.