Rogue Trooper: Duncan Jones returns to the director’s chair for an animated sci-fi epic

Duncan Jones made an incredible debut with his Sam Rockwell-starring sci-fi, Moon. However, his follow-ups haven’t collected as much acclaim with the Groundhog Day-on-a-train thriller Source Code, his step into the big-budget franchise world with Warcraft, and his high-concept Netflix sci-fi, Mute. For years, Jones has been developing an adaptation of the comic Rogue Trooper, which is to be an animated feature. The production has been rolling along, and Variety has revealed the cast of actors that Jones has been able to compile for the film.

Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden are reportedly said to be the main cast in the lead roles for the science-fiction animated film. Barnard, whose credits include The Goldfinch and Dunkirk, is set to star as the eponymous Rogue Trooper. Joining him in the movie is Atwell, who is known for her roles in the Captain America movies and various Marvel Studios appearances, as well as the recent Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Rounding out the main cast is Lowden, who was previously seen in Slow Horses and Dunkirk.

Jones has additionally assembled Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters, Good Luck to You Leo Grande), Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9, Saltburn), Jemaine Clement (Avatar: The Way of Water, Flight of the Conchords), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), Diane Morgan (Cunk on Earth), Alice Lowe (Black Mirror), Asa Butterfield (Sex Education, Hugo) and Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings).

According to Variety, Rogue Trooper “tells the story of 19, a ‘Genetic Infantryman,’ who finds himself the sole-survivor of an invasion force. Desperate to track down the traitor who sold him and his comrades out, the super soldier is accompanied by three killed-in-action squad mates, whose personalities have been stored in his gun, helmet and rucksack.”

Rogue Trooper comes from the same comic book series as the Judge Dredd character in 2000 AD. Jones remarked, “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 (2012) 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.”

The film is set to be produced by Rebellion and Liberty Films, has wrapped principal photography at Rebellion Film Studios in the U.K. The film is set to be finished next year.