Star Wars Spinoff Title Rogue One Has Theories Flying

This much is known: Disney announced today that the first Star Wars movie spinoff will be called Rogue One and in theaters Dec. 16, 2016. Felicity Jones will be in it, though it's not clear whether she's the lead character. Beyond that, Disney isn't providing any clues as to what the movie will be about, other than saying it's "the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga." Some theories:

• X-Wing pilots: "For those who remember the original Star Wars, Luke Skywalker's group of X-Wing fighters in the climactic space battle were all numbered Rogues—Luke was Rogue Five," explains the Hollywood Reporter. So it appears the movie will be about the squadron leader, which THR thinks would be smart. "It offers a framework that is familiar to fans of the franchise to date, but one that's been left pretty much unexplored outside of Luke Skywalker's interactions with them in the original trilogy."

• Female lead? "While we don't know if Jones is the star or simply a star, that she's the name Disney is choosing to lead with is an exciting sign that we could be getting a Star Wars film with a woman in the primary lead," says the Verge.
• Which leads to: "Is Felicity Jones the new Rogue Leader?" asks io9.
• Bounty hunters: "We had originally heard that the film would follow a group of bounty hunters who were hired to pull off a heist to steal the plans for the death star," writes Peter Sciretta at Slashfilm. "The new Rogue One title hints at (an) explosive start for the Rebels. Could this group of bounty hunters be the start of the Rogue Squadron and is Wedge Antilles going to be part of this ragtag group? I’m betting so." (The character Wedge Antilles founded the squadron with Luke in the original trilogy.)