After years of teasing, 2000AD and Duncan Jones' Rogue Trooper film is finally a reality and has finished principle photography. The news also shed more light on the hyped film, with 2000AD revealing it's an animated feature and will use Unreal Engine 5 to bring the war torn world of Nu-Earth and Rogue's quest for revenge to life.
Writer and director Duncan Jones is a well-known fan of the comic strip, co-created by artist Dave Gibbons and writer Gerry Finley-Day. The 2000AD strip became popular in the 1980s but has remained a staple of the UK comics scene ever since. The story follows 'Rogue', a genetic infantryman fighting on Nu-Earth, in pursuit of the traitor who sold him and his comrades out; the soldier's 'buddies' personalities have been transferred into Rogue's kit - his helmet, gun and backpack are sentient.
Saying in a press release: "2000 AD offers a very different flavour 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."
News that the Rogue Trooper movie will be an animated feature using Unreal Engine 5 is yet more proof Epic's 3D engine is a real marvel. Treehouse Digital (The Well) is the studio hired to create the action.
Producer Stuart Fenegan said in a statement: "The advancements in Unreal Engine 5 and the inclusion of MetaHuman rigs mean that it is now possible to achieve a very high standard of animation within an indie budget. Working with our amazing partners at Rebellion, Epic and Treehouse Digital we are pioneering and developing a new creative pipeline that will enable independent production of CG animated films."
The Rogue Trooper animated film is being produced by Rebellion and Liberty Films, and demonstrates how far the 2000AD publisher has come in recent years. Now a comic, book, video game and film producer Rebellion is a success story that needs championing. (If you're a 2000AD fan, read our advice from artist Greg Staples.)
Rebellion CEO, Jason Kingsley CBE, a producer on Rogue Trooper revealed the movie has "been filmed at our dedicated Oxfordshire film studios and combines beautiful storytelling from our iconic 2000 AD comic book universe with animation and production technology from the video game industry. We cannot wait for everyone to see these incredible stories brought to life on screen."
There are some A-list actors behind the Unreal Engine 5 polygons too, with rising star star Aneurin Barnard (The Goldfinch, Dunkirk) playing the title role, joined by Hayley Atwell (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One) and Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters, Good Luck To You Leo Grande). Matt Berry, Sean Bean and Diane Morgan are on board too.
If you want to know more about Epic Games' engine, read our Unreal Engine 5 explainer. And for more examples of great animation and VFX to get inspired by, read our features on making The Creator and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
