ROGUE ONE: A Star Wars Story - Early Concept Development

OFFICIAL CONCEPTS - Released via The Art of Rogue One.
First concept for the Imperial droid that became K-2SO, developed early after talks with Co-Production Designer Doug Chiang about designing a new C-3PO type.

Paintover study showing a human moment reimagined through alien forms.
Helped shape how empathy and daily life were portrayed across the film.

EARLY STORY EXPLORATIONS
These were loose narrative keyframes painted during initial development to explore tone, light, and atmosphere. Concepts visualized potential story beats and emotional cues before the script was finalized.

(Blue Sky Studies)
Jyn encounters the Force.

Jyn’s family faces the dark side.

(Field Encounters)
A soldier scouts an unknown planet.

Native alien inhabitants revealed wearing scavenged stormtrooper helmets.

(Early Confrontations)
Jyn is captured by native inhabitants.

Alternate version emphasizing a more frantic energy during the capture.

A river ambush.

(Underworld and Political Power)
Jabba-inspired crime lords gathered in a seedy bar.

Alternate version emphasizing the vibe within the underworld setting.

(Leia and Saw Moments)
Leia removes her helmet to reveal her identity. (first pass before storyboard revisions)

Leia reveal, updated after storyboard pass.

Saw Gerrera and his entourage, presented as a unified presence upon the initial encounter.

(Vader Moment)
A tense interrogation as Vader watches from the shadows.

ENVIRONMENT EXPLORATIONS
Early phase world-building explorations for Rogue One, blending the monumental presence of natural landscapes with the precision of Syd Mead–style design.

(Imperial Base on Dantooine)
An outpost guarded by stormtroopers.

A wide establishment.

Ship entering a cliffside hangar.

A ship enters via ground-level.
Early experiments for the Imperial base on Dantooine explored ways to carve monumental forms into the flat mesas, making the landscape feel engineered by the Imperials. A glimpse of the emerging Death Star construction.

(TBD Jedha)
An aerial view of jungle terrain dotted with Jedi relics.

Perusing through a riverbed bank, surrounded by foreign structures.

Giant walls of flora and fauna.

Shipwreck remnants emerging from shallow water.
Jedha's desert location was still undefined at this stage. My assignments focused on creating a setting that felt distinctly foreign from the Rebels’ perspective.

(TBD Kafrene) - Trading Outpost
This concept was a second attempt at visualizing a vehicle entering a new planet.

Establishing view of the trading outpost.

Marketplace formation sketch. WIP1.

Marketplace, early layout pass. WIP2.

Marketplace, adding brutalist structure to ground the space. This is where we left it before moving on.
We were greatly inspired by Syd Mead’s geometry and lighting for this area, while also exploring inverted architecture and unconventional climates.

CHARACTERS & ALIENS
Explorations of faces, factions, and foreign figures within the Rogue One lore.

(Syndicate Aliens)
A Jabba-style gang leader inspired by Ziro the Hutt.

A pair of smugglers. Jabba thug in the background.

(Cultural Aliens)
Paintover Study I.

Paintover Study II.

Alien bust explorations.

(TBD Krennic)
Initial 1st pass concept – General Tarkin influence

Moody lighting pass. This concept sparked intrigue toward a darker, more predatory interpretation.

A Vampiric take on Krennic.
We tested a more extreme approach before refining back toward his more grounded authority.

With Ben Mendelsohn already cast, these set the foundation for later iterations of the character.
Concept Artist — Industrial Light & Magic
Directed by Gareth Edwards | Production Design by Doug Chiang and Neil Lamont
All images © Lucasfilm Ltd.