As Star Wars: The Force Awakens creeps closer to breaking the all-time domestic box office record set by Avatar, fans have just under one year left before returning to this beloved galaxy far, far away. The first of three planned spinoffs, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters in December, with a story that is set between the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, centering on a mission to steal plans for the first Death Star. This spinoff will introduce a whole new cast, including Ben Mendelsohn, who recently told Deadline that the new movie is beautiful and will be special for the fans.

"I wouldn't want to spoil anything for anyone on those levels...But you can expect something pretty special, I'd like to think. I was in the audience for number seven and it was delightful. It exceeded my wildest hopes and dreams for what it might be. It's a beautiful film. So we've got something to reach for and that's a good thing."

Ben Mendelsohn will be joined by a cast that also includes Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Jonathan Aris and Wen Jiang. We don't have any official details about these characters quite yet, and Ben Mendelsohn didn't comment on the rumors that he is portraying the main villain, but he did talk about how special Star Wars is to him. Take a look at what he had to say about his own legacy with the franchise.

"I'm a child of it. So it was, like, 1977, and I was there-big time. What can I say? I bought it. I bought it lock, stock and barrel. I've been a fan of it forever. It's Star Wars, and there's nothing more that you can say about that, because anyone that actually knows what that means, they get it. It's a great honor and it puts a lot of things in perspective. I am but a small part of that entire world. That's an extraordinary world to feel like you've got the chance to put a brush stroke or two on. It's a beautiful thing."

Gareth Edwards is directing from a script by Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz. Disney has set a December 18, 2016 release date, with the spinoff followed by Star Wars: Episode VIII (May 26, 2017), Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo (May 25, 2018), Star Wars: Episode IX (2019) and Star Wars Anthology: Boba Fett (2020). What do you think about these new details? Chime in with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.