With just under a month left until the first Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters, there has been no shortage of new footage as of late. Just this week, fans have been treated to a new IMAX poster, a 360 video that showcases an early look at the Death Star, along with new TV spots and character posters. As the countdown continues towards this highly-anticipated release, a new story preview has surfaced, which features stars Felicity Jones and Diego Luna along with their director, Gareth Edwards.

This video debuted on Star Wars UK YouTube, which begins with director Gareth Edwards revealing how much he adores the Star Wars franchise, adding he would have "planned" this his entire life, had he known he would some day direct a Star Wars movie. Diego Luna also reveals that he grew up with this story and these characters, and that he's been thinking about this whole world for quite a long time. Felicity Jones adds that the cast and the crew has to "take it in" that they are actually working on a Star Wars movie.

Gareth Edwards also reveals that this story takes place "very close" to A New Hope, and that the text from the opening crawl, about Rebel spies, is essentially his whole movie. From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

The Rogue One cast includes Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Gareth Edwards directs from a script by Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz, with Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel producing and John Knoll and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. This stand alone adventure will hit theaters December 16, going up against Warner Bros.' Collateral Beauty, starring Will Smith.

Rogue One will be the first of three Star Wars standalone movies that have been confirmed thus far. The second will focus on a young Han Solo, set before A New Hope, which stars Alden Ehrenreich as the beloved smuggler and Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, which is set to hit theaters on May 25, 2018. The third spin-off is believed to center on Boba Fett, which is expected to hit theaters in 2020. Take a look at this new story preview for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's release in exactly one month.