Director Duncan Jones, known for "Warcraft" and "Moon," is bringing the 2000 AD comic "Rogue Trooper" to life as an animated independent film. Jones, who also wrote and produced the adaptation, hopes the project will pave the way for more 2000 AD characters to receive cinematic treatment, following limited success with past adaptations like "Judge Dredd."
"What I love about 2000 AD is it’s always been this punk comedy political vehicle, whether it’s Judge Dredd or Rogue Trooper," Jones told Polygon. "I wanted my script to be funny, a little gory, and have a little bit of political subtext without it getting in the way, just being as raw as the comic book itself."
The film is set on Nu-Earth, a war-torn planet where the Norts and Southers are locked in perpetual conflict. The story centers on 19, a genetically engineered soldier designed to survive the planet's toxic atmosphere. Genetic Infantrymen are equipped with chips that allow their consciousness to be transferred to new cloned bodies upon death. 19 is accompanied by the uploaded minds of his fallen comrades, stored within his gear.
Jones indicated a preference for letting the audience piece together elements of the narrative. "I like the idea of trying to treat the audience as being able to take what they get and fill in the blanks," he explained. "I think it’s OK to leave some of the mystery in there."
To manage a tight budget, "Rogue Trooper" employs a blend of animation styles. Jones, who experienced the time-consuming nature of motion capture on "Warcraft," opted for a more streamlined approach for this project. He focused on capturing actors' faces and voices, with stunt performers and hand animation handling the body movements later. The voice cast includes Aneurin Barnard as 19, alongside Sean Bean, Jemaine Clement, and Matt Berry.
Reflecting on the commercial and critical disappointment of "Warcraft," Jones stated he has tempered his expectations for "Rogue Trooper." "I got burned so badly on Warcraft I’m not even thinking about sequels," he said. "If I can make this movie work as a standalone, that would be wonderful. What I want to do is be successful enough that 2000 AD has the opportunity to make more movies because they were incredible partners and really supportive of what I wanted to do. They have so many characters and there’s some fantastic directors that we all know who want to make those movies, so I hope that happens because I want to see those films."