Moon director’s comic book movie will be made in Unreal Engine

Duncan Jones’ long-awaited Rogue Trooper movie, an adaptation of the 2000 AD comic book, will now be an animated film made in Unreal Engine 5.

The “Genetic Infantryman” first appeared in print in 1981. For the uninitiated, he’s a soldier who’s biologically immune to Nu-Earth’s now-poisonous atmosphere in the wake of chemical warfare across the planet – and when his regiment is wiped out, he goes AWOL to search for the traitor.

Longtime DC scribe Grant Morrison revealed in 2011 that he’d be writing a screenplay for a feature adaptation, but the project evolved and changed hands over the subsequent years – and it’s now under the creative stewardship of Duncan Jones, the director behind Moon, Source Code, and Warcraft.

The movie then fell under the umbrella of Rebellion, Sniper Elite’s video game developer, with plans to adapt other 2000 AD stories. Rogue Trooper is first up, and it’ll be created in Unreal Engine.

Duncan Jones’ Rogue Trooper movie announces cast

The adaptation will star Dunkirk’s Aneurin Barnard in the title role, alongside Hayley Atwell, Jack Lowden, Daryl McCormack, and Reece Shearsmith in substantial parts. It’s a stacked cast, with an all-star roster of British talent also set to appear, including Jemaine Clement, Matt Berry, Diane Morgan, Alice Lowe, Asa Butterfield, and Sean Bean.

“2000 AD offers a very different flavour of comic action: Political and brutal at times, but always with a Pythonesque twinkle in the eye,” Jones said, citing 2012’s underrated Dredd as 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.”

Rebellion

The movie will be brought to life by Treehouse Digital, which will work with Jones to translate the concept art into imagery in Unreal Engine. “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,” producer Stuart Fenegan explained.

“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.”

Jason Kingsley CBE, Rebellion’s CEO and also a producer, added: “We are thrilled to be working with Duncan Jones, who is a fellow British creative visionary and 2000 AD fan with global reach. Rogue Trooper highlights Rebellion’s leading position within the entertainment industries.

“It 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.”