A cult sci-fi comic book adaptation is coming out based on Rogue Trooper, and the first look at the movie is great. Rogue Trooper is based on a comic book series that was also adapted into video games in the early 2000s. Duncan Jones, the mastermind behind releases like Moon (2009) and Source Code (2011), has signed on to direct the film, but only time will tell if Rogue Trooper matches up with those two early sci-fi masterpieces or will find less critical acclaim, like his past two films, Warcraft (2016) and Mute (2018). This is the fifth overall film for Jones, and based on some new promotional material, it looks like Jones might have a good grasp on the property.
The first look comes in the form of a retro-style movie poster. It was shared in a Reddit thread, along with the synopsis that Rogue Trooper “follows a lone survivor super soldier on a mission for vengeance, accompanied by a gun, backpack, and helmet imbued with his dead squadmates’ personalities.”
Rogue Trooper is based on the long-running sci-fi story from the 2000 AD comic. 2000 AD is the same comic that has run the Judge Dredd series since 1977. Rogue Trooper is newer than Judge Dredd, debuting in the comic in 1981 from the creative team of Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons (Watchmen). The story follows a genetic infantryman named Rogue who has three uploaded minds mounted on his equipment as he searches for the traitor general who betrayed his team to the enemy. The series was rebooted in 1989 with a new character named Friday, but that story ended in 1996, and Rogue returned in 1999. The stories are still running to this day.
The comic has been adapted into novels, board games, and video games over the years. This includes Rogue Trooper PC games, a third-person shooter in 2006 that was followed by a release on the Wii in 2009 called Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre, and a remaster in 2017 for the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One called Rogue Trooper Redux. As for the movie, it has been in development for years, with Grant Morrison talking about writing the script and Duncan Jones signing on to direct it in 2018. The production wrapped for the animated film in 2024, with Aneurin Barnard voicing Rogue.
The new poster artwork has a retro look that fits well with the story type. Rogue Trooper is animated using Unreal Engine 5. Thanks to the popularity of the video game, it makes sense that Jones would want to use video game tech to animate it. However, the film’s overall chances at success remain questionable. One Redditor commented that “this looks like its going to a be [sic] an absolutely awesome movie and make zero dollars at the box office but become a cult hit afterwards, just like its 2000AD alumni Dredd.” Rogue Trooper will premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2026, but there is no word on its theatrical or streaming release.
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