There was a moment when Duncan Jones looked like the future of intelligent sci-fi.
With “Moon” (2009), Jones delivered a stunning debut—intimate, cerebral, and restrained. “Source Code” (2011) followed suit, a taut and inventive thriller that confirmed Jones as a new voice in Hollywood genre cinema. Then came “Warcraft” and “Mute,” and that promise seemed to evaporate.
It does look as though Jones has lost the plot—literally and figuratively. Now, eight years after his last feature, a first trailer from his long-gestating “Rogue Trooper” adaptation has landed. Jones’ adaptation will be CG-animated rather than live action. It was shot in 2023.
“Rogue Trooper,” based on the cult 2000 AD comic, isn’t exactly a safe choice for a comeback. The property is niche—familiar mainly to British comic fans—and the film is being made using real-time animation in Unreal Engine 5.
The images show a stark, war-torn alien world. Rogue—blue-skinned, helmeted. The visuals are slick. The voice cast: Aneurin Barnard (Rogue), alongside Hayley Atwell, Reece Shearsmith, Jack Lowden, Jemaine Clement, Alice Lowe, Asa Butterfield, and Sean Bean.
It’s hard not to see “Rogue Trooper” as a make-or-break moment. If this doesn’t land—critically or commercially—it may cement Jones as a cautionary tale of wasted promise. But if it works? Then maybe “Moon” and “Source Code” weren’t flukes. Maybe “Warcraft” and “Mute” were detours. I have my doubts.
“Rogue Trooper” is more or less done. There is also no distributor attached to the film. Who will want to pick this one up?
Under Lin, the quality of Netflix's movies got worse. The Lin era was defined by mid-budget, algorithm-friendly fare and a wobbly relationship with the filmmakers who actually gave Netflix its prestige.