You don't have to be a Star Wars superfan to see the first spinoff movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, says director Gareth Edwards, but he's hoping the film will light a passion for the franchise in any newcomers.

The first of three planned Disney Star Wars spinoff films, Rogue One is intended as a stand-alone movie, although it is set before the original 1977 film A New Hope.

Anticipation is high with tickets selling fast ahead of the Dec 14 world rollout, and box office analysts are predicting that Rogue One will take in some $130 million at North American movie theaters on its opening weekend.