Rogue Trooper
Info
- 2026 — Animated Feature
- 123 min — Runtime
- United Kingdom — Country of Production
- English — Language
- Unreal Engine 5 — Real-Time Animation
- 2000 AD — Original Comic
- Rebellion Film Studios — Principal Photography
- Duncan Jones — Director / Writer
- Gerry Finley-Day — Writer
- Dave Gibbons — Writer
Credits
- Sigtor Kildal — HMC Supervisor
- Frida Nilsson — HMC Operator
- Fredrik Wallin — HMC Operator
- Agata Korek — HMC Assistant
Rogue Trooper is an animated science-fiction feature from Rebellion and Liberty Films, written and directed by Duncan Jones and based on the classic 2000 AD comic created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons.
The film follows 19, a Genetic Infantryman and the sole survivor of an invasion force. Determined to find the traitor who betrayed him and his comrades, he crosses the poisoned battlefields of Nu Earth accompanied by three fallen squadmates, whose personalities live on in the biochips of his rifle, helmet and backpack.
Motion Grinder's Contributions
Motion Grinder joined principal photography at Rebellion Film Studios in Oxfordshire in 2024, supplying our head-mounted camera systems and an experienced on-set HMC crew for the film’s facial performance capture.
For this production, our work had a deliberately focused scope: capturing faces and synchronised audio. With no full-body performance capture in our remit, the head-mounted cameras became the central capture tool, recording the timing, detail and personality of each actor’s performance.
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- Aneurin Barnard as Rogue Trooper. Image courtesy of Rebellion and Liberty Films.
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- Diane Morgan in Rogue Trooper. Image courtesy of Rebellion and Liberty Films.
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- Aneurin Barnard as Rogue Trooper on Nu Earth. Image courtesy of Rebellion and Liberty Films.
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- Jemaine Clement as Mr Brass and Matt Berry as Mr Bland: facial capture compared with the finished animation.
A Focused, Collaborative Shoot
The concentrated nature of the capture made Rogue Trooper a particularly meaningful project for Motion Grinder. It brought our operators into close daily collaboration with the performers and filmmaking team, allowing technical decisions to be made around the needs of each performance.
Working in the UK with such an open and talented group was both creatively rewarding and genuinely enjoyable. We are proud of the trust placed in our crew, and proud that Motion Grinder’s people and equipment became one part of the wider process bringing these characters to life.
Our contribution centred on the on-set capture. From there, Treehouse Digital processed and applied the performance data to the characters in Unreal Engine 5, with Liberty Films’ VFX and animation teams handling lighting and finalisation. We are proud to have supported that pipeline and grateful to all the teams who carried the captured performances through to the finished film.
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- Hayley Atwell and director Duncan Jones during facial performance capture for Rogue Trooper. Photo: Susie Allnutt Photography.
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- Aneurin Barnard (Rogue Trooper) and Asa Butterfield during facial performance capture. Photo: Susie Allnutt Photography.
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- Aneurin Barnard (Rogue Trooper), Jack Lowden (Gunnar), Daryl McCormack (Helm), Reece Shearsmith (Bagman) and director Duncan Jones. Photo: Susie Allnutt Photography.
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- Hayley Atwell during facial performance capture and Venus Bluegenes in the finished film. Set photo: Susie Allnutt Photography.
Festival Selections
Annecy International Animation Festival 2026
Official Selection and World Premiere
Toronto International Film Festival 2026
Midnight Madness — North American Premiere and Closing Night Film