The title of the film and the production company have been kept secret but Maldives tourism minister Moosa Zameer last week confirmed that a Hollywood movie was being filmed in Laamu Atoll. Haveeru has confirmed that Felicity Jones arrived in the Maldives Monday morning while Forest Whitaker is expected to arrive Tuesday. Both actors along with Diego Luna, Ben Mendelssohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Riz Ahmed had been cast in Star Wars spin-off Rogue One. Over 200 locals have already been deployed for the shooting. Local residents of Gan island said the whole island is abuzz as a record number of people have been streaming in. "Seventy-five people arrived yesterday alone. More than 50 people arrived again this morning. They say more people are still expected to come in for the filming. This is a record," a resident told Haveeru. Due to be released in December 2016, Rogue One is one of three standalone spin-off Star Wars movies announced by Lucasfilm last year, in addition to the three major upcoming Star Wars episode films. A helicopter was brought in last week for filming which is expected to be used to shoot the scenic beauty of the high end tourist destination. The scenes of the movie will be filmed in Baresdhu being developed as a guest house island and three other uninhabited islands in the Atoll. The shooting has also boosted income for locals as houses and hotels have been booked for a month. "A lot of people are engaged in various things related to the shooting. It's not only the youth but elderly men have also been hired as security guards. They get close to MVR500-750 ($50) a day," a resident on condition of anonymity told Haveeru. Seven safaris are already anchored in the Gan harbour for some crew members while 22 speedboats have also been hired and left on standby . "This is a great joy for Gan. It has really boosted our income. Many people, both young and old are involved in this film," resident said. Lucasfilm confirmed the movie will tell the story of "resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star." Rogue One will go “into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know”, according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy in a statement. She added the film will take place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a “departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe”.