Confirmed: Darth Vader to Return in Rogue One
Gearing up for a big Rogue One: A Star Wars Story reveal on Friday Entertainment Weekly have already given us a few clues as to what to expect – including the return of one of the franchises most iconic characters.
First up, they’ve a brand new cover image – complete with two new additions to the Empires arsenal and, in a first for Star Wars, some palm trees and a beach!
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, but we’ll let them explain:
“The background of our cover showcases new Imperial weaponry being used against the nascent Rebellion: taller, slimmer walkers known as AT-ACTs hauling cargo, and flatter, fang-like interceptors known as TIE Strikers.
New information about Jyn Erso (The Theory of Everything’s Felicity Jones), the outlaw who has clashed with both the Rebellion and the Empire, and now has a chance to clear her ledger of past wrongs by leading a mission for the good guys. It’s also personal – her father, played by Mads Mikkelsen, is a scientist whose knowledge is sought by both sides.
Full details of the squad of characters uniting to take on the Empire, played by the most multicultural cast to appear in a Star Wars film yet: Diego Luna, Jiang Wen, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Forest Whitaker, and Alan Tudyk – as a performance-capture droid. (One of these has been seen before by Star Wars fans.)A look at the skullduggery inside the Imperial ranks, as seen through the eyes of a new villain: Ben Mendelsohn’s ambitious officer, who’s eager to earn the favor of the Emperor – and avoid the wrath of his black-masked enforcer.Candid revelations from the filmmakers about what the current reshoots are adding to the story as the film nears its December release.”
That’s a lot to unpack but for the large part, it confirms rumours that have been circulating for a while: the familial connection between Erso and Mads Mikkelsen’s character, Alan Tudyk’s character being a motion captured droid, and the black mask ‘enforcer’; however, the biggest reveal is…
“Finally, confirmation of what fans have hoped ever since the project was announced: Vader is back. We have a run-down of the Sith lord’s first day on set, and what his return means for the larger Star Wars storytelling universe.”
Oh yeah! Vader’s back!
They’ll be more to come on Friday but, for now, consider us very, very excited!
