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We knew Vader would be returning to the screen in Star War’s Rogue One but Entertainment Weekly has now given us more details about the character, his place in the movie and, most importantly, confirmed original actor James Earl Jones will be back to reprise that iconic voice.
With Rogue One taking place between Episode 3 and 4, Vadar isn’t quite the centre stage player yet. At the point the film starts he’s more of a background bruiser and troubleshooter, working for the Emperor like hired muscle.
Because he operates almost under the radar he’s barely known by the Rebellion, and even within the Empire he’s a bit of a legend. His own men know about him more as a punishing bogeyman than the Emperor’s right hand. He’s also a bit of a loose cannon too - working outside of the usual military structure and only really answering to Emperor Palpatine.
That puts him in almost direct conflict with Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Krennic character. Krennic's psychopathic ambition means he’s got his aim set on Vadar’s right hand man position and producer John Knoll says the Empire is full of “people conspiring to move up the ranks and sabotaging each other”.
However, while that all sounds exciting. Don’t expect to see the wheezy one taking up too much screen time. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy admits that while he "loom large at a key strategic moment" he will actually be "in the movie sparingly.”
Directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen and Alan Tudyk, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to open in UK and US cinemas on December 16, 2016.
Images: Disney/LucasFilm
