Darth Vader confirmed to appear in Star Wars: Rogue One

While we still have over a year to wait for the next chapter of Rey, Finn, and Poe's adventures, Star Wars: Rogue One is mere months away from its cinematic debut. Information on the spin-off - which takes place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope - has been relatively quiet since the first trailer debuted back in April but Entertainment Weekly have a few more details on the Gareth Edwards directed movie, chief of which is official confirmation of Darth Vader's return to the big screen.

Other info teased in EW's Rogue One heavy new issue include more details on Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso - who has apparently "clashed with both the Rebellion and the Empire" - and "candid revelations" about what's really going on with those reshoots. We'll also learn more about Jyn's teammates and Ben Mendelsohn's officer, who is "eager to earn the favour of the Emperor". Finally, Mads Mikkelsen's character is confirmed to be Jyn's father, info the actor himself spoiled months ago.

Of course, the biggest takeaway here is the presence of Darth Vader; the return of the infamous Sith Lord has been rumoured for months, and now that his appearance is confirmed there's a good chance he might show up in Rogue One's next trailer. As for what Vader will be up to, EW's article states that Mendelsohn's character will be hoping to "avoid the wrath" of the Emperor's "black-masked enforcer", and we all know what happens to those who get on Anakin's bad side...

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

Amon Warmann

Amon is a contributing editor and columnist for Empire magazine, but is also a Film and TV writer for GamesRadar+, Total Film, and others. He has also written for NME, Composer Mag, and more, along with being a film critic for TalkSport. He is also the co-host of the Fade to Black Podcast, and a video mashup creator. Can also do a pretty good Bane impersonation.