So for several months you've had this gut feeling that Darth Vader would appear in ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY ever since it was announced that the film would tell the story of the small group of rebels who steal the plans for the first Death Star. It's been a logical thought process and now, per Entertainment Weekly, it's confirmed.
Darth Vader will be in ROGUE ONE!
However, Vader will not be in the movie as much as you think and his presence will loom larger throughout the movie than his actual screen time.
“He will be in the movie sparingly,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told EW. “But at a key, strategic moment, he’s going to loom large.”
Actor James Earl Jones is also confirmed to reprise his iconic voice role for the Sith Lord so you will definitely hear not only the mechanical breathing but you'll hear Vader speak too. Here's a snippet from the EW story on Vader's return to the big screen:
"Vader is the muscle. The fixer. And also… the breaker, when he needs to be.
"The Empire’s grip on the galaxy is beginning to be pried open, and the Death Star is how Emperor Palpatine intends to maintain his dominion over the star systems rising up against him.
"The Rebels are barely familiar with Vader. Even within the Empire, he is more legend than everyday presence. 'Within the Rebellion, it’s not commonly spoken about,' says director Gareth Edwards. 'Within the Empire, there is the culture of knowing of the existence of Darth Vader. There’s definitely an underlying feeling that there is a power – a dark power – available to the Empire and that if you overstep your mark, you will suffer the consequences.'"
Darth Vader is not the main antagonist in ROGUE ONE. That distinction goes to actor Ben Mendelsohn who is a high ranking Imperial Officer with the title and name: Director Orson Krennic.
Both he and Vader are not best friends and it's being reported that Krennic is trying to position himself to acquire more power within the ranks of the Empire. In order to do this he also needs to keep a watchful eye over his shoulder to make sure Vader isn't aware that he is trying to gain favor with Emperor Palpatine — who has not been confirmed to be in ROGUE ONE, as of the publishing of this post.
To read all the details over in EW's report, click right here.
ROGUE ONE releases on December 16.
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