Darth Vader is back and James Earl Jones will once again provide the villain’s voice.
Anticipation for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story reached new heights this week, when the first real details about the film were revealed by Entertainment Weekly. The biggest news to emerge was that it will indeed feature the return of Darth Vader. But now we’ve been given even more details about the villain's role in this newest instalment of the Star Wars saga.
As my former master once said, "Well, we are still flying half a ship." pic.twitter.com/mBPVFkqfb6
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 24, 2016
Darth Vader will once again be voiced by 85-year-old James Earl Jones, who has provided the villain’s voice since 1977’s A New Hope. As for how much of Vader we’ll be seeing, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told EW: “He will be in the movie sparingly. But at a key, strategic moment, he’s going to loom large.”
Vader has not yet risen to prominency in the Empire, but still he has a reputation in the Galaxy. “Within the Rebellion, it’s not commonly spoken about,” said director Gareth Edwards. “Within the Empire, there is the culture of knowing of the existence of Darth Vader.”
More: Darth Vader Confirmed As Appearing In 'Star Wars: Rogue One'
“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.” Lucasfilm’s chief of story development, Kiri Hat added: “He’s present in the military structure, but he’s not beholden to it. He’s not accountable to anybody, really, except Palpatine.”
Vader’s secondary role is because the stand-alone film will have its own main villain, Orson Krennic, played by Ben Mendelsohn. Kernnic is described as an ‘ambitious Imperial officer, who is eager to secure a place at the Emperor’s side’.
More: Here's Everything We Know About The New Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich
“There is a lot of palace intrigue going on in the Empire, with people conspiring to move up the ranks and sabotaging each other,” producer John Knoll explained. “There’s not a lot of loyalty there.”
The film’s cast also includes, Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker, Alan Tudyk and Diego Luna. Jones will play Jyn Erso, who’s been described as: ‘an 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’.
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