We've known for a while that Darth Vader would be playing a role in ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, but now we have official confirmation from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy that he will return, and with James Earl Jones' voice to boot. The 85-year-old actor has pipes like no other, so his return is a welcome one. Kennedy and director Gareth Edwards had a few tidbits of information to share with Entertainment Weekly about the return of everyone's favorite villain, and it sounds pretty great!
Kathleen Kennedy regarding Darth Vader in ROGUE ONE:
He will be in the movie sparingly, but at a key, strategic moment, he’s going to loom large.
Gareth Edwards on Vader's presence in the film:
Within the Rebellion, it’s not commonly spoken about. 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.
Regarding seeing Vader on set:
He’s got more in common with lighting a car than a person, so we wanted to get it exactly right. We had the breathing sound just to inspire everyone. I just got massive goosebumps. I was so nervous to turn the corner and see him. You have to pinch yourself. Everyone became children again, so easy. You just go straight back to being a 4-year-old, like, in a heartbeat.
There’s all these rules about security on set, but I couldn’t help it. I got my phone out and started taking pictures of him, and pictures of me with him, because I felt like no one would ever believe that I’d met Darth Vader.
Now that we've put all of the reshoot rumors to bed (for the time being, anyway), it's nice to jump back into getting excited about ROGUE ONE! Entertainment Weekly has been bringing some serious goodies are way this week when it comes to STAR WARS news. It's almost hard to believe we're 6 months away from another STAR WARS cinematic adventure, so here's hoping everything comes together as planned!
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY will open in theaters on December 16, 2016.