‘Rogue One’, Darth Vader, and ‘Star Wars’ Film Slate
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a Star Wars Anthology film that will feature Darth Vader in a large role. The Gareth Edwards film is considered a prequel of sorts, taking place in the middle of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The film is an action/heist film with a group of rebels in charge of a mission to steal the architect plans for the first Death Star. The film’s all-star cast was announced at the D23 expo in August 2015. The cast includes Felicity Jones (Theory of Everything), Diego Luna (Elysium), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Mads Mikkelson (Hannibal), Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Riz Ahmed (NightCrawler), and Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly). The film is set to hit theaters December 16, 2016, which is exactly one year from the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
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Darth Vader is the main antagonist of Rogue One, but it is not clear if he will appear via hologram – similar to the appearance of Snoke in Star Wars: The Force Awakens – or if he will appear physically in original form. Recently providing his voicing talents in Disney’s Star Wars: Rebels, James Earl Jones is rumored to return as the voice of Darth Vader for Rogue One. However, it has also been rumored that actor Forest Whitaker may be taking up the Vader mantle. His role is listed as unspecified, so it’s not out of the ordinary to assume he may be James Earl Jones replacement. CinemaBlend has questioned whether or not featuring Vader in any new Star Wars films is a good idea. The question is whether or not Darth Vader will take the attention away from the central story by focusing too much on him, but whether or not fans think he will take away from the story. Some wonder if Darth Vader has to be included in Rogue One due to where the film takes place in the Star Wars Timeline.
Grand Moff Tarkin is another character many are wondering if they will return. Grand Moff Tarkin is the commander of the Death Star and played by actor Peter Cushing. Unfortunately, there is no confirmation if the character will return.
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Do you think the inclusion of Darth Vader in the Rogue One spin off series is a good idea? Who would you like to see return to the series?
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