There’s been plenty of information regarding the heroes of Star Wars: Rogue One, but the villainous element has been kept under wraps so far. We know that Ben Mendelsohn will play some type of antagonist, and it was recently reported that he’ll be joined by Darth Vader himself, but it’s still unclear exactly who the rebel fighters will be up against.
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But if this new rumor is in any way true, they’ll have their hands full. Bloody Disgusting claims it’s gotten its hands on some juicy Rogue One tidbits regarding its villainous cast — and it appears to be jampacked.
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First off, the site says Ben Mendelsohn’s character is indeed a Moff, and he will be the “big baddie” of the movie. But more importantly, the report claims that Mendelsohn’s character hires a group of bounty hunters to hunt down the rebel squadron that stole the Death Star plans.
This team includes the rogues’ gallery glimpsed on Darth Vader’s Imperial Star Destroyer in The Empire Strikes Back, including Bossk, IG-88, Dengar, 4LOM and Zuckuss, and even Cad Bane from the animated Clone Wars TV series. But there’s a familiar face among the group: Boba Fett himself.
Apparently, Vader will join in the hunt for the plans as well, but it’s unclear if that will be a subplot or if he’ll interact or clash with the bounty hunters.
Finally, Bloody Disgusting says a Wookiee bounty hunter is being considered to join the ranks of the villainous cast, but it’s not clear if that’s a definite role. If you’re keeping up with the new Marvel comics, you know that Vader hires a black Wookiee bounty hunter named Black Krrsantan to capture an agent of the Emperor who’s working behind Vader’s back. They could easily incorporate the character into Rogue One.
It’s a bit hard to reconcile these rumors with what we know about the film so far. Director Gareth Edwards has promised a gritty war film with a darker tone and a heist element, and judging by the teaser shot and the one piece of concept art leaked, he’s definitely going for a Call of Duty-meets-Star Wars feel.
But wouldn’t that mean the rebel squadron mainly faces the forces of the Empire, not independent bounty hunters? This could work if the bounty hunters play a smaller role in the proceedings, I suppose. But it doesn’t seem like pitting two large casts of individual foes against each other would fit into a war film like this.
Plus, how does this affect any plans for a Boba Fett spinoff? If he plays a prominent role in this film, would his rumored anthology movie take place in this same period, or at a different point along the timeline? We’ve already seen pieces of his backstory filled in just after the events of Episode IV, thanks to the Marvel comics. And if his suspected presence in The Force Awakens turns out to be true, that may only leave two options: the era between Episode II and III, and the immediate post-Episode VI period.
I can’t deny, though, that I’d love to see the group dynamic of all these bounty hunters, who had their backstories fleshed out in several Expanded Universe novels before Disney wiped it all away. Imagine the relationships among these conniving characters with Boba Fett as their leader. The possibilities are endless, but if these rumors are to be believed, Rogue One must be careful not to overload its story.
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