Report: Darth Vader To See Action In Rogue One

Report: Darth Vader will see action in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

This story comes from Making Star Wars, which reports with some certainty the Sith lord will have some significant screen time in the first Star Wars spinoff movie. Or rather, his time onscreen will be significant; he’ll at least be around long enough to see some cool action which should make any Vader fan squeal.

What follows are potential SPOILERS for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, so proceed with caution.

Here’s what Making Star Wars had to say.

"We have been told that Darth Vader has had several suits of armor built for the film. There is a hero suit which is a direct copy of the suit we have seen in Star Wars: A New Hope (see Darth Vader Dream Team Assembled?), down to the lenses in the eyes. The most interesting part is that stunt suits have been built which indicates Darth Vader will in fact see action."

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While there hasn’t been talk of what kinds of action scenes (such as where, doing what to whom, etc.), Making Star Wars has word of storyboard pitches for the film which showed decapitated bodies, Vader dismembering people by throwing his lightsaber at them, and levitating bodies up to make himself human shields. In summation, “[t]he art was more violent than what we’ve seen Darth Vader do on screen before.”

I know there are a lot of Darth Vader fans out there who can’t get enough of seeing him in action. Books like Lords of the Sith were popular because it featured Vader, and last year he cameoed on the animated show Star Wars Rebels to audiences’ elation. And while Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One, basically said there wouldn’t be any Jedi in the film, he didn’t say there wouldn’t be any Sith.

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As to who will play him, Making Star Wars didn’t mention any leads on that. Personally, I’d like to see Hayden Christianson get back in the suit, but there are probably a plethora of actors who could fit the Vader physique and style of movement. As long as James Earl Jones comes back for the voice, the spirit of Vader will remain intact.