Darth Vader Confirmed To Return To ‘Star Wars’ Universe In ‘Rogue One’

Outside of all the noise around “Star Wars: Rogue One” and its potential troubles and reshoots, there have been persistent rumors. Rumors that suggest that one of the most iconic “Star Wars” characters, and indeed one of cinema’s most iconic characters, would make an appearance in the new film, his death in “Return Of The Jedi” not being an obstacle given that Gareth Edwards’ movie, the first “Star Wars” spin-off, is set before “A New Hope.

Well, the rumors were true, because the cover of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly (which is amusingly sunny, presumably to help counter the narrative that the film is ‘too dark’) confirms that, indeed, Darth Vader will feature in the movie. This won’t be a shock to spoiler-hounds, and it makes sense given the timeline, but it’s the first time that it’s been admitted that Vader will be back and feature as a villain.

We expect plenty more revelations once the piece hits, but there’s also brief confirmation here that Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones)’s father will be played by Mads Mikkelsen in the film, and the EW cover also gives the best look to date at the droid character played through performance capture by Alan Tudyk. You can see the cover below, and beneath that there’s also a giant new piece of artwork commemorating the upcoming Star Wars Celebration (via Comic Book Movie), which includes a look at a new stormtrooper featured in “Rogue One.” Stay tuned for more from the film later in the week.

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