Is it possible that Disney and Lucasfilm could bring their most famous villain back to the big screen for the next Star Wars movie? Well, there are rumours going around the internet that Darth Vader will be making a return in Star Wars: Rouge One, the first of a set of non-saga Star Wars movies that is due to be released on 16 December, 2016. And the rumour indicates that James Earl Jones will be making a return as the voice of Darth Vader once again… So that we can ensure the last we hear of this iconic voice is not (Spoiler Alert!) “Noooooo00000!”.
Star Wars: Rogue One is a film about the stealing of the original Death Star’s plans from before the first Star Wars film, Episode IV: A New Hope, so it makes sense that they will be including the role of Darth Vader in the film as he is central to the plot. The report has indicated that the part itself will be played by a new actor (David Prowse acted out the character in the original set of trilogies, but at 80 years old is probably not capable of a return performance), but as Darth Vader is not much more than a costume and a mask after all, that is all less important. What matters most is the voice and if they’ve got that, we can hopefully assume we will get an authentic Darth Vader performance to look forward to.
How much of a role he will play in the film though we will have to wait and see, but even if it’s just for a few scenes, it would be great to have him back. And don’t worry, they won’t be using CGI to bring him back to the screen, as the reports also indicate that they have recreated the entire Darth Vader costume in detail, so what we will get will look exactly like the original movies.
That James Earl Jones is currently 84 years old is interesting, as his voice will likely not be around for very much longer. Disney may have been tempted to go with a newer voice to try and ensure the character remains viable for several more years, but personally I love that they are going to keep with the original voice of Darth Vader for as long as they possibly can.
I wasn’t uber-excited about these non-saga Star Wars films, but if they can nail the role of Darth Vader, they may just get me interested. Are you looking forward to the return of Darth Vader?
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Only tangentially related, but I cannot recommend the new “Darth Vader” comic book from Marvel enough. If his new appearance is even half as good as that, then we’re in for a fantastic time! – Kervyn]Last Updated: January 18, 2016
