When it comes to blockbuster franchises like Star Wars, which keep secrets under lock and key while mounting massive productions around the world, there’s really no telling from where the next scoop is going to come.
Today, it appears that the BBC has latched onto an interesting bit of information about Star Wars: Rogue One – it’s spotted that Sherlock veteran Jonathan Aris’ Spotlight page (basically LinkedIn for actors) lists him as playing “Senator Jebel” in the ensemble Star Wars Anthology film.
The credit has mysteriously disappeared from Aris’ page, but here’s a screen grab:
Now who or what a Senator Jebel is remains to be seen, but it’s a safe bet that his official stature will make him an Imperial ally, seeing as Rogue One is set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Whether he’s a spy helping the rebels or a stone-cold antagonist is still unknown and likely will be for some time – Lucasfilm loves to guard its secrets.
Regardless, Aris is a talented performer and it’s great to see him make the jump from Sherlock all the way to Star Wars.
The cast for Rogue One already includes Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) as a rebel soldier on a mission to steal blueprints for the Death Star, Diego Luna (Deliver Us From Evil) as a rebel soldier, Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler) in unknown supporting roles, and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) in a key part.
Also excitingly, it’s been revealed by Birth.Movies.Death that familiar Star Wars player Darth Vader has a role in the pic. Bounty hunters including Boba Fett, Bossk, Dengar, Zuckuss & 4LOM, IG-88, and Cad Bane are also said to appear as antagonists.
Star Wars: Rogue One is being directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla). It’s set to zoom into theaters on December 16, 2016.
