Whereas J.J. Abrams and his creative team sent The Force Awakens careering into largely uncharted territory late last year, Gareth Edwards faces an entirely different proposition in that his Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will act as an extension to the other end of Lucasfilm’s original trilogy.
Currently in the thick of production, both Disney and Lucasfilm brass are keeping everything hush hush, but that hasn’t curbed speculation seeping onto the interwebs, with JoBlo and Making Star Wars unearthing a series of rumors regarding Rogue One and, specifically, Darth Vader’s role in it.
News of Vader rearing that iconic ol’ head of his in Edwards’ Anthology feature is nothing new; in fact, just recently we caught wind that the inimitable James Earl Jones may be in line to voice the mega-villain once more. However, while A New Hope introduces us to a Darth Vader already at the height of his powers, Making Star Wars suggests that we’ll get to see the iconic character getting his hands dirty on the battlefield.
Could we be on the verge of seeing a more tenacious, mercurial side of the character in the vein of his dear grandson Ben Solo? Time will tell. For now, here’s the alleged report in question:
The action sequences filmed are unknown, but there was work pitching the different ways Darth Vader could kill rebels on a battlefield with the Force and his lightsaber. The storyboard “pitches” showing decapitated rebels, people being dismembered by Vader throwing his sword, levitating bodies to make human shields and so on. The art was more violent than what we’ve seen Darth Vader do on screen before.
JoBlo posted a serious of spoiler-sensitive material, and we’d only encourage you to venture over to the site if you’re comfortable with the fact that some of those revealing rumors could prove true. One way or the other, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens on December 16.