Now that we've finally experienced Star Wars: The Force Awakens on the big screen, which is set 32 years after Return of the Jedi, fans will get to explore a new story with the spinoff Rogue One. The plot is set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, centering on a group of Rebels plotting to steal plans for the first Death Star. Back in September, it was rumored that the iconic Darth Vader would return in a substantial role, which was never confirmed. Today, however, we have a new report from Flickering Myth that reveals who is really playing Darth Vader, and it's not who you might think.
While this report hasn't been confirmed, the site claims British actor Spencer Wilding has come aboard to play the iconic Sith Lord. Though, many believed Hayden Christensen might reprise the character. The site's source says Spencer Wilding was running lines on the set, which means that Darth Vader will have some dialogue in the movie. However, a report from January revealed that James Earl Jones will return to lend his voice to the iconic villain, like he did in the original trilogy and in the animated TV series Star Wars Rebels. It still hasn't been confirmed that Darth Vader is even in the movie, or if James Earl Jones will voice the villain, by anyone at LucasFilm or Disney.
Spencer Wilding is best known as a stuntman and an actor, who has had small roles on big-budget movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Jupiter Ascending, Pan and Victor Frankenstein. If he actually is playing Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this will easily be his most high-profile role to date, although we still don't know exactly how large or small his role is quite yet.
We reported in January that the Darth Vader costume in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is being meticulously recreated to match the Darth Vader seen in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Inside sources claim that the costume is very close, and that the filmmakers, including director Gareth Edwards, are extremely happy with the outcome. Brian Muir, the original sculptor on the first Darth Vader costume, is said to have returned with his team. Hopefully we'll get confirmation about Darth Vader's role, and Spencer Wilding's casting very soon.
A report from January claimed that Darth Vader may have a bigger role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story than originally believed. But it's possible that we may not get confirmation on Darth Vader's appearance until Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's December 16 release date. Disney and LucasFilm were incredibly secretive regarding Luke Skywalker's role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, refusing to show the character in any of the marketing materials leading up to the December release. It's possible that the studio could be taking the same approach with Darth Vader. What do you think about this new Darth Vader rumor for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?