RUMOR/SPOILER WARNING: This article contains information that is just RUMOR for now, which may or may not turn out to be true. If it is true, this information could be SPOILERS. Proceed with caution and a grain of salt!
Over a week ago, we reported that Darth Vader would be back in fine fashion in this winter’s ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’. Not only was James Earl Jones reporting for duty to reprise the voice of one of the most iconic villains in film history, but Brian Muir who created the original helmet for the character was also returning to recapture the magic of the good ol’ days.
But just how large a role will Lord Vader play in this film? This marks the first of Disney’s planned franchise movies that are set within the structure of the Star Wars universe, but that are not directly part of the main storyline. The plot of ‘Rogue One’ focuses on a small band of Rebels that must steal the plans to the Deathstar, which the Alliance puts to use in ‘A New Hope’ (Episode IV) when they attack the moon-sized space station. Since Vader spends most of his time on the Deathstar in ‘A New Hope’ surely he factors in somewhere.
The latest RUMOR is that Vader’s part is bigger than anticipated! Unfortunately, that’s all we know. Does that mean he is the Big Bad of the film? Or just a looming presence? For the time being, that remains unrevealed. What can be revealed are two additional tidbits of information.
First, are you prepared to meet the Death Troopers? These will be a group of Stormtroopers who, rather than the usual white suits of armor, are clad in all black. What is their purpose? Well, they have “Death” in their name, so presumably killing folks factors in somewhere. Maybe these will be the Stormtroopers that can actually hit a target they’re standing five feet away from. Hey, anything’s possible!
DFree / Shutterstock.comThe final nugget centers on the part played by Alan Tudyk. Tudyk is best known to sci-fi fans for playing pilot Hoban Wash on the beloved short-lived series ‘Firefly’ and its subsequent spinoff movie ‘Serenity’. ‘Firefly’, created by fan-favorite Joss Whedon, was clearly heavily influenced by the ‘Star Wars’ movies, so having a ‘Firefly’ star in a ‘Star Wars’ movie is not just a case of things coming full circle, but a geek dream come true.
Unfortunately, don’t expect to lay eyes on his expressive comedic face. It appears that Tudyk will either provide a motion capture performance or simply his voice. This isn’t entirely surprising. Simon Pegg, who starred in J.J. Abrams’ two ‘Star Trek’ films played a small role in ‘The Force Awakens’, but was unrecognizable as the alien Unkar Plutt.
The latest word is that Tudyk is playing a droid, described physically as having “long arms and legs and is very different than a typical protocol droid like C-3PO.” Though different in appearance, he seems to serve a similar purpose as C-3PO and the twist is that he is an Imperial droid that has been reprogrammed to assist the Rebels in this film.
In what may either be good news or a bad omen, he is described as being a “scene stealer.” I say it could go either way, because Tudyk is a gifted comedic actor. He was indeed a scene stealer on ‘Firefly’, so placing him in a funny role plays to his strengths. On the other hand, remember who else was described as a scene stealer and the likely breakout star of ‘The Phantom Menace’? Yup, Jar Jar Binks. Sometimes when a character is created to be comic relief, they simply come across as grating to viewers. Here’s hoping that Tudyk’s charm can make this work.
Well, what do you think so far? Are you excited to see new movies with new characters set within the Star Wars universe? Or do you think we might be getting overloaded on Star Wars? Will ‘Rogue One’ steal this Christmas the way ‘The Force Awakens’ did this past one?
‘Star Wars: Rogue One’ directed by Gareth Edwards, stars Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Donnie Yen, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Riz Ahme, Jonathan Aris and Alan Tudyk. It opens on December 16th, 2016.
Source: Comic Book Movie
