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ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016): James Earl Jones will voice Darth Vader

James Earl Jones Darth Vader

James Earl Jones Voicing Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars

James Earl Jones has been cast in Gareth EdwardsRogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Jones will be returning to the Star Wars universe as the voice of Darth Vader once more. Jones returned to the Sith lord role recently when he reprised the Darth Vader voice on Disney XD’s Star Wars: Rebels.

Following Entertainment Weekly’s announcement yesterday that Darth Vader would appear in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, speculation ran heavy on whether or not James Earl Jones would return to voice the iconic character. With today’s announcement, that speculation has ended.

Here is what we can expect from Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story via EW:

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Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy says that Vader “will be in the movie sparingly, but at a key, strategic moment, he’s going to loom large.”

As Rogue One unfolds, Vader is still a background player in galactic politics. Vader is the muscle. The fixer. And also… the breaker, when he needs to be.

The Rebels are barely familiar with Vader. Even within the Empire, he is more legend than everyday presence. Within the Rebellion, it’s not commonly spoken about. Within the Empire, there is the culture of knowing of the existence of Darth Vader.

Regarding Vader’s relationship with Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), the main villain in the film, the two aren’t chummy and are only technically on the same side. Krennic wants Vader’s position by the Emperor’s side. Unlike Krennic, Vader is not enlisted in the military. “He’s present in the military structure, but he’s not beholden to it. He’s not accountable to anybody, really, except Palpatine.”

Lucasfilm’s chief of story development Kiri Hart spoke about Vader’s personality in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when interviewed. “Hart believes Vader’s volatility in the original film is part of what made him memorable and unsettling, so that quality will also be coming back in Rogue One.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story‘s plot synopsis “Rebels set out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars also stars Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Alistair Petrie, Jonathan Aris, Riz Ahmed, Genevieve O’Reilly, Arthur L. Bernstein, Emeson Nwolie, Sam Wilkinson, and Wen Jiang.

Leave your thoughts on Darth Vader being voiced by James Earl Jones in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story below in the comments section. Rogue One: A Star Wars will be released in U.S. theaters through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on December 16, 2016. Readers seeking more movie news, visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, our Movie News Facebook Page, and our Movie News Google+ Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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