‘Rogue One’ Rumor: More Details Emerge About That Darth Vader Cameo

We’ve been hearing since last summer that good ol’ Darth Vader will be making an appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and given just how consistent this rumor has been, it’s starting to seem as though we can pretty much accept this particular cameo as fact. A new report offers more details on the Vader appearance in Gareth Edwards’ Star Wars prequel / spinoff, and while we’ll keep taking it with a grain of salt, it’s getting harder to not buy into it.

Talk of Darth Vader’s appearance in Rogue One has gone from passing rumor to heavy rumor in a matter of months, with the original report suggesting that we’ll see the famous antagonist appear via hologram projection or viewscreen, as he’s the guy pulling the strings in the villainous operation — you know, that whole Death Star thing.

Making Star Wars goes further with their latest report, which claims that Lucasfilm has contracted a team of designers to recreate Darth Vader’s costume as it was in A New Hope. James Earl Jones has also reportedly joined the cast to reprise his iconic voice role, which is easily believable given his recent appearances on Star Wars Rebels.

You shouldn’t expect Vader to have a big role, though, as the rumors have consistently suggested that this is more of a cameo — lest you forget, Ben Mendelsohn is playing the primary antagonist in Rogue One, which has been described as a heist movie centering on a group of smugglers who come together to steal the plans for the Death Star.

Felicity Jones leads the cast, which also includes Mads Mikkelsen, Riz Ahmed, Forest Whitaker, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen and Diego Luna. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on December 16, with its first trailer reportedly set to debut with Captain America: Civil War on May 6.