‘Star Wars Rebels’ Previews David Oyelowo’s “Kallus” New Imperial Villain

Just when we thought we knew everything about Disney XD's forthcoming 'Star Wars' animated series 'Star Wars Rebels,' including its Comic-Con 2014 panel, out comes 'The Butler' star David Oyelowo to show us a new side of the Empire. Meet the new 'Star Wars' series' first major villain, the rebel-hunting Agent Kallus in a brand-new behind-the-scenes featurette from 'Star Wars Rebels!'

While David Oyelowo had long been a name bandied about for potential 'Star Wars Rebels' voice actors (and for a time even 'Star Wars 7' itself), the 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' actor had mysteriously been left out of the initial character introductions for the animated series. Now, Hero Complex has debuted a new behind-the-scenes featurette introducing Oyelowo's "ISB" Agent Kallus, a ruthless and combat-ready Imperial commander tasked with eliminating any signs of disloyalty to the Empire, particularly our titular 'Rebels.'

The character certainly resembles a few shades of 'Serenity''s Operative, while producers make it exceptionally clear that Kallus avoids more distant aspects of commanding, and tends to fight alongside his troops with impressive physical skill. It seems as if the character went through a few design changes as well, with some of the concept art portraying him as a Chiss (Thrawn, anybody?), while still unknown is the voice behind his Force-practitioner ally, the Jedi-hunting Inquisitor. Or is it?

Premiering this fall on Disney XD, ‘Star Wars Rebels’ features a cast that includes “Ghost” pilot Hera (Vanessa Marshall), brutish and brilliant Zeb (Steve Blum), spunky Mandalorian Sabine (Tiya Sircar), “cowboy Jedi” Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Luke Skywalker-esque Ezra Bridger (Noah Taylor), along with the crew’s feisty droid Chopper.

Picking up where the now-canceled ‘Clone Wars‘ left off, ‘Star Wars Rebels’ will feature screenwriter and producer Simon Kinberg ('X-Men: Days of Future Past'), who wrote the first episode, on the creative side. Elsewhere, here’s everything we know from the official ‘Star Wars Rebels’ logline:

‘Star Wars Rebels’ continues the epic tradition of the legendary ‘Star Wars’ saga with all-new exciting, action-packed adventures. It is a dark time in the galaxy, as the evil Galactic Empire tightens its grip of power from world to world. As the series begins, Imperial forces have occupied a remote planet, ruling with an iron fist and ruining the lives of its people.

But there are a select few who are brave enough to stand up against the endless Stormtroopers and TIE fighters of the Empire: the clever and motley crew of the starship “Ghost.” Together, this ragtag group will face threatening new villains, have thrilling adventures, and become heroes.

We'll learn more from the 'Star Wars Rebels' panel at Comic-Con 2014, but what say you? Are you looking forward to the new animated incarnation of our beloved 'Star Wars' franchise? Check out David Oyelowo's Agent Kallus in the video above, rewatch the trailer below, and give us your thoughts on 'Star Wars Rebels' in the comments!