It is expected that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be a very different movie than previous Star Wars films. The stand-alone film will not be part of the original Star Wars trilogy and it will not be part of the prequel trilogy which was released between 1999 and 2005. The first anthology will not focus on Jedis, but rather a group of rebels on a mission to steal the Death Star plans. However, you will receive a very crucial linchpin from the Star Wars franchise… Darth Vader.
Entertainment Weekly revealed that Lord Vader will be in the upcoming Star Wars flick.
However, Darth Vader will not be the main villain of the Rogue One, that dubious honor goes to a high-ranking Imperial officer played by Ben Mendehlson. The new villain is described as both “eager to earn the favor of the Emperor” and “avoid the wrath of his black-masked enforcer.”
Mendelsohn’s character won’t be reporting to Vader, but to the Emperor himself. That must make Vader want to Force choke the ever-living shit out of him.
From EW:
Darth Vader kind of looms large over the plot, even when he’s not necessarily on screen, because the new villain, played by Ben Mendelsohn, he’s trying to fulfill the wishes of the Emperor, and he’s got Vader looming in the background, over his shoulder.
So it looks like Vader is in the Emperor’s doghouse in favor of Mendelsohn, probably best known for his outstanding portrayal as a trashy Danny Rayburn in Bloodline. Vader won’t be the antagonist or driving the story, but his presence will be felt, most likely by Mendelsohn’s character.
Mendelsohn’s white-cloaked character is Director Orson Krennic. The title of Director usually pertains to the Imperial Security Bureau AKA the secret police of the Galactic Empire.
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From Comicbook.com:
Director Krennic is a “really smart, and really effective” villain in the Empire’s ranks, and the head of the Deathtroopers, the elite special forces unit of the Imperial military (those are the new black armored Stormtroopers seen in the trailers). His desire to rise in the ranks of the Empire at all costs is indicative of the nature of the entire Empire. “There is a lot of palace intrigue going on in the Empire, with people conspiring to move up the ranks and sabotaging each other. There’s not a lot of loyalty there,” executive producer John Knoll revealed.
The EW cover also shows the new TIE Fighter and the TIE Striker as well as a new droid. You also get to see your Rogue One heroes played by Felicity Jones and Diego Luna.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be a heist film, where a Rebel Alliance team need to pull-off an Oceans 11-like caper to steal blueprints of the Empire’s Death Star, so the Rebellion can find that pesky one Achilles heel of the super weapon that they just never seem to address.
Excited? You only have to wait 176 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes until Rogue One comes out in theaters.
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