One of the more interesting aspects of the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One film is that while it will be the first "non-saga" Star Wars movie, which will likely make it very different than anything we’ve seen before on the big screen, it’s also going back in time to the era of the original film. This means that characters we first met then can potentially return. Now the rumor mill is swirling that not only will we see classic characters again, we’ll might hear them as well. A new rumor claims that James Earl Jones may return to be the voice of Darth Vader once again.
As the film will deal with the team tasked with stealing the original Death Star plans, it makes sense that Darth Vader, one of the highest ranking members of the Empire would be around. The good news is that since the costume is just a costume, anybody can wear it and we’ll never know the difference. The thing that would be all wrong if it was anybody else, though, would be the voice. James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader throughout the original trilogy, as well as briefly at the end of Revenge of the Sith. He also recently voiced Vader in the animated Star Wars Rebels. We really hope this rumor is true, if only to give Jones a chance to end his film tenure with a better line than "Nooooooo." According to Making Star Wars, who has been known to be right about these sorts of things before, Jones is on board to bring back the iconic heavy breathing cyborg Sith.
Needless to say this is an exciting idea that we hope is true. Several months ago it was reported that Darth Vader would be a part of the new film and that the role would be a substantial one. While the exact size of the role was not clear, it looked like it was going to be more than a simple cameo. We know that Vader is the one chasing the plans when the Star Wars saga begins, so it certainly makes sense for him to be in the Rogue One movie. This rumor looks to reinforce that idea as it also claims that the Darth Vader costume from A New Hope has been recreated in exacting detail.
James Earl Jones is 84 years old, so it would not have been surprising to see him bow out and pass the iconic voice onto another. Certainly with all the plans that Disney has for Star Wars, the need for Darth Vader’s voice won’t be going away anytime soon, and at some point they’ll need to look elsewhere. Hopefully not yet, though. Are you excited by the idea to not just see, but to hear, Darth Vader again, or is it time to pass that torch to another?
