The new Star Wars trilogy is exciting, obviously, because it's full of such potent nostalgia fuel that even a teaser trailer reduced grown men to weeping children. But it's also maybe the least interesting thing Disney are doing with the franchise after buying out Lucasfilm the most interesting being those proposed spin-off films. Which are already being shot, some six months before we get to see The Force Awakens. One of the first of the Star Wars Anthology movies has already gone off the boil with director Josh Trank being canned, but it's full speed ahead with the others. Along with suggestions that Boba Fett and Han Solo films are in the works (Solo movie now confirmed, just as I write this), the one properly confirmed anthology movie is Rogue One, a caper film set before the original trilogy. Which in addition, according to Devin Faraci at Birth.Movies.Death, will star a certain Darth Vader. Although not confirmed, Faraci's sources seem to be on the nose more often than not and you had to figure that Vader would appear in at least one of these many Star Wars movies that are in the works. He is the franchise star, after all, and with this movie being the most obviously feasible to have him included, it makes sense for the most bad-ass of Sith Lords to be causing death and destruction to the Rebel Alliance once again. Would the iconic, incomparable James Earl Jones return to voice Vader, all these years after his last big movie outing voicing the character? I'd say there's way more chance than not. He did just recently record his voice for Star Wars Rebels. Officially the film is in pre-production, but star Felicity Jones has already been spotted filming scenes for the first Star Wars spin-off already, using some sets from JJ Abrams' forthcoming The Force Awakens, no less. According to reports, Jones has been filming jungle scenes (Endor!) as well as some aboard the original Death Star. So that's also in The Force Awakens? Those sneaky gits, trying to throw off those industrious set photo snappers by not even announcing they're filming. Befitting for Rogue One's story, maybe, since it focusses on a rag-tag group employed to steal the original Death Star plans (hence Leia having them in A New Hope). Star Wars meets Ocean's 11, basically, except with less tuxes and more orange jumpsuits. Jones is the Danny Ocean of the film with other roles filled by Elysium's Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn from The Dark Knight Rises and Forest Whitaker of being Forest Whitaker fame. Apparently director Gareth Edwards (who did the recent Godzilla reboot) has been shooting in the UK with Jones for weeks. Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Gareth, jeez. Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One is due for release on December 16, 2016. Which are you more excited for, Rogue One or The Force Awakens? Did you know Forest Whitaker was in Bloodsport? Is Gareth Edwards the right man for the job? That's what the comments section's for.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
