It looks as if Darth Vader might not be the only major villain making an appearance in the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The latest TV spot titled “Breath” offers an interesting shot from behind an Imperial Officer overlooking the dish of the Death Star as it is being placed into the battle station. The character appears to be Grand Moff Tarkin himself.
The actor who originally portrayed Tarkin, Peter Cushing, passed away in 1994 due to prostate cancer. Since Cushing’s death, Tarkin has only appeared in The Clone Wars series and Star Wars novels (both EU and new canon). But considering Tarkin was charged with oversight of the Death Star per Emperor Palpatine, it wouldn’t make sense for Tarkin not to appear in Rogue One.
There have been rumors of Tarkin appearing as a CG character, but it’s also possible Lucasfilm could have cast another actor to portray the Grand Moff. In Revenge of the Sith, the character was portrayed by actor Wayne Pygram. It would come as no great surprise if Pygram reprised his role as he wouldn’t be the only classic character returning in Rogue One played by a new actor.
Actress Genevieve O’Reilly is reprising her role as Mon Motha, the political leader of the rebellion. O’Reilly first appeared in Revenge of the Sith as a younger version of the character who was originally introduced in Return of the Jedi, portrayed by actress Caroline Blakiston. O’Reilly’s portrayal of the character seen in the trailers so far has been uncanny. It’s incredible how she not only looks exactly like Blakiston but sounds like her as well. If Rogue One were to bring back Pygram as Tarkin, it’s possible Lucasfilm could bring on voice actor Stephen Stanton who lent his talents to the character in The Clone Wars animated series. Stanton manages to sound identical to Cushing while not delivering an impression.
Lucasfilm hasn’t confirmed that the character is indeed Tarkin, but given the deliberate placement of the tantalizing image in the new spot, I would be willing to bet the officer seen overlooking the placement of the dish is Tarkin himself. We’ll know soon enough.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters December 16, 2016.
Produced by Lucasfilm, the film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelson, Donnie Yen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. Directed by Garreth Edwards.
From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. In theaters December 2016.
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