Here's who plays Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and why Hayden Christensen didn't return to reprise the role. While the first Star Wars spinoff movie primarily focused on a new group of characters, but it also featured a franchise icon. Rogue One marked the return of Darth Vader to the big screen, where he played a small, yet meaningful, supporting role. Vader had two notable sequences that helped reestablish his status as one of cinema's most-feared villains: his conversation with Director Krennic on Mustafar and the famous hallway sequence where he slaughtered a group of Rebel soldiers looking to get away with the Death Star plans.
Prior to Rogue One, the last time audiences saw Vader in a film was 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, which ended the prequel trilogy. There, Christensen donned the costume, portraying Vader's first moments in his life support suit. With the character returning in Rogue One, some wondered if Christensen would come back to be Vader's physical presence, but Lucasfilm instead looked to others for the role.
In Rogue One, Vader is played by Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous. The former is an actor best known for prosthetic-heavy performances, such as Minotaur in Wrath of the Titans, Luca Brasi in Men in Black: International, Prometheus in Victor Frankenstein, Mean Guard in Guardians of the Galaxy, and more. He was also one of the White Walkers in Game of Thrones. Naprous is primarily a stuntman, with credits including Game of Thrones, multiple Harry Potter films, and Hot Fuzz. Vader's voice in Rogue One was provided by James Earl Jones, who famously voiced the character in the original Star Wars trilogy.
During the buildup to Rogue One's premiere, there were rumors concerning Christensen's potential involvement. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed he wasn't in the film months before it came out. As much as viewers would have liked to see Christensen return, it wasn't a necessity for Rogue One, since the character was in the costume for the entire time. Similar to the original trilogy, the filmmakers needed to find a suitable performer who could fill out Vader's suit and be intimidating onscreen. With that in mind, it makes sense Lucasfilm turned to the duo of Wilding and Naprous. Given their respective backgrounds, they were ideal for what the creative team was looking for. From the sound of things, Christensen wasn't even approached for Rogue One, which again is logical considering Vader's role in the movie.
Of course, Christensen is coming back to play Darth Vader in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show for Disney+. It's interesting that he's returning for the TV series, since Obi-Wan is set several years after Revenge of the Sith. This suggests there's something in Obi-Wan's narrative that requires Christensen's participation in the project - be it flashbacks or something that hasn't been revealed publicly yet. It will be fascinating to learn more about Vader's part in Obi-Wan and how it differs from Rogue One. Regardless, Lucasfilm keeps finding ways in the Disney era to keep one of the franchise's most popular figures in the spotlight.
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January 09, 2021 at 05:07AM
