Leaked Art May Confirm Darth Vader Is in ‘Rogue One’

A recent leak seems to have confirmed the long-standing rumor that Darth Vader will be appearing in the upcoming prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Outside of the action-heavy trailer released earlier this year, not much is known about the film’s new characters nor which previously seen Star Wars characters might appear.

Due to the time period the film is set – between the prequel and original trilogies, Episodes III and IV – rumors have been running rampant that the infamous Sith Lord would appear. However that may have changed Wednesday thanks to a leaked, unfinished visual guide that’s seemingly been acquired by a German fan-site.

A double-page art spread from the visual guide displays the members of the heroic Rebel Alliance and X-Wing Fighters on one side and the evil Galactic Empire flanked by the Death Star on the other. In the center is the unmistakable black-helmeted visage of Darth Vader.

In addition to the Vader confirmation, the guide gives some details on the film’s characters. There’s Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a gifted soldier and warrior; Diego Luna as Captain Cassian Andor, an officer in the Rebel Alliance; Jiang Wen as Baze, a freelance assassin; Riz Ahmed as Bodhi, a rebel soldier; and Donnie Yen as Chirrut, a spiritual warrior. Also on their side is Alan Tudyk as K-250,  an imperial model droid who teams up with the rebels.

On the antagonist side, there’s Ben Mendelsohn as Krennic, an Imperial military director whose tasked with safe-guarding the Death Star plans.

Since the image does say “Not Final” in the top right corner, it’s possible the artwork may change or be removed from the guide during the editing process. So, it’s best to take this with a grain of salt for now. But even the mention of Darth Vader is enough to get people rather excited for this spin-off film.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to be released on December 16, 2016. Watch the trailer below.