'Star Wars' Reveals A Deleted Scene From 'Rogue One'

There has been a flurry of Star Wars news in the years since the release of Rogue One, making the 2016 film seem like an eternity ago, when it hasn't even been a full five years. Yet that's how long it's been since we've seen Darth Vader officially suited up and on camera. During the film, the dark lord's onslaught was among the most, if not the most, memorable scene. It seems as though there was a bit more screentime planned for him, though. The animation supervisor, Hal Hickel, has released a behind the scenes look at the Sith Lord looking over what appears to be a display of Mustafar, where we saw Vader in his castle during the film. Of course, it is also where Vader and Kenobi fought years prior to this in Revenge of the Sith.

Perhaps the recent release of this image could be a tease of what might be coming. With Kenobi being pushed back into the spotlight in recent months, the rumors have been going wild on what to expect for his Disney+ TV series, with a fair amount of concrete news also coming to light. One of the biggest stories is Hayden Christensen coming back as Darth Vader.

Christensen, as many can recall, played Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. As such, he's often the actor most closely associated with Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader is a bit of a different entity, one that's had a lot of different actors throughout his existence. However, Christensen did play the dark lord, in his current state, once. While Christensen's time as Skywalker and Vader are both almost exclusive to his demeanor before the transformation, he did have a short scene as the suited Darth Vader right at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Traditionally, there have been multiple actors playing Darth Vader, since it's feasible to put different people in the suit as long as his tone and body language match. It's a different move to have Christensen as the only man in the suit, but one that makes sense. All things considered, we don't know how much of Christensen's Vader we'll even see onscreen, with all confirmations being rather slim aside from his inclusion as Darth Vader, alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor's approval of the casting.

The casting has caused reactions on both sides. Many prequel fans and fans of Christensen himself applauding the decision, with others rather displeased with his performance in the prequels not being as excited about it. While it's fair to be concerned, since Christensen spent almost all of his time outside the helmet playing the more lighthearted Anakin Skywalker, they have alluded to Vader actually seeing his old master again, making the choice rather logical. It's likely that any scene between the two of them will play heavily on their emotions and past experiences together. As such, having the actor who spent those times with McGregor's Kenobi makes the most sense to put in the most compelling performance.

Perhaps the photo has been released at this time as a nod to what's going to happen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. While it's impossible to say for sure what's going to be included until we have further information, it does seem like the timing is perfect with Rogue One long gone but Obi-Wan Kenobi looming freshly in many fans' minds. A return to the lava-plagued planet of Mustafar wouldn't be out of the cards and definitely would make for an exciting scene with the heavy implications that come with the planet following its role in Revenge of the Sith.

Regardless of your take on what the photo means and who lies beneath the helmet, I think we're all just excited to see the Sith Lord return to the screen once again. What his inclusion means is still a mystery, but one that we will all look forward to solving in the coming months.

Written By Tristen Brooks

Source(s): The Direct

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