It's (almost) official! Gareth Edward's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will indeed feature the return of the infamous Star Wars character, Darth Vader. That's if Entertainment Weekly's new cover story is to be believed, which it probably is considering they were granted exclusive access behind the scenes of the latest Lucasfilm feature. And while Vader's return may be the biggest news of the day, there's lots more to look forward to when the anthology film debuts this December 16th.

Other info teased in the pages of EW's new issue includes a look at Imperial weaponry, information on Jyn Erso's parentage, more intel on the team tasked with recovering the Death Star plans, insight into more villains in the film beyond Vader, and new reactions to the film's reshoots from insiders.


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Image via Disney

As for Vader, there's not much more available beyond the tease that he'll be returning, though EW promises to reveal details about the Sith lord's first day on set and what his appearance means for the rest of the story. Perhaps more interesting here is the confirmation that Mads Mikkelsen will be playing the father of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) as a "scientist whose knowledge is sought by both sides." Also confirmed is that Alan Tudyk will indeed be playing the motion-capture role of the droid glimpsed in material that was previously released; he's also featured on EW's new cover.

The reveal will also explore the new characters played by Diego Luna, Jiang Wen, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, and Forest Whitaker, though EW has a strange tease, saying that "One of these has been seen before by Star Wars fans." Do they mean that one of the cast members is playing a younger or unmasked version of an already familiar character? Any thoughts on who it might be?

On the villainous side of things, more will soon be revealed about Ben Mendelsohn’s character, an "ambitious officer, who’s eager to earn the favor of the Emperor – and avoid the wrath of his black-masked enforcer," Darth Vader. Be sure to pick up the latest issue or simply return here later in the week when we bring the latest and greatest info to you free of charge!

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, courtesy of GMA:

[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/GMA/status/745599509804179457[/EMBED_TWITTER]

Check out the reveal of EW's new Rogue One-centric cover below:

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Image via EW

For more on Rogue One, be sure to check out our recent coverage at the links below:

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Image via Lucasfilm
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Image via Lucasfilm
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Image via Lucasfilm
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Image via Lucasfilm

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