Rogue One Actor Joins Han Solo, Will Darth Vader Return?

TheHan Solomovie has had a rough production so far, with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller getting fired just weeks before production was scheduled to end. That led toRon Howardbeing hired to come in and try to clean up the mess. So far, it seems to be going fairly well. Now we have a possibly interesting and not necessarily negative bit of news relating to the still untitledHan Solomovie as Spencer Wilding, who played Darth Vader on screen inRogue One: A Star Wars Story, has been cast in the movie.

As reported byStar Wars News Net, Spencer Wilding, who also played “Mean Guard” inGuardians of the Galaxyin addition to his role as Darth Vader, was scheduled to appear at Fandomfest in Louisville, Kentucky. But the official website for the event recently updated their page, saying that Wilding won’t be able to attend the event because he is busy filming the nextStar Warsmovie. Since the onlyStar Wars movie currently filmingis the youngHan Solomovie, it’s fairly easy to put the pieces of that puzzle together. Here’s what the website had to say about it.

“Spencer Wilding will be unable to attend as he will be filming the newest film in the Star Wars Universe. Spencer will be coming back next year.”

Now, before we get too ahead of ourselves, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Darth Vader is going to be in theHan Solo movie. In fact, Star Wars News Net says that they are hearing Spencer Wilding is not going to play the famed Sith Lord this time around. It is entirely possible that he is going to play some other large alien creature or guy in a suit. Lucasfilm regularly pulls in the same actors to play different parts. Warwick Davis, who played Wicket the Ewok inStar Wars: Return of the Jedi, has played a handful of different roles on screen over the years. Wilding could be doing the same. But we also can’t rule out a surprise appearance from Darth Vader now. It would certainly fit with the timeline, given that this movie takes place roughly ten years before the events ofStar Wars: A New Hope.

In the originalStar Warstrilogy, it was David Prowse who actually played Darth Vader on screen, though, most people associate the role with James Earl Jones, since he provided the voice. David Prowse has always embraced his turn as Darth Vader, but at the age of 81 wasn’t able to put on the suit again forRogue One: A Star Wars Story. In came Spencer Wilding, who wound up wearing the suit for what is considered one of the best movies in theStar Warsfranchise. Daniel Naprous is also credited with playing Darth Vader inRogue Onein certain scenes. Though, it isn’t totally known who did what on screen.

Lucasfilm is still aiming to get theHan Solomovie in theaters on July 16, 2025, so they have their work cut out for them. We’ve heard that Jabba the Hutt will be making an appearance in the movie. WithChewbaccaandYoung Lando confirmedas a major part of this story. Will Ron Howard surprise us and give us a little more Darth Vader action as well? Probably not, but this is definitely something to think about as we wait for the movie to arrive.