Lanie
It was revealed today that Forest Whitaker’s character in the upcoming “Rogue One : A Star Wars Story” is actually someone we’ve seen before – albeit in animated form.
Saw Gerrera, a character appeared in the first season of “The Clone Wars” animated series, will get the live-action treatment courtesy the “King of Scotland” actor and director Gareth Edwards.
As a young man on the planet Onderon, Gerrera fought alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi in a war against the droid army of separatists who took over his world.
“Rogue One” is set two decades after the events of “Clone Wars” which is why Whitaker’s take is an older, more battle-scarred sort.
“Consider him kind of a battered veteran who leads a band of Rebel extremists”, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy tells EW, who announced Whitaker’s character. “He’s on the fringe of the Rebel Alliance. Even [they] are a little concerned about him… he’s off on his own.”
Meantime, writer Anthony Breznican appeared on Good Morning America to promote the “Rogue One” issue of EW. During the interview, he confirmed that Darth Vader appears in the film.
“Darth Vader kind of looms large over the plot even when he’s not necessarily on screen because the new villain played by Ben Mendleson, Director Krennic, [is] trying to fulfill the wishes of the Emperor and he’s got kinda Vader looming in the background over his shoulder, making sure that he gets the job done.”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opens in December.
