No Han or Hayden for Rogue One
Misinformation and rumor run rampant when it comes to the big blockbusters these days and Star Wars is no different. For months there has been speculation that Alden Ehrenreich would show up for a cameo in Rogue One. Rumors were flying free well before he was ever officially announced for the part. But it seems that is not the case.
Star Wars Underworld spotted a couple of interview snippets from Celebration Europe that had yet to make the rounds as news. It seems ExtraTV snagged a couple of quick interviews at the convention and got a few good bits of information from some key players. First and foremost was the director himself commenting on whether a certain smuggler would show up to help a ragtag band of rebels steal the plans to the galaxy’s newest battle station.
Edwards on a Han Solo Cameo:
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to do this, but I think I should…. Han Solo’s not in the movie.
So, it seems Solo will not be making an appearance. Also of note was a comment from Kathleen Kennedy regarding the portrayal of Darth Vader. Kennedy confirmed that Hayden Christensen will not be making an appearance as The Dark Lord of the Sith in the upcoming film. That would seem to confirm the popular assumption that we will now have a third actor to don the iconic Vader armor theatrically.
Neither of these are big surprises. Rumors were strong on a Han appearance, but the timing, age of the actor, and involvement of the selfish smuggler with the rebel alliance well before his pivotal change of heart at the Battle of Yavin could have caused some story telling difficulties. Nothing insurmountable, but it does make more sense if Han stays out of this one. And as for Christensen, he had made some recent comments that he would be willing to return to the role, but there hasn’t been much buzz around that having already happened. Perhaps he will get another shot in the future.
Check out the embeds from ExtraTV below for the full comments. And a hat tip Star Wars Underworld for the keen eye in spotting these overlooked bits from SWCE16.
#RogueOne rumor control! Will #HanSolo appear? Director Gareth Edwards answers! #StarWars #SWCE pic.twitter.com/iqoXB0OqST
— ExtraTV (@extratv) July 19, 2016
Will Hayden Christensen appear in #RogueOne? LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy explains! #StarWars #swce pic.twitter.com/uF1rLUnf04
— ExtraTV (@extratv) July 19, 2016
As long as we don’t see Anakin’s face then yea it’s all good..but if Vader gets unmasked at some point in the film and it’s not Hayden under there..that’s messed up.
If he gets unmasked he would look like Sebastian Shaw, not Hayden Christiansen.
http://www.theforce.net/swtc/Pix/dvd/zs/rotj/unmasked3.jpg
Yea but Hayden is the current face of Anakin Skywalker, in rebels his face resembles that of the clone wars show and if they do a live action version it should in my opinion resemble the Anakin we know.
Current face? No, he’s one out of three faces that have portrayed the character at various points. He’s the face of Anakin Skywalker in 2/3 prequels. A newer performance does not cancel out the older ones. Sebastian Shaw is the face of him 20 years later. Rogue One is only four years prior to his unmasking in ROTJ. So it makes more sense to have him looking like the Jedi incarnation.
If in any future film Vader is seen with his mask off, it should be Hayden with a ton of make-up (to look as nearly as possible like Shaw in Jedi). But honestly, if Vader never takes his mask off in Rogue One and James Earl Jones does the voice, there is little point in bringing in Hayden. Rather look for a man with David Prowse’s physique to be inside the suit.
He’s not the “current face” at all. As the poster above you correctly points at, at the time of Rogue One, he would look more like Sebastian Shaw than Hayden.
The only legitimate excuse Hayden has for returning would be is there was a force ghost scene in a picture set after ROTJ. Even then you’d have to explain why he looks a decade older.
Frankly I don’t think we will be seeing Hayden again.
Probably not..but if we do..I think it’ll be a little more impactful to see the Anakin we saw go through all the shit he went through rather than a Sebastian Shaw look-a-like.
you knew it was coming…
Lmaoooooo
To be fair to Anakin, I think the whole “I hate sand” line was him making nervous small talk with Padme, rather than an actual hate/obsession.
The intention was to write a Shakespearean love affair, but I think they were out of tone at some point, it was just too much. Attack of the Clones prettended to be Romeo and Juliette, Dick Tracy and Gladiator, packed up with high end clone science. It was just too much.
Oh I agree that the love affair didn’t quite nail it. I just don’t think Anakin really hated sand as much as people make out he did 🙂
That’s EXACTLY what I made out of it! He’s basically talking to the girl of his dreams..he was probably shitting his pants lol
🙂
I’m sure many of us have come up with worse lines that that when talking to the person of our dreams!
just hit em with the
https://66.media.tumblr.com/a460559189b03ea976fd6da13ae33538/tumblr_nb75fo8xCb1sh6s15o1_500.gif
Lol
I actually laughed out loud imagining Anakin pulling this line on Padme 🙂
Thank God we have Dory. 😀
Dead*
Heh. Sand didn’t burn your ass, Annie. ;B
Unmasked he would look like a cross between the 2, plus it would tie things together if Hayden was made to look like Shaw. Still its not to be so no point arguing i guess.
There’s no way we’re seeing his face in Rogue One. He’s the power behind the main villain (Krennic). This isn’t going to be a Vader movie.
All you need with Vader is a guy with David Prowse’s height and build who can imitate his movements/ walking pattern, etc. You don’t need Hayden for that. James Earl Jones is the only essential actor that you need to bring back Vader.
Soooo happy Hayden’s not in the film.. This just made my week! 🙂
I think Hayden could have portray a better Anakin if the source material was good enough. The overall story of the prequels is awesome but the execution isn’t. The dark side transformation demanded a screenplay fully centered on Anakin, but the movies departed in many directions, there were too much distractions.
Just think about this: how different would be the prequels if episode 1 started with a little boy full of dust, looking at the sky and finding a shiny cruiser landing in the outskirts of his village. When you think about it, technically Anakin has never been the main character as Luke was. QuiGon being the center of the movie is a mistake, as if ObiWan was the central character of A New Hope.
Actually, how great would it have been if Episode 1 started with Anakin as a 17-year-old instead of a 9-year-old kid shreaking “Yipee”? How great would it have been to see a gradual slide for Anakin to the dark side, starting in Episode 2, and making a realistic shift to the dark side earlier in Episode 3? There is certainly a lot of good material in the prequels, but it is assembled on the wrong narrative.
Star Wars isn’t meant to be 100% realistic and follow real-world logic 100% of the time.
There’s no such thing as the Force, much less anyone thinking that they know exactly how it looks like when someone succumbs to the dark side (and no, don’t even try to make a real-world analogy because it doesn’t work that way in sci-fi/fantasy). Typical misplaced logic that’s full of fallacy from people that claim they know how to make SW movies but are really nothing but armchair filmmakers as they really aren’t experts on the material in the 1st place. Even worse, it mostly comes from Gen X fanboy manchildren.
Okay good, so nothing has to make sense or be convincing and we should just accept it and praise it because it has the words “Star Wars” on the poster?
If Anakin’s turn fails to convince at a character level you can’t just handwave that away by saying “ah, it’s the Force, who knows how it works”. We suspend disbelief in the science and magic because that’s stories work but the characters still need to be convincing otherwise what do we have? Empty spectacle.
No you just have to deal with opinions different than yours.
Dude, am I the one shrieking “blocked” every time someone disagrees with me?
To Rob (as I have you blocked for some time now but can see your comment from another computer):
All I see is wannabe cinephile and armchair filmmaker talk coming from you. Furthermore, if something didn’t work for you (and some of the others in the vocal and loud minority), that doesn’t mean that it didn’t work for others. And yes, we saw glimpse of a turn in AOTC, and we have a whole TV series in between that movie and ROTS whose mastermind is the same individual and it covers more transitional material (and SW itself is serialized so don’t even try to argue against the show as its visual media and has equal weight as the movies). And one doesn’t win an award for “best villain” for no reason 😉
I think I’d rather go by these screenshots than by what some self-entitled purist has to say (especially one that acts like a self-proclaimed movie pro but is really just some random guy on the Internet that probably doesn’t have much going on in life much less any discernible talent such as critiquing movies). Like I said, vocal and loud minority despite of what haters like to think (as various stats and data have shown). Also, haters need to lack a lot of logic and math skills.
Dude you should be blocked for being an unintentional troll. There is nothing gripping or even emotionally believable about the Prequel Trilogy. The only reason people thought that Episode III was good was because it wasn’t as terrible as the first two. Not being terrible doesn’t make something good. It’s just relatively better than the other two. Reading reviews, ratings, and how much money it makes can never make me sit down and watch Ep3 and think to myself..” My God! This IS a good movie.” No…I’ll just let my eyes and ears take in the data and allow my brain to interpret it into. “Yep… I feel nothing for this movie, and I feel no emotion for the fall of Anakin.” I don’t enjoy bashing the Prequels. I would love to enjoy them and be happy with them – but alas – I do not. Even an unrealistic scifi or fantasy movie needs to have realistic emotion and characters. The prequels don’t at the times that it needs it most.
Another wannabe cinephile and armchair filmmaker that thinks he’s a pro at storytelling but is really nothing but a poser.
Blocked
I never claimed nor pretended to be anything therefore I am not a poser. If anything is a poser it is the Prequel Trilogy, pretending to be a fun adventure when in fact it is the Debbie Downer of the Star Wars universe with its stale characters, stilted acting, and nonsensical dialogue. Deal with it little boy.
Oh, and different stories, different era, and ifferent times Brewer (and we were told beforehand that it would be different from the OT).
Yay! Moar pointless imahguz, pleez!
lol, who’s taking it too seriously? I don’t know who’s crying harder, me or you? That was funny!
What is good with movies is everyone can have his own opinion despite good or bad taste. Some will tell Independance Day was a terrible movie with crap ending, some will tell… well it matches my expectations.
Wow, you have me blocked but log in from elsewhere to check your replies anyway? I feel special.
That’s some dedicated stalking right there – you gotta give props.
> All I see is wannabe cinephile and armchair filmmaker talk coming from you.
My god! On a movie fan website comment section? That’s the last thing I would expect!
Dude, I am not “Gen X”. I saw the original Star Wars in the theater when I was 8. My comment does not reference anything regarding reality — it clearly says that the main issue with the prequels is the poor story-telling and framework. I also mentioned that it has many good things. I mostly enjoyed Episode 3, and in fact I was at the New York City premier and sat behind Liam Neeson. I don’t need you making ill-informed statements about me. Stick to what I said.
I think if you saw the original in the theater at age 8 you are exactly Gen X.
Blocked.
Well golly
“Discussion boards are best when I don’t have to read any opinions I don’t already hold”. SMH.
Personally I would like to see Hayden return at some point. It’s not that he’s a great actor, it’s just that not seeing him as Anakin wouldn’t feel right. Also, I think he could pull of a good performance if given a good script.
Agree. I think we have been brainwashed not to like the prequels, but i like them, except EP I.
I was brainwashed not to like the prequels… by watching the prequels 😀
Yeah the last hour is ROTS is the only thing I enjoy watching.
The best way to include them, if you want them in your SW marathons, is with fan edits. My favorite is “The Empire Begins”. No Episode I except the Darth Maul fight, no Yoda/Dooku fight with terrible dialogue, much better pacing, etc. Definitely worth a watch.
The prequels are also really bad. Phantom Menace is the only one that reaches a close-to-tolerable level.
Blocked
Blocked!
BLOCKED
Money =/= Quality. But I’m not really upset that you blocked me.
But, if you compare to any Harry Potter movie – that is BAD, all the actor are horrible, EP I is Citizen Kane. Everything in the prequels is much much better than any beloved Harry Potter movie
THANK THE MAKER!!
I thought it was let slip ages ago that Spencer Wilding was playing Vader?
Why would they need Hayden? (for anything ever in my opinion 😉 )
Blocked
Let’s not be silly
I can see how people believed the Hayden rumor, but I can’t understand why people believed the Han rumor. The article says my points, so I don’t have to.
Wouldn’t this actor technically be the 5th to be in Vader’s armor?
Fourth, unless the OT used a stunt double and I wasn’t aware of it.
Yes. Bob Anderson was used for the lightsaber duels.
Huh, I learned something today.
so if that rumor about a damaged vader in the bacta tank is true, will we not see his face? i can’t imagine them being able to show vader’s face without using hayden.. so that must mean it’s a false rumor or they just won’t show his face? either way it’s interesting. also han solo being in rogue one is a ridiculous rumor.. lol
I really hope Vader’s face isn’t shown. The first time we “see” his face should be when Luke removes his helmet.
agreed- i guess we probably won’t see it in rogue 1
we already saw part of his face in Rebels
I know. And while I really, really enjoyed that episode, showing his face (or part of it) isn’t something that I would have done. We all know who’s behind that mask. We don’t need reminded in quite that way. Every peek we get behind that mask, I feel takes a bit away from the unmasking that occurs at the end of Return of the Jedi.
They didn’t show his face in Empire.
I haven’t heard the rumor about Hayden, but the rumors about a Han Solo appearance were everywhere. I’m really glad to hear that it’s nothing more than a rumor. I can’t imagine how Han could be placed into Rogue One without it seeming too contrived or coincidental. I’m totally okay with Han’s story starting in the cantina. I know that’s going to change, but….
Maybe the Solo film starts in a cantina, too.
Ok. So what about the emperor
If hes not in this movie im gonna rage
Then prepare to rage. I doubt he’ll be in Rogue One. They’ll be mention of him, almost certainly, but that’s likely it.
Now, MY question:
is it the guy who played Chad Vader? 😀
He’s been the official voice for Lucasfilm for years, until JEJ has started agreeing to step back behind the mic. Haven’t heard much from him since though.
Exactly my point! 😀
Just played the first level of the new Lego – Lawrence still has a j-o-b apparently 🙂
Kathleen Kennedy banned anything related to the prequels .
“Kathleen Kennedy banned anything related to the prequels.”
Oh yeah? Where this this little piece of information come from? Care to cite a source?
then why did they use Obi Wan from the prequels to have a voice cameo in TFA?
Yeah, like one line in her dream, that they merged with Alec Guiness’ voices to make sure Obi-wan is the one from A New Hope, not the prequels. Kathleen Kennedy doesn’t have any taste and doesn’t know anything about Star Wars. All she knows is that the OT is universally loved when the prequels received a backlash. That’s why she doesn’t want prequel stuff in the new movies, she thinks SW fans hate everything related to the prequels. They didn’t even watched the prequels to get in the mood before filming. JJ Abrams and Kasdan don’t even know who is Darth Plagueis.
Not even close to true when you look at all the other star wars content, especially the 2 animated series which are also blessed by Lucasfilm.
now let’s hope that Solo doesn’t show up in the Solo movie…
wow…lol the irony is strong in you. i like that
Lots of blocking being done today
Couple of people that are commenting are blocked or getting blocked
if Vader is shown unmasked, as in the bacta tank, it should be Hayden and no one else. They just have to make him doesn’t talk too much lol.
Awww but I like Haydie Boo. 🙁
i like Hayden too. snif
Best News Ever!!! so sick of Cameo’s and people showing up in movies for no reason at all..
Han? Hayden? Come on. Why aren’t any of these people asking whether Emperor Palpatine will make an appearance in the movie? After the confirmation of Darth Vader it would seem like a no-brainer to raise that question. (And Tarkin, for that matter)
The trailer makes it looks like he’s in it. And A LONG time ago Ian hinted that he might be in another Star Wars movie but not Episode 7…
Indeed, the Imperial Guard strongly implies this. But it’s actually a bit hard to believe -and frustrating- that in all these press junkets, Q&A’s… not one question was asked about Palpatine’s (would-be) role/presence in the film.
Actually it will be the 4th person to be in the Darth Vader costume!
Most people don’t know that Bob Anderson (fencer) did all of the lightsaber choreography for the OT 🙂