Disney/Lucasfilm dropped the first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story during the Olympics last night, and the short clip features the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it return of one of cinema’s most beloved bad guys for the first time in more than a decade.
Rogue One takes place between the action of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, and centers on a ragtag group of Rebels who band together to try to steal the blueprints for the under-construction Death Star.
Felicity Jones stars as Rebel spy Jyn Erso and is joined by Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen and Donnie Yen, the latter of whom dispatches stormtroopers with a sword instead of a lightsaber.
The trailer also features a very brief shot of Darth Vader and his trademark breathing, at the tail end of the clip. James Earl Jones is said to be returning to provide the voice of the iconic character.
Also starring is Forest Whitaker, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk and Warwick Davis.
Rogue One is the first in a series of planned spinoffs from the official Star Wars nine-film saga. A spinoff planned for 2018 will focus on a young Han Solo, while another spinoff is rumored to be an origin story for bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) directs Rogue One off of a script from Chris Weitz (About a Boy, The Golden Compass).
The film hits theaters December 16.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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