Darth Vader Will Appear in STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE

When we last saw Darth Vader on the big screen, he was watching the construction of the first Death Star with Emperor Palpatine by his side at the end of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. According to a new report on Tuesday, Vader will make his return to the big screen in Star Wars: Rogue One next year.

Birth.Movies.Death. reports that the iconic Sith lord will appear as a villain in the first Star Wars Anthology movie. "He will not be the main antagonist but he will be working behind the scenes, pulling strings and will appear onscreen," Birth.Movies.Death.'s Devin Faraci wrote. "Literally, I'm told — he'll be showing up via viewscreen or holo projection or something."

Darth Vader is all over Star Wars media right now — cameoing in the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, menacing Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger and company in Star Wars Rebels, hunting down Luke Skywalker in the Darth Vader comic series — so it only makes sense that the new movies will continue to fill in his story. Rogue One takes place between Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars movie, so we'll see a younger Vader in the prime of his time as the Emperor's right hand.

Will a minor appearance in Star Wars: Rogue One be the beginning of a larger return to the big screen for Darth Vader?

Star Wars: Rogue One is set to hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2016. The movie will star Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker and Diego Luna. Gareth Edwards is directing Rogue One.