Star Wars has always held it’s cards close to it’s chest, and so details about the upcoming Rogue One movie have been scarce. However, when being asked about a film you cannot talk about but still want to create a buzz about…it is very hard to say much without revealing a little something to get the rumour mills spinning.
Given his absence from the teaser trailer, there have been many questions regarding Mads Mikkelsen’s character, especially considering how much of a big actor he is – starring in Casino Royale and Hannibal to name but a few. It seems especially odd considering how Mads is always cast in villainous roles too.
In an interview with Sky News, he was asked about his involvement with the film, and how he felt when he was approached.
“I mean, I wasn’t really sure whether I was wearing a Storm Trooper outfit or anything like that at that point so I wasn’t sure I could fit into that”
[SPOILERS IN THE VIDEO BELOW]
“I read the script and it was very beautiful and Felicity’s [Jones] playing Jyn, a young and very strong woman. I play her father.”
You can tell that as soon as the words leave his lips, he realised how much he’s actually said and immediately follows up with “and that was too much, I’m sorry.”
So, Mads is set to play the father of Jyn Erso. What does this mean? Well, by itself…not an awful lot. However, due to the secrecy surrounding the character and his role, this does make you pause to think.
In particular, one of the things which stuck out to me was a rumour I heard a while ago, that Mads would play character who would be both the father of Jyn Erso (which was just confirmed) and a key architect for the Death Star. Which would be fantastic, especially considering how this explains why Jyn has been recruited for the mission to retrieve the plans, considering how they would most likely be in the hands of her father.
Of course, Mads could also be appearing as a character who only appears briefly as a casualty, whose death spurs Jyn into rebelling against the Empire. But why the secrecy? Or could this be a double bluff?
Regardless, the one thing we can take away from this is that whilst it finally answers one question about his character, it raises several more about WHO he is, and WHY he is so important. Questions we may only get answers to when the film comes out later this year.
Rogue One is set to be released on the 16th of December 2016
