Disney has some ambitious plans for Star Wars; three new episodes in the main story, plus a litany of spin-offs, the first of which will detail just how the Rebellion got plans for the first Death Star. It’ll introduce a host of new characters, but an old favorite in particular is coming back.
According to Birth Movies Death, none other than Darth Vader himself will make an appearance in Star Wars: Rogue One — which makes quite a bit of sense; the Death Star is more or less Vader’s job in A New Hope, so any attempts to steal the plans or otherwise mess with the Emperor’s ridiculous boondoggle would probably be something he’d pay special attention to.
The only question is the degree to which Vader is involved; there are claims we only see him on holoscreens, and claims that he shows up to kill a bunch of Rebels. Honestly, one suspects Vader will make an appearance, but it likely won’t be as the main bad guy. If Luke couldn’t take him, a ragtag band of thieves is probably just going to run away — unless there’s a convenient lava flow to chuck him in.
(Via Birth Movies Death)