'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' news 2016: First look at Darth Vader's return

Fans have all been highly anticipating the arrival of Gareth Edwards' "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" not just because it brings the audiences back to the timeline which started back when "A New Hope" aired, but also because it will have an appearance from one of the most famous villains in film, Darth Vader. Not much has been revealed about Vader's appearance in the film, but a new image of Vader surfaced online, and the costume looks to be more on the classic side.

The image comes from one of the promotional materials of the movie, a "Rogue One" playing card deck. Cartamundi USA, the manufacturer of these specialized decks, released an image of the cards which feature the characters from the movie such as Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen). The cards also feature new troopers from the imperial side like the Deathtroopers, Shoretroopers, and of course, Darth Vader.

Vader's image also has him surrounded by an image of the TIE fighter variation, the TIE striker, and he also has the Death Star in his background.

Vader's suit is also reminiscent of his look from "A New Hope." The last time the fans saw the suit was in "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," and the design was tweaked a bit to be sleeker and more slender. The new image of Vader brings back the bulkier look of the Emperor's right hand as if he was pulled out straight from the 70s.

James Earl Jones will also be reprising his role as the voice of Darth Vader, but David Prowse will not be returning to play Vader's body. The choice not to have Prowse return may be because of the actor's age. It is rumored that Vader will be getting a "brutal" fight scene, and Prowse may not be as spry as he once was. Instead, Vader's body will be played by Spencer Wildling ("Guardians of the Galaxy")

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is slated to premiere in December 2016.