Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Darth Vader returns in trailer for new film

Darth Vader makes a long-awaited return to the big screen in a trailer for the new Star Wars film.

The Sith Lord's well-recognisable breathing concludes the action-packed teaser for Rogue One: A Star Wars story, ending an 11-year long absence of the notorious villain.

The character is set to be voiced by the same actor who played the role in the original Lucasfilm movies released in the 1970s and '80s: James Earl Jones.

In the trailer, he appears alongside Felicity Jones, who takes up the lead role of Jyn Erso in the film, the first in a new series of standalone installments.

Tie-fighters, storm troopers and the Death Star return in the snapshot, which has already been viewed hundreds of thousands of times since being posted on YouTube overnight.

New characters including intelligence officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), robot K-2SO and freelance assassin Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) are also introduced.

The plot of the film is set between the events of prequel Revenge of the Sith and 1977's Star Wars: A New Hope. It follows a band of Rebel Alliance fighters as they try to stop the development of the Death Star.

The trailer comes after the 2015 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which grossed more than £1.5m worldwide at the box office.

The new film, from British director Gareth Edwards, will be released in cinemas on December 16.

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