He’s one of the most famous film characters to hit the big screen, so fans will be pleased to hear – the force will once again be back with Darth Vader.

According to American publication Entertainment Weekly, the character will be featured in the much-anticipated prequel film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Felicity Jones stars in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Felicity Jones stars in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Lucasfilm/YouTube)

The magazine reports that its next cover will feature “the galactic man in black himself, Darth Vader”.

The film stars Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker.

Star Wars fans hailed the return of rebel leader Mon Mothma when the first trailer was released.

The trailer shows Mon Mothma sending young rebel Jyn Erso – played by Felicity – on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, the planet-destroying weapon of the evil Empire.

The movie, led by Godzilla and Monsters director Gareth Edwards, takes place between Episode III and Episode IV.

Mon Mothma in the Rogue One trailer
Mon Mothma in the Rogue One trailer (Lucasfilm/YouTube)

Following on from 2005 prequel movie Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith, it provides a back-story to the first scenes of 1997′s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, when Princess Leia is seen concealing the plans for the Death Star in the droid R2-D2 before she is captured by the Galactic Empire.

Rogue One is the first of three planned standalone spin-off films.

Auditions are reportedly taking place for another of the anthology films, which tells the story of a young Han Solo.

Entertainment Weekly’s article also promised the film would feature “never-before-seen characters while also reintroducing a few classic ones”.