Forest Whitaker’s identity revealed in Star Wars: Rogue One
So far the identity of Forest Whitaker’s character in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has been kept under wraps. That is until now, as details of his role in the film have finally been revealed.
According to EW, Whitaker will play Saw Gerrera, the “shadowy freedom-fighter, a figure with a surprisingly deep background in galactic history”.
“If you continue to fight, what will you become?” he asks in the Rogue One trailer.
Saw Gerrera first appeared in the animated Star Wars series, The Clone Wars. In season 5, he fought off a droid army on Onderon and also trained alongside his sister Steela as part of an insurgent group led by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, not everything goes well for Gerrera as he starts to separate himself from authoritative figures. Therefore Gerrera will serve as an ally to the Rebels in Rogue One, but won’t be part of the team.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy provided more detail on his character:
“He’s off on his own. Consider him kind of a battered veteran who leads a band of Rebel extremists. He’s on the fringe of the Rebel Alliance. Even [they] are a little concerned about him.”
And we can see Whitaker as Saw Gerrera when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opens in theaters on December 16.