Those who witnessed Danny Rayburn's exquisite manipulation of his family in Netflix's new drama series Bloodline know what a sympathetic, fascinating and utterly complex villain Ben Mendelsohn is capable of bringing to the table. So it's very exciting that he has been announced as the main bad guy in the first Star Wars spinoff Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One. No details have been announced regarding the character he will play. But it is known that he will be after a group of Rebel fighters intent on stealing plans to the first Death Star, with a story that leads right into Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.

Disney and Lucasfilm have no comment on the news of Ben Mendelsohn's casting as the villain at this time. While the actor also wouldn't comment on the role in recent interviews, he did open up a little bit more about the prospects of joining the Star Wars this past week as he promoted his co-starring role in the new Western Slow West. Ben Mendelsohn played coy, telling Collider:

"I've been lead to believe this, quite strongly. No one is going to be more thrilled, if that turns out to be the case, than me. I was the perfect age when that exploded onto the consciousness. I was right in the sweet spot when the film came out, and that film meant and still means an incredible amount to me. For the 7-year-old me, it's mind-blowing. I saw it in the cinema in 1978, or whatever it was. It's awesome, is what it is. Now, I don't know what happens with any of that, but even to have that said, I couldn't have believed or dreamed that things would end up going the way they've gone. I would have saved myself a lot of worry. There would have been a lot less unpleasant school experiences. I could have gone, "Well, people are going to be seriously talking about me for Star Wars, in 30 or 40 years. Don't worry about it. It will all turn out all right." It's pretty good."

Also recently announced was Diego Luna, who will play a Rebel Fighter. The two actors join a cast that includes lead Felicity Jones as well as Riz Ahmed and Sam Claflin. None of the characters have been revealed at this time. Shooting is expected to begin soon in London at Pinewood Studios, where Star Wars: The Force Awakens was filmed spring of last year. Gareth Edwards is directing this first Anthology film, which will arrive in December 2016.