Original Vader wants role

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Original Darth Vader actor David Prowse wants to reprise role

David Prowse is disappointed he wasn't asked to reprise his role as Darth Vader in the spin-off 'Star Wars: Rogue One'.

The 81-year-old actor has said that it would have been ''nice'' to be asked to play the sci-fi villain again after he spoke the dialogue of the Sith lord during the filming of the original trilogy of 'Star Wars' films.

He said: ''It'd be nice to be offered the job again, because I'm still fit and healthy, and I'm still Darth Vader in and around the country.

''I get loads and loads of requests, you know, to do loads of personal appearances, both as myself and him. People are still very interested in Darth Vader.''

Prowse seems to have changed his tune as just before the release of the last film 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', in 2015, he moaned about not being considered for the part, only to insist he didn't care anyway.

In an interview with Radio Times, he said: ''No one bothered to contact me about the new movie and to be honest, I don't care. I don't even own Darth Vader's mask anymore.''

However, Prowse - who was replaced by James Earl Jones after recording Darth Vader's lines for three of the films - praised the return of the Dark Lord.

He said: ''When you think back to Star Wars in the 70s, like 76 I think it was, or around that period, now we're talking about sort of 40-odd years further on, and Star Wars is as big as ever.''

Meanwhile, the lack of contact the actor has had from Lucasfilm is likely related to the reported falling out he had with George Lucas - who sold the production company to Disney - after the director accused him of leaking the major plot line that revealed Luke was in fact, Vader's son.

And in later years he excluded himself from official 'Star Wars' events.

'Rogue One' is a stand-alone 'Star Wars' film and will be released on December 16.