When the malevolent Supreme Leader Snoke was first introduced in The Force Awakens, most of us assumed him to be the big bad of the trilogy who wouldn’t meet his demise at least until the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. But given the subversive intentions of Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, perhaps it only figures that this mysterious character was sliced in half before the trilogy’s middle installment had even climaxed.
The death of Snoke was arguably the biggest twist in a film full of unexpected developments, but fans have been theorizing ever since that the villain might not be out the picture after all. To add fuel to the speculation, actor Andy Serkis recently cancelled his appearance at the Keystone Comic Convention this past weekend, and some are taking this as sign that he’s got some Star Wars–related commitments on his plate.
You might think this is a bit of a stretch, but the event wouldn’t be without precedent. Earlier this year, when Billy Dee Williams pulled out of attending the Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo, many wondered if Lando Calrissian could be returning for Episode IX. As it turned out, they were absolutely right.
What’s more, there’ve been rumors circulating that Snoke will feature in flashback scenes in next year’s movie. While Ed Harris was said to be in talks to play a younger version of the character, Serkis has gone on record stating that he’d be happy to reprise the role. As for whether or not Snoke realistically could come back after his apparent death, Serkis was less decisive, saying:
“Look, it’s Star Wars, so you never know how life, or whether life can be come back to or not. Whether you can be resuscitated or brought back. I was shocked. Dramatically, it felt absolutely right for that moment in the film, so I didn’t question it. I just think it’s a very, very important scene, so I didn’t question it. But I do, I know it’s left fans feeling like, that they were really searching for something there. And what I’m saying is, who knows?”
Well, if Serkis didn’t know back in January then he surely knows now, as will we when Star Wars: Episode IX comes out on December 20th. 2019.
