Visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett has revealed that JJ Abrams originally wanted to bring back Palpatine as a clone in Star Was: The Force Awakens.
Palpatine’s return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker remains one of the biggest mysteries of the film because it was never explained. Now, the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization suggests that Palpatine might have returned as a clone.
Many people have criticized Lucasfilm for not having the sequel trilogy planned out from the start, but it sounds like the idea of brining Palpatine back as a clone was considered by JJ Abrams when he was developing Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This all comes from a Cinefex interview with visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett, where he said the following:
“[Actor] Ian [McDiarmid] was such a major part of the original films. J.J. wanted to bring him back to reveal that Palpatine wasn’t completely destroyed in Episode VII. He created a clone of himself and, with the help of Sith loyalists, rebuilt himself to a fragmented and unstable state. When Kylo meets him, Palpatine is not fully formed, and he relies on tubes and mechanics, moving around this Sith laboratory on a mechanism that Kevin Jenkins designed. He has the spirit of the Sith, but he’s trapped inside a body that’s incomplete.”
Do you wish Palpatine appeared in The Force Awakens instead of The Rise of Skywalker? Sound-off in the comments below!
Here is the official synopsis for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker:
Lucasfilm and director J. J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.
Directed by J. J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams. Carrie Fisher will appear as General Leia Organa through the use of previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will arrive March 17th on digital and on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 31st.
Source: Cinefex (via Imgur)
