Star Wars Episode 9: 7 More Rumours You Need To Know

1. Matt Smith Is Playing Young Palpatine

Matt Smith young Emperor Palpatine Star Wars Episode 9
20th Century Fox/BBC

Former Time Lord Matt Smith joined Episode IX a few months ago, but since then, we haven't heard a single detail - rumoured or official - about his role. Until now.

During the "Hot Scoop or Shot of Poop" section of the 5 November episode of The Weekly Planet Podcast, host James revealed some details he heard about the identity of Smith's character in the film, stating that the actor may be playing a young Emperor Palpatine.

This information came from an anonymous source, so, naturally, should be considered false until proven otherwise. Still, there are a few ways Palpatine could return: a flashback, a Force vision, or even time travel (which does exist in the Star Wars universe, but could be too big a stretch to slot into Episode IX), so Abrams has plenty of options at his disposal.

When Smith was first cast, his role was described as "key". So, if he is Palpatine, the Sith Lord must be a major part of the film. Episode IX has a lot of work to do already and it's difficult to imagine a character as big as Palpatine being added to that workload, so we'll just have to wait and see what Smith's role entails.

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Which of these rumours sounds most believable to you? Let us know in the comments section!

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.