Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 10 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets We Learnt From ILM

3. The Concept Of Snoke Being Female Never Made It To ILM

One of the most intriguing rumours around the development of The Force Awakens is that at some point during development Snoke was considered being female. It certainly chimes with the move to introduce more women characters to the saga, and has gained traction as it serves as a major knock against the theory that the Supreme Leader is really Darth Plagueis the Wise.

However, if that was ever the plan, it didn't make it to ILM; when I brought it up it was the first Pritchard has heard of it, with him saying he "certainly didn't experience any of that". What's most likely is that very early on in concept stage, the idea of a female big bad was floated, but was dropped once the plot of Episode VII (and the wider trilogy) became properly defined.

That wasn't the only interesting things to get floated at this stage but not make it through, including a Jedi Killer (who eventually became Kylo Ren) and a Half Vader-Half Anakin Force Ghost.