Palpatine, or Sheev as his close pals likely call him, has been a consistent pain for the heroes of Star Wars ever since the series’ inception, thanks to him being the Emperor of the Galactic Empire.
The prequel trilogy, which shows the rise of Palpatine and his adoption of Anakin as the main villain, also saw Ian McDiarmid reprise the role, making him the definitive version of one of cinema’s most iconic villains. In the buildup to the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith, Variety interviewed McDiarmid, who shared new information about a series that was supposed to follow Palpatine.
- BFI is showing a limited, one-time-only screening of the original 1977 Star Wars cut in June.
McDiarmid didn’t know too much about what was planned for the series, saying that “With George, you didn’t discuss anything really. You turn up and you shoot.” However, he did specify that the show would focus on “the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise”, expanding further, stating, “It’s fairly obvious that my character murdered Plagueis on his road to becoming Palpatine.”
Image via Lucasfilm
The story of Plagueis is mentioned during Revenge of the Sith and is one of the key influences that turns Anakin to the dark side, setting him on his journey to becoming Darth Vader, killing younglings, and being a generally terrible father.
The Scottish actor didn't go into detail about why the show never came to fruition.
It’s not only 20 years of Revenge of the Sith, but it’s also approaching Star Wars Day, where a huge LEGO Star Wars sale kicked off at Disney Store and new LEGO Star Wars sets have been revealed ahead of the celebrations.
Main image via Lucasfilm
