Star Wars: Episode VII casting rumor: Ian McDiarmid will return as Emperor Palpatine

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Here's a STAR WARS: EPISODE VII rumor I'm sure you'll like a hell of a lot more than the last one. Jedi News is claiming that a source has told them that Ian McDiarmid will be back as Emperor Palpatine in the new film:

(Do I really need to put a spoiler tag for events from the original STAR WARS trilogy? Well just in case, this is your warning. There's also details about the STAR WARS expanded universe, so you might want to avoid that too.)

The specifics of the role are unclear, but it seems likely that McDiarmid will be returning to his signature role of Palpatine. Whether as the original or a clone of, we are yet to discern.

I'm not that familiar with the expanded universe for STAR WARS, but apparently Jedi News is referring to when Palpatine is reborn as a clone using an ancient Sith ritual, which would explain how he survived being thrown into a reactor shaft. McDiarmid has also expressed interest before about playing Palpatine again in another STAR WARS film or television series.

This seems the most likely casting rumor to be true for STAR WARS: EPISODE VII (besides the rumors about other previous cast members returning), but until anything is confirmed, you can't really get too excited (or disappointed, depending on how you feel about Palpatine once again being the villain in STAR WARS) about this news. Hopefully we'll have more solid details about STAR WARS: EPISODE VII in the near future because I don't know about you, but I'm sick of rumors.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII should be in theaters sometime in 2015.