Major Spoilers to follow...
We've heard this rumor before. That Ian McDiarmid will be reprising his role as Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) in Star Wars: Episode VII. But now Latino Review is confirming from two different sources that the character will indeed return, though he may not be played by Ian McDiarmid, who took over the role in 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and returned to play him in all three prequels, beginning with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in 1999, and continuing in 2002's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
While The Sith Inquisitors are said to be the primary villains in Star Wars: Episode VII, Darth Sidious will be revealed as the puppet master behind the scenes. And throughout Star Wars: Episode VIII and Star Wars: Episode IX, he will come to the foreground as this new trilogy's main protagonist.
It is reported that the Ewok party seen at the end of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi is coming from a forced perspective, and that something much more sinister is at play. While Lando blew up the second Death Star with the Millennium Falcon, Luke Skywalker did have time to drag Darth Vader to an Imperial Shuttle and unmask him as his father, Anakin Skywalker. Which means Palpatine would have had time to escape somehow. As we know from Luke's fall at the end of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, just because a person is thrown down the tube of a space station doesn't mean they are going to die.
Latino Review sources, said to be working deep inside Lucasfilm, confirm 100% that The Emperor will appear on screen in Star Wars: Episode VII and return with a more substantial role in Star Wars: Episode VIII. They also confirm that he is not being played by Ian McDiarmid. Finally, they go onto hint that he may also not be the old man he once was in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Has Darth Sidious found the fountain of youth? Or is this Star Wars rumor just another piece of bait to get fans excited?
Star Wars: Episode VII comes to theaters December 18th, 2015 and stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver,Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong'o. The film is directed by J.J. Abrams.
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