Andy Serkis is an incredibly gifted actor who has brought to life numerous classic characters, both through the use of cutting-edge motion capture techniques, and his live-action performances. When we ranked the 10 best Andy Serkis movies, they showcased his work in the Lord of the Rings franchise, the Planet of the Apes movies, and Star Wars. And even though Serkis created a memorable role for the Disney+ series Andor, playing prison guard Kino Loy, there’s a different Star Wars character he played briefly that he desperately wants another crack at: Supreme Leader Snoke.
We first saw Snoke as a hologram projection lecturing Kylo Ren about an awakening he has sensed in The Force. Supreme Leader Snoke had a larger role in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. But he was cut in half… and his story was cut to shreds. Speaking with Andy Serkis at Star Wars Celebration 2023, we asked him if the new movies that were announced by Kathleen Kennedy might open the door to more Snoke stories, Serkis told us:
Now that I hope will happen, because that would be an incredible… there’s so much – I love that character, too, but there’s so much to be uncovered about that character. And the damage in that character. And also, what he’s capable of is horrific. But also, the emotional and physical scars that he carries, why he’s driven to do what he does… there’s a lot of fertile ground there. I want to see it!
We do, too! We have been beating the drum for the return of Supreme Leader Snoke for some time now, because much like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), his character felt a little shortchanged by the short-sighted plotting in the Sequel Trilogy. Even Serkis has been saying for years that the Snoke twist disappointed him, and he would like to find some way to return to the fold.
Given the timelines of the recently announced projects, I’m not sure where Snoke would fit. James Mangold will be telling a story that takes place 25,000 years before the Prequel Trilogy, and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is going to start her story 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. So, Snoke will be dead.
The best place to possibly explore this fascinating villain – and to give Andy Serkis room to breathe and create – would be in a Disney+ series. We have seen what Star Wars has been able to accomplish in terms of longer-form storytelling in Andor, The Mandalorian, and the animated The Bad Batch. It means we often have a lot more homework when trying to watch Star Wars in order. But it also means that the Disney+ subscription (opens in new tab) will continue to pay for itself with all of the rewarding storytelling that is reaching us from a galaxy far, far away.
