Star Wars: Andy Serkis Teases "Anything Can Happen" About Snoke's 'Episode IX' Return

In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Andy Serkis' Supreme Leader Snoke was cut in half by Kylo Ren, killing off the villainous character definitively. Virtually since the moment fans witnessed his demise, theories have emerged about Snoke's potential return, with Serkis intentionally spreading rumors about his character's appearance in Star Wars: Episode IX.

"I emailed [director] J.J. [Abrams] and said, 'Let me know how things are going and how exciting it all is.' Of course, I'm very keen to see how the family's getting on," Serkis shared with Hey U Guys. "Who knows, Snoke might come back, I'm not saying anything. I'm only making that up. I'm totally just rumor-spreading for the sake of it, but anything can happen."

Snoke debuted in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a hologram giving orders to Kylo Ren and General Hux, with such a character immediately reminding fans of Emperor Palpatine. Heading into The Last Jedi, many fans were incredibly eager to learn more about the villain and, while we did learn hints about his past, Snoke was killed before his backstory was entirely explained.

The shock of Snoke's demise wasn't only felt by fans, as even Serkis himself had a hard time coming to grips with the death.

"I was taken to my trailer on the lot at Pinewood Studios, where I was to read the script for the first time on a tablet," Serkis recalled to USA Today earlier this year. "We were never handed printed scripts, and had to hand back the tablet as soon as we were done. I was swiping through the story, and landed on this epic scene, where Snoke is goading Kylo Ren to kill Rey, to fulfill his destiny. It was riveting, the tension building with each line. I just couldn't work out where it was heading. And then as I swiped up … there it was. The end … not for Rey, not for Kylo Ren, but for the Supreme Leader … just gone."

Not only did the weight of his character's death weigh heavily on the actor, but also the pressures of keeping these details a secret affected Serkis.

"I walked out of the trailer in a state of semi-shock, feeling the weight of knowing I would have to mask a great secret for a very, very long time and that my brother, a massive Star Wars fan, was going to be heartbroken," Serkis added.

Adding fuel to the fires of speculation is that Serkis canceled a scheduled convention appearance this past fall, leading fans to assume this was due to potentially being involved with Episode IX's production.

Stay tuned for details on Star Wars: Episode IX before it lands in theaters in December of 2019.

Do you think we'll get a Snoke appearance in the new film? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!