Star Wars: The Last Jedi actor Andy Serkis says his character, the CGI-rendered Supreme Leader Snoke, has been given a fully fleshed-out backstory by writer-director Rian Johnson. The character of Snoke, played by mo-cap genius Serkis of Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes fame, was first introduced in one of the most mysterious and riveting scenes of J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Despite clearly being a major threat in Episode VII, there's been some concern Abrams didn't actually know where he was going with Snoke. Speculation has been all over the place about who Snoke really is, with many fans believing the character is actually Darth Plagueis, the super-powerful Sith Lord who taught Emperor Palpatine the ways of the Dark Side. While that's not confirmed, at the very least the actor knows what's going on.

Speaking to IGN, Andy Serkis said that Snoke's backstory has been fleshed out by Lucasfilm. "Oh yeah, absolutely I know it," Serkis said when asked if he knew anything about Snoke's mysterious past. Serkis, of course, was unable to give any details about that history, or much of anything else related to what goes on in The Last Jedi.

Supreme Leader Snoke on Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens

Rian Johnson stated in a previous interview that Snoke's past won't be revealed in the new movie, and furthermore somewhat mocked the idea of characters being given elaborate backstories akin to Wikipedia pages; Snoke is in the movie to serve a story function, much like the Emperor in the original trilogy.

Still, based on The Last Jedi's trailer, Snoke should become more directly involved in Episode VIII, although presumably will only become a primary threat in Star Wars: Episode IX. Whatever the case, the fact that Serkis knows where the Supreme Leader comes from shows that Johnson or the Story Group have a firm idea of what exactly is going on with him and where he came from.

In the meantime, fans continue to speculate about how Snoke will fit into the larger story picture - and what his true identity is. Snoke was one of the most discussed elements of The Force Awakens due to the mystery surrounding the character, and one worry was that there was no actual explanation planned. That's no longer the case, although these theories will remain until Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX provide all the long-awaited - and hopefully not fan-infuriating - answers.

Next: Star Wars 8: Will Rey AND Kylo Ren Betray Their Masters?

Source: IGN

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