With 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Getting Remade, Tom Hiddleston Goes Viral as Emperor Palpatine

Is Tom Hiddleston trading his Loki helmet for Palpatine’s hood? The viral casting comes amid the news that Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker (2019) is getting remade in an entirely new way.

Five years ago, director J.J. Abrams aimed to wrangle the out-of-control Star Wars fandom with his closing chapter of the Disney sequel trilogy. What began in 2015 with the well-received Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens—also from Abrams—turned into a firestorm of political and cultural discourse, resulting in a fractured fandom.

It’s strange to think that The Mandalorian also began in 2019, launching Star Wars into the streaming originals space. The negativity levied at Disney’s trilogy attempt would most likely have been noisier if not for the lone wolf Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and his “Baby Yoda” companion.

While Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian set a new tone for the galaxy far, far away, The Rise of Skywalker aimed to wrap up four years of the sequel trilogy and satisfy four decades of Star Wars storytelling.

It did so by revealing that Emperor Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) had not actually perished on the second Death Star in the final moments of Star Wars: Episode VI–Return of the Jedi (1983) but had survived on the Sith hideaway planet of Exegol aided his loyal followers the Sith Eternal. Oh, and don’t forget the reveal that Rey (Daisy Ridley) was a Palpatine all along.

While some welcomed seeing another legacy character return, this Palpatine comeback felt shoehorned in by many. Over the years, Lucasfilm has attempted to contextualize the villain’s return through supplementary content and tie-in media.

Notably, Dave Filoni’s final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch revealed Palpatine’s nefarious Project Necromancer plans and how the antagonist experimented with cloning Force-sensitive individuals, while comic book runs like “Star Wars: Darth Vader”—which took place in the original trilogy era—explored Exegol in detail.

In his 2021 book, “Secrets of the Sith,” Marc Sumerak confirmed how Supreme Leader Snoke (the pseudo-villain from The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi, played by Andy Serkis) was created in Palpatine’s own voice.

Then, in early 2025, Disney will officially remake The Rise of Skywalker as a five-issue comic book. Much like the other comic book counterparts to Episodes VII and VIII, Episode IX’s adaptation will retell the story of Abrams’ movie and, as Marvel.com explained, feature “the shocking return of Emperor Palpatine and more [and] will include all new scenes not in the final film.”

To say that Palpatine has been an integral part of the franchise–George Lucas’s prequel trilogy can be seen as an origin for his rise to power, as well as Darth Vader’s–and has been featured across live-action and animated canon projects, he is still an enigmatic character.

The interesting life he had under Darth Plagueis, which was told in canon in Star Wars: Episode III–Revenge of the Sith (2005) and was explored further in the now non-canon Star Wars Legends, is still waiting to be told.

Fans got their first glimpse at Plagueis in this year’s hugely divisive Star Wars: The Acolyte, but with Leslye Headland’s show now canceled, will audiences ever get to see this Master and Apprentice on the big–or small–screen?

Nothing has been officially announced yet, but a recent fan-made post has gone viral and sees Marvel star Tom Hiddleston step into the role. An announcement for Palpatine: A Star Wars Story, coming in 2027, has been shared on The Sith Archives’ Facebook page and has amassed over 40,000 likes and 6,000 comments.

“Palpatine: A Star Wars Story will explore the complex journey of Palpatine as he rises to power on Naboo. The film will delve into his early political career, showcasing his charisma and cunning as he navigates the intricate web of the Galactic Senate,” the fan-created synopsis reads. “Alongside his political ambitions, viewers will witness his secretive training under the enigmatic Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis.”

“Set during the tumultuous events leading to the rise of the Galactic Empire, the film will reveal Palpatine’s dual life: a respected senator and a dark apprentice learning the ways of the Force,” the synopsis continues. “As he grapples with his ambitions and the seductive lure of the dark side, audiences will gain insight into the formative experiences that shape one of cinema’s most infamous villains.”

Despite the poster and detailed synopsis, Palpatine: A Star Wars Story is entirely fan-made, and Star Wars fans shouldn’t expect an Emperor Palpatine origin movie any time soon. What they can expect is, well, an assortment of projects coming over the next decade.

At last year’s Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced new movies from James Mangold, Dave Filoni, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Then, in January 2024, The Mandalorian and Grogu was confirmed to be leading the Lucasfilm movie slate. Jon Favreau’s movie, which seemingly replaces The Mandalorian Season 4, will be released on May 22, 2026.

For the second 2026 slot in December, Disney recently replaced the unannounced Star Wars movie with Ice Age 6 (2026). This slot was thought to be for Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey Skywalker movie starring Daisy Ridley, which was presumed to be the continuation of the Skywalker Saga.

However, last month, Lucasfilm tapped Simon Kinberg to write and produce a new Star Wars trilogy that could end up being Episode X, Episode XI, and Episode XII.

As for Disney+, Lucasfilm will follow up on the controversial The Acolyte with Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, which begins on December 2, 2024.

Would you like to see a Palpatine origin movie sometime in the future? Who do you think should play the young villain? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!