This post could be considered to contain spoilers for The Force Awakens, since we have just received news about the character Andy Serkis will be playing. On May the 4th, Vanity Fair and Annie Leibovitz set the rumour mills ablaze with a set of articles and photos from the set of The Force Awakens. Suspicions were confirmed and new ones were created. Since then, a steady stream of news has come to us, but none as big as this.

The article, mainly focusing on Annie Leibovitz’ experiences in photographing Star Wars, included:

A previously unpublished photo of Andy Serkis, also sporting mo-cap gear for his portrayal of Supreme Leader Snoke, is available here exclusively.

This is typical Star Wars, we now have a name and a job title, but that is it. So, let the speculation begin! If you don’t want to speculate, stop reading here!

So, from the picture above it is obvious that this character is CGI and therefore most likely from an alien species. To me, the name Snoke brings no immediate species to mind but I know I am excited to see what they come up with. Aside from that, ‘Supreme Leader’ sounds like a First Order kind of job, since it seems unlikely that the Resistance would let itself be ruled by a Supreme Leader. Could Snoke be the small figure on the stage in the second Star Wars teaser?

Also, let us not forget that it was Serkis who narrated the trailer, suggesting that he himself has Force-sensibility. Is he a former secret apprentice of Darth Sidious or a kind of Grand Admiral Thrawn character? I think that the way Leibovitz staged the picture, Serkis is clearly meant to be intimidating. If this coolness and calm power is what Serkis will bring to the character of Supreme Leader Snoke than I think we have a fascinating character on our hands!

I do hope that with the second announcement of a CGI character, the first was Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Katana, it will become clear that the sequel films will not “go back to basics” the way that Kathleen Kennedy and J.J Abrams seemed to argue. Clearly they will take advantage of the skill sets and people that are available to them via Lucasfilm and the would have been fools if they hadn’t. Star Wars has always been leaps and bounds ahead of other movies in its use of the newest methods and developments in CGI. Using Serkis’ knowledge and skill is a great decision and I can’t wait to see the role that Snoke plays in The Force Awakens.

What do you think Serkis’ role is?