Ian McDiarmid Casts Doubts On Appearing In Daisy Ridley's 'Star Wars' Film

Actor Ian McDiarmid has been playing the role of Emperor Palpatine for decades, although fans had mixed reactions to seeing the character again in 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker."

Although he has appeared in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and the sequel trilogy, it seems he may not appear at all in what could be the next trilogy starring Daisy Ridley and her character of Rey.

During an appearance at ICCCon Nashville, the 78-year-0ld Scottish actor was asked directly by Comicbook.com if it was possible that Emperor Palpatine would make a return in the next "Star Wars" movie as a flashback or in some other way.

Ian McDiarmid replied, "I haven't been approached." Considering that Palpatine's return had mixed reactions at the end of the sequel trilogy, it seems that the new movie might focus on new villains, especially since it takes place over fifteen years after the fall of the First Order.

Ian McDiarmid isn't the only actor that has cast doubt on returning to a galaxy far, far away. In a May 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote his new film "The Machine," Mark Hamill, who is best known to fans as Luke Skywalker, also discussed his future with the "Star Wars" franchise.

“When I read [Episode] VIII, I knew it was over," Hamill said. "So I was relishing every moment, but also saying goodbye to all those people that I had associated with over the years. So I still miss them.”

Although it is possible that the "Fall of the House of Usher" actor could return as a Force ghost in the new movie, especially as Rey works to rebuild the Jedi Order, Hamill told the publication, "No, I don't have any expectations of that happening."

At Star Wars Celebration London, actress Daisy Ridley was brought on stage in order to announce that Rey would be returning for a new movie set fifteen years after the events of 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker," which is the last "Star Wars" movie to hit theaters. The movie will focus on Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order after that time.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly after Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy teased a few more details about the plot of the movie. “As we move into the future space — this story is about 15 years outside of The Rise of Skywalker — obviously we realized post-war, post–First Order rise of the New Jedi Order, we left episode 9 with Rey making a commitment to Luke Skywalker that she would rebuild the Jedi Order,” Kennedy said.

“And so here we are — we're ready to do that. And it took a lot of discussion because obviously we've been developing stories in different spaces, and television has been a big focus of our attention right now,” she continued. “But there's still so much interest in what happens after The Rise of Skywalker. So we're excited to be doing that.”

At this time, Rey is the only sequel trilogy character confirmed to be making an appearance in the new movie. However, Kennedy noted that "It's entirely possible to see some people come back."

It seems unlikely that actor John Boyega will reprise his role as Finn, as he previously said that he was "good off it" in August 2022.

“At this point, I’m cool off it. I’m good off it,” Boyega said in an August 2022 interview with SiriusXM’s Tell Me Everything With John Fugelsang when asked if he would play the character again. “I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation. But I feel like ‘[Episode] VII’ to ‘[Episode] IX’ was good for me.”

In an August 2022 interview on Sirius XM, Oscar Isaac told host Jess Cagle that he might return to a galaxy far, far away as Poe Dameron if the right story presented itself.

“Hmm. I don’t know. No, I don’t know. I mean, I’m open to anything, you never know," Isaac said when asked if he would ever return to the franchise. "But yeah, there’s no… I have no real feeling one way or the other, you know? I’m open to any kind of good story, any good thing to do. And time. Time’s the one thing that becomes much more challenging as you get older, with kids and all that."

"It’s like, where do these things fit in? Start really realizing that there’s not enough time for all of it," he continued. "But if there was a great story and a great director and Kathy [Kennedy] came to me and was like, ’Hey, we’ve got this idea, you know, I’m so, so open to it.”