
In 2018, Matt Smith was chosen by Lucasfilm for an unspecified role in “The Rise of Skywalker.” He referred to the part as a significant change, but unfortunately, he didn’t end up filming any scenes. Some fans have suggested that the revitalized Palpatine, as a result of Rey and Ben Solo’s Force connection, would be restored to his youthful appearance from before the prequels. In this scenario, Smith might have played the younger Palpatine. However, by the time filming began, Abrams and the team opted for a different approach. Regardless of your opinions on “Episode XI,” it’s understandable that they chose to keep Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor throughout the movie, rather than using Matt Smith in that role. After all, if you’re going to bring back McDiarmid as the Emperor, it makes sense to use him consistently. We can’t fault them for not utilizing Matt Smith in that instance.