Actor Andy Serkis has long been confirmed to be a part of the upcoming film, "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens," but no word has bad been announced regarding who or what he was playing. A new report from StarWars.com finally reveals the actor on set and it appears he will be the main villain in the new trilogy.
The photo was taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz during an interview with the actor for Vanity Fair. As revealed in the image, Serkis is going to use performance capture technology to bring life to a new character now known as Supreme Leader Snoke.
According to a report from Den of Geek, Supreme Leader Snoke may not even be human because if he was, then Serkis would have acted as himself instead of relying on performance capture tech. This is why fans have speculated that he is portraying a humanoid alien.
The report also speculates that Snoke might be the figure in black seen in the film's most recent trailer, rallying a group of Stormtroopers. It has since been surmised that Supreme Leader Snoke is the leader of the First Order, the militant government that formed after the death of Emperor Palpatine in "Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi."
Serkis is often considered as a grand pioneer in the field of performance capture as he has masterfully used the technology to perform as the creature Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" films as well as Caesar in the new "Planet of the Apes" films.
He has done such great work that many fans are campaigning for him to be nominated for an Oscar or at least to be given an honorary Academy Award since there is no category for Best Performance in Motion Capture.
"Star Wars Episdoe VII: The Force Awakens" opens in theaters nationwide on Dec. 18.
