A new Star Wars rumor began circulating around a select few groups on social media this week suggesting actor Hiroyuki Sanada was being eyed for a role as the Star Wars character Sifo-Dyas in an upcoming Star Wars Story anthony film. Does this rumor have any merit? Let's take a quick look.
The Claim
Tracking the original source of the rumor down brought me to a Facebook group (not a great start) The Sith Archive. In their post, they claim:
According to 2000s era Star Wars internet website Aldera .net, acclaimed actor Hiroyuki Sanada is in discussions with Lucasfilm to star in this highly anticipated film. Set just prior to the events of "The Phantom Menace", the movie promises to delve into the mysterious backstory of Sifo-Dyas, shedding light on his foresight regarding the impending Clone Wars and the inner workings of the Jedi Council.
The film is said to depict Sifo-Dyas's first journey to the oceanic world of Kamino, where the Clone Army was secretly developed. Fans will witness how he anticipated the coming conflict and the complexities that surrounded the Jedi's decision-making process. The narrative aims to explore the Council's failure to recognize the looming threat, setting the stage for the dramatic events that would follow.
As the story unfolds, viewers will see the tragic fate of Sifo-Dyas at the hands of Count Dooku, who, under the influence of Darth Sidious, takes control of the Clone Army project.
The Problem
The problem here is, Aldera(.net) was a legacy Star Wars website from the early 2000s – it's not even online anymore. So the source of the rumor cannot be verified. Moreover, there is not a single other publicly accessible resource corroborating the claim.
Also, any hint of news like this would surely garner a ton of mainstream attention and other media outlets would waste no time in reporting on it.
The Verdict
Given the reasons above, as epic as it would be to finally have Hiroyuki Sanada join the Star Wars universe and embody the likes of Sifo-Dyas (or any Jedi/Sith for that matter) – it does NOT appear that will be happening anytime soon. It’s safe to say this rumor is blatantly false. (Although we do hope Disney take note of this idea because Hiroyuki Sanada would bring some phenomenal talent to a Star Wars entry and there's plenty of untapped Clone War era content that could still be explored).
