Darth Plagueis (novel)

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis is an upcoming novel by James Luceno. It will tell the backstory of Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Plagueis. It was originally scheduled for release in October of 2008, but was cancelled. Sue Rostoni has since stated that the book has been uncancelled, with a release date of February 28, 2012.

History
A Darth Plagueis novel was scheduled to be written by James Luceno and released in October 2008 by Del Rey about Darth Plagueis and his backstory. In an interview with Star Wars Insider magazine, Luceno said that he would like to write a future novel dealing with the search for immortality that both Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Plagueis embarked upon in their own separate ways. However, in a talk show interview in February 5, 2007, he indicated that the novel was currently on hold due to issues surrounding the revelation of Palpatine's backstory and Expanded Universe continuity concerns.

Cancellation
On March 27, 2007, Sue Rostoni revealed in her blog that the novel had been canceled, in an entry revealing an updated publishing schedule. She stated the following:

"I'm sure you've noticed that the Plagueis novel is not listed. It's true. The novel has been cancelled. We decided that this was not the right time to delve into Palpatine's back story and Plagueis's beginnings. You'll still see Jim Luceno around, though, as he's an author we are not willing to lose."

- Sue Rostoni

The announcements for the novel stated that Plagueis was a Muun. Leland Chee has confirmed that, since Plagueis's species did not originate in the novel, it is still considered his canonical species by Lucas Licensing.

The novel was replaced with Darth Bane: Rule of Two; however, Luceno has said he still hopes he can convince the powers that be at LucasFilm to let him write the novel, and cited sales of Millennium Falcon could help influence that.

Rejuvenation
On July 27, 2010, Sue Rostoni stated that the book was indeed back on schedule, with a release date of February 28, 2012. This announcement came following a sales database leak, which the fan site New Jedi Order Encyclopedia published. Believing it to be a replacement for the cancelled Imperial Commando 2, fans asked for clarification. Ms. Rostoni confirmed that the book was going to be published in 2012, but that it is not intended to replace Imperial Commando 2.