THIS POST CONTAINS STAR WARS: EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS SPOILERS

Director JJ Abrams has shared new information about the main villain of the much-anticipated upcoming sci-fi movie, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.

He tells Empire that Kylo Ren, the lightsaber-wielding bad guy shown in the first trailer, is “not a Sith.” Instead, “He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force.”

Snoke is a digital character played by Andy Serkis. He has extensive experience in playing those types of characters in The Lord of the Rings franchise as Gollum and Planet of the Apes as a primate.

Also in the interview, Abrams shared further details about the nature and origins of the evil First Order, to which Kylo Ren–played by Girls actor Adam Driver–belongs. The director likened this group to Nazis.

“That all came out of conversations about what would have happened if the Nazis all went to Argentina but then started working together again?’” Abrams said. “What could be born of that? Could The First Order exist as a group that actually admired The Empire? Could the work of The Empire be seen as unfulfilled? And could Vader be a martyr? Could there be a need to see through what didn’t get done?”

Kylo Ren is also featured on the new Force Awakens poster.

The Force Awakens opens in theaters on December 18. According to poster artist Drew Struzan, it’s possibly the best Star Wars movie ever made.