Matt Smith has finally gotten his turn in a galaxy far, far away, having been enlisted to join the ranks of Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter.
The English star, known for his prominent role in House of the Dragon and titular role as the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who, was once eyed to appear in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, the role ultimately did not materialise.
On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, journalist Josh Horowitz raised speculation that the role was for a young Palpatine, but Smith chose not to comment. Smith, however, remarked that the role was “a pretty groovy thing, it was a really groovy part and concept. It was a big thing, it was a big story detail, a transformative Star Wars story detail, and it never got quite over the line.”
Expressing his disappointment, Smith said that while he had not shot any scenes, negotiations were underway and “were close to [him] being in it, and then it never quite happened.” He confided that “the thing they were thinking of [him] for, eventually it became obsolete and they didn’t need it”. Despite his prospective role blowing up like the Death Star, Smith did tease that the role would have been a “big shift in the history of the franchise”.
However, with Smith making a proper entry into the Star Wars universe with his villain role in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter (2027), it appears that he will at last be getting his redemption. Director Levy, who notably helmed Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) as well as Free Guy (2021), has revealed that Smith’s role will be one of multiple villain roles. Levy has cast Ryan Gosling as the leading man for the film, and after initially eyeing Mikey Madison (Anora) for the female villain, ultimately cast Mia Goth (MaXXXine) opposite Gosling.
Known for his outstanding acting chops as well as charisma and presence onscreen, Smith looks to be a stellar (pun intended) addition to the Star Wars universe.
Star Wars: Starfighter will take flight in cinemas on 28 May 2027.
Conversation with Ting Wei is like chatting with a weird AI bot programmed only with One Piece lore and theories, sitcom quotes and other miscellaneous pop culture references. When he’s not sleeping, he’s highly likely reading manga. In fact, the only thing he reads more than manga is the Bible, and it’s honestly pretty close.
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