Doctor Who icon Matt Smith cast in key role for new Star Wars film – with big implications for series future
According to reports, Smith will play a villain opposite Ryan Gosling in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter.
Matt Smith has already starred in one of the most beloved sci-fi properties of all time – and it looks like he could now be joining another in a very different role.
According to a report in Deadline, the former Doctor has been cast in Shawn Levy's upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter, in which he is set to play a villain opposite Ryan Gosling's protagonist.
Of course, while it is heroic role in Doctor Who that he remains best known for, Smith is no stranger to playing baddies.
He's had villainous roles in films including Last Night in Soho and comic book misfire Morbius, while his House of the Dragon character Daemon Targaryen is morally murky at best.
The reports suggest that Smith will not only be playing one of several antagonist roles in the movie, but that his character is being viewed as "the next great villain" in the iconic franchise.
RadioTimes.com has reached out to Lucasfilm and Matt Smith's representatives for comment.
The title and release date – which is currently slated as Friday 28th May 2027 – were both unveiled at April's Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, although few other details have been confirmed at this stage.
We do know that it will be set approximately five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, while it's also been reported that Mia Goth will be joining Gosling and Smith in an as-yet unannounced role in the film.
Speaking on stage at the aforementioned Star Wars Celebration, Levy said: "We’re fans too. There’s obviously a relationship between these stories and the audience, but we’ve spent our lives in that audience. We know how meaningful it is."
It's been almost six years since the last Star Wars film – the aforementioned The Rise of Skywalker – arrived in cinemas, and this project is one of many currently in development.
Next year, we'll be seeing Pedro Pascal reprise his popular TV role in The Mandalorian and Grogu, while other films that have been discussed include projects helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold and Taika Waititi, as well as a new trilogy from Simon Kinberg.
Meanwhile, fans of Smith have plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks and months: later in August he's starring alongside Austin Butler in Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing, while he has the lead role in upcoming Sky Atlantic series The Death of Bunny Munro, based on the novel by Nick Cave.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
