Matt Smith has already explored the cosmos as a Time Lord in Doctor Who and fought in wars on behalf of House Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
Now, Deadline reports that the British actor is heading to a Galaxy Far, Far Away after joining the cast of Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming movie from Deadpool & Wolverine and Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy. Ryan Gosling will lead the cast, while Mia Goth (Pearl) is also attached to star.
We don't have specific character details, but the trade has learned that Smith is playing one of the movie's villains.
The report explains, "Casting has been gearing up on the project over the past couple of weeks, with Levy meeting with a number of actors for this key role; sources say execs made the decision to go with Smith to play the next great villain in the Star Wars universe."
Interestingly, this isn't the first time Smith has come close to joining the Star Wars franchise. The actor was set to appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, only for his role to be scrapped before shooting started. While not confirmed, it's widely believed that he was being eyed to play a younger version of Emperor Palpatine.
Star Wars: Starfighter is expected to be a standalone story and reportedly takes place post-Episode IX. This and next year's The Mandalorian and Grogu will be the first Star Wars movies since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker after Lucasfilm pivoted to telling stories on streaming.
Earlier this year, scooper Daniel Richtman shared the following about the movie's plot and how the cast was shaping up at the time:
"Star Wars: Starfighter follows a 15-year-old boy on a mission with his uncle, played by Ryan Gosling. They're being pursued by a duo of villains—one male, one female. Jesse Plemons and Jodie Comer were initially offered the villain roles but both declined. Mikey Madison was later approached for the female villain but also passed. Another key role is the boy’s mother (possibly Gosling’s sister or sister-in-law, though it's unclear). Sarah Snook was offered the part but turned it down. Greta Lee was considered for another female role as a cantina owner the leads encounter on their mission, but she too declined."
Smith and Goth are now expected to be playing that villainous duo, and we'd imagine the rest of the cast being filled out in the coming weeks.
"The reality is that this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters," Gosling said at Star Wars Celebration when it was officially announced. "It’s filled with so much heart and adventure, and there just really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn."
Levy added, "This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not sequel. It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet."
Star Wars: Starfighter is set to be released in theaters on May 28, 2027.