Matthew Lillard is no stranger to iconic IP, and he wants to visit a galaxy far, far away next.
"Two things I've been saying for years: I want to be in the Star Wars Universe, desperately, and I want to work again with James Gunn," Lillard tells GamesRadar+. "I have that on my list. I'm friends with James [Gunn]. I don't know why he hasn't called me yet. If Star Wars called, do I care if I'm a Stormtrooper? No. I mean, I'd rather be a Luke Skywalker than a Stormtrooper, or a Han Solo. Oh my God, if I could be Han Solo, that'd be incredible."
Lillard told fans earlier this year, while making an on-stage appearance for the upcoming second season of Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again, that he doesn't play a superhero in the show... but that he would love to play one in the DCU. As for Star Wars, the actor is a lifelong fan of the franchise... but doesn't exactly have George Lucas on speed dial.
"That's not really the privilege... I mean, it is for some people, right? 'I want this and this is what I'm gonna play,'" the actor explains. "And there's 20 people in this industry that can dictate what they do next and when they do it. I am not one of those people. And by virtue of the fact that I wait on bated breath for somebody to offer me another job or for the privilege to audition for another job to get that job. That's my journey. I don't get the power of yes or no. I just get 'Yes, please."
Lillard has been having something of a career renaissance since being cast in the live-action Five Nights at Freddy's film franchise as supervillain William Afton (though he's never fallen out of favor for us millennials). Since Five Nights at Freddy's dropped in 2023 (and amassed $291 million at the global box office), Lillard has starred in Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck, and will play Principal Grayle in Flanagan's upcoming Carrie TV series, reprise his iconic role of Stu Macher in Scream 7, and play a "humble billionaire" in season 2 of Prime Video's hit drama Cross.
The pop culture icon is currently filming Behemoth! with Andor creator Tony Gilroy... so there may be some hope for Lillard's Star Wars dreams yet.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is set to hit theaters on December 5, 2025. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or skip right to our list of movie release dates.
