Actor Matt Smith, best known as the heroic Doctor on BBC's Doctor Who, is about to join another venerable sci-fi franchise as Deadline reports he'll take the role of the unnamed villain in Deadpool & Wolverine director Sean Levy's upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter film, which stars Ryan Gosling as a spacebound fighter pilot.
According to the trade, Lucasfilm wasn't reached for comment on the potential casting, so there's still some wiggle room for things not to work out. That said, Smith would be an interesting Star Wars villain.
He'd hopefully get to show his actual villainous acting chops after his odd turn in the bizarrely mediocre vampire superhero movie Morbius, which featured one of the most infamous comic book movie scenes thanks to a dance done by Smith.
Nonetheless, Smith remains a beloved actor, and perhaps he'll bring some much needed madcap energy to his potential Star Wars villain that the franchise sorely needs to escape its traditional cadre of stiff-necked Sith Lords and Imperial Officers.
Deadline calls Smith's potential Star Wars antagonist the "next great villain" of the franchise, which spawned one of the all-time best villains in any medium, Darth Vader. That's a tall legacy to live up to, but Smith may indeed be up to the task. After all, he's one of the highlights of HBO's House of the Dragon, in which he plays Daemon Targaryen.
A version of Star Wars: Starfighter was originally going to be helmed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, though those plans later fell through with the project revived under Levy. Levy's previous Disney franchise film, the Marvel hit Deadpool and Wolverine, was an irreverent but heartfelt romp, so he's got a great track record for finding the beating heart of a franchise and bringing it to the forefront.
Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled for release on May 28, 2027. In the meantime, check out our rundown of all the Star Wars movies and TV shows currently in the works.
