I feel so out-of-touch with Star Wars culture, and trust me, I know I sound exactly like Kim Kardashian’s recent tweets about Serial, but I only just saw The Last Jedi recently. Look, I’m busy! Not really, I just watch tennis most of the time and I tend to wait months to see a lot of movies. So I did see The Last Jedi… and I absolutely loved it. I thought it was brilliant. I loved Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher (*sob*) and Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. If I’m being completely honest, I thought Boyega/Finn’s storyline was kind of meh, but that’s only because they completely telegraphed the fact his plot was a dead-end. It’s almost like they just did that plot to give Benicio del Toro a role for some reason? It was really strange. So, I think I might be one of those “I’m suspicious of new people in the Star Wars universe” people. And now I have a new person to be suspicious of: Matt Smith has taken a role in Star Wars Episode IX.
From the Whoniverse, to Buckingham Palace, to a galaxy far, far away. Sources tell Variety that “The Crown” star Matt Smith is joining “Star Wars: Episode IX,” which is currently in production in the U.K. It’s unknown at this time whether the “Doctor Who” alum will be on the side of the rebels or the evil empire.
Smith joins returning cast members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver, as well as newcomers Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Dominic Monaghan, and Naomi Ackie. Billy Dee Williams is reprising his role as Lando Calrissian, and Carrie Fisher will be featured as Leia Organa in the final installment of the Skywalker saga, using previously unreleased footage shot for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Fisher died in December 2016 at the age of 60. Mark Hamill will be returning as Luke Skywalker and Anthony Daniels will reprise his role at C-3PO.
My guess is that Matt Smith will have a role that is a lot like Benicio’s role, in that it doesn’t make a ton of sense why they’re introducing the character and you barely care about his motives or his double-cross or whatever. Simply judging from Matt Smith’s Cheekbones of Doom, I’d say he’s probably a bad guy. Like, I could see Domhnall Gleeson having some kind of petty grudge with him over who’s the baddest bitch. But still, if you were Matt Smith, would you be able to say no to Star Wars? Of course not. And how well is Matt Smith’s career going these days? From Doctor Who to The Crown and now Star Wars… he’s like King of Nerds.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I actually think he’d be a great Star Wars baddie. He has the right kind of face and he’s a good actor. I’m seeing him as a Grand Moff Tarkin type.
And Kaiser, I completely agree with you about the John Boyega storyline. What a waste!
The Last Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie. Even over Empire(fight me). I even loved the Finn/Rose story line. And while I have no issues with people not liking the film, the amount of hate it got, and continues to get, is absurd. But it made me love Rian Johnson even more because he handles it like a champ. He’s now directed one of my favorite movies and TV shows of all time.
As for Matt Smith, I feel like with every casting, there is speculation on whether that character will play Rey’s parents, which I hope doesn’t happen. He reminds me of Hux, so I hope they do something different with him.
I also really loved TLJ, so won’t fight you on the Empire comparison:). And yeah, the unhinged hate it got in some quarters of the Internet… as a SW fan, it broke my heart a little.
Haha, I won’t fight you on that, but it is my least favourite with the Force Awakens being my second least favourite. I don’t hate them, just think they kind of stink. And before I get labelled as a racist misogynist, I love, love, love the new characters. So good. I just don’t think they’ve been given anything good to work with, just generic, money-making, Disney produced drivel. Star Wars used to be special, and now it’s just, I dunno, another movie franchise. I feel the exact same way about all the Marvel movies. Maybe I’m just turning into an old curmudgeon, but I think they should have just let the old characters out of the new movies, because they just seem intent on getting old fans into the theatres to watch their old heroes die. But I’m off topic here, I think adding Matt Smith is great, but in all honesty, I don’t think we need more white guys, do we? Why not a black or female villian? Now that would be cool and taking a risk.
I agree with you. I think he will have a small role (much like I think Dominic Monaghan and Keri Russell will)…this is to wrap up the Rey/Finn/Poe storyline and possibly move on from the Skywalker saga. Plus, they have to work in the unused footage of Carrie Fischer to wrap up Lea’s storyline and then of course there is Kylo Ren too.
If I am Matt Smith, I don’t turn down a small role in SW universe. Look how much mileage Gwendoline Christie got out of a small role (she deserved more)!
It will be a Benico type role. If it was any bigger he would have been cast earlier.
Meh, he’s fine. But the size of this cast? Boyega and Tran had barely relevant roles and blah development last time. Some focus in this one, rather than throwing in the kitchen sink, would have been nice.
Thank you! Unfortunately I think the reason I never warmed up to Kelly Marie Tran’s character Rose was because her character was used in a throwaway plot line. I really got bored during the Canto Bight sequence/casino which basically gave Justin Theroux/Benicio del Toro a cameo when I saw the movie the first time and subsequent viewings have not changed my opinion. If they had taken that whole sequence out of the movie it would have been so much shorter. The only pay off in that whole thing was Finn killing Captain Phasma, the person who he worked under as a Stormtrooper (again Gwendoline Christie being completely underutilized). If you pay attention, the climax was the confrontation between Rey and Kylo after they defeat Snoke’s guards (so basically they gave the white characters the more exciting storyline which I didn’t even realize until just about now). I was never able to get invested in the Rose character due to this and other reasons. But I still can’t get over how the poor actress who played her was harassed so cruelly by the Star Wars stans.
This 100%! I think the movie stunk because it didn’t give any of the new characters anything interesting to do. I think the hate that this movie gets isn’t just about the stars being a female, etc, but more that it didn’t give our new characters good plot lines. And I guess I’m just tired of watching the old characters die. Why can’t we just have had a new story without them? Oh right, because these movies are made to maximize profit, not to actually do anything risky or original…
I want him to show up in the movie as Dr. Who. I can totally see the TARDIS landing inside the Death Star, or saving people on Tatooine.
You need to write this script. Your plot idea is perfection. We could hear the “whoosh whoosh” of Kylo in his mask. Then it slowly gets drowned out by the whooshing of the TARDIS.
Yes, Dr Who defeating the First Order using brains, wit and whimsy instead of laser swords or massive guns attached to fighter ships.
Matt Smith looks like Daniel Tosh and Alexander Skarsgard has a sexy, skinny, pasty child. I like it.
I have a new found love for Matt Smith since finishing the Crown and I’m so sad about the recast for the third season. I don’t care for Star Wars, but he’s a good actor, so good for him.
I’m so down for this!
Now all Matt has to do is get a role in Star Trek, and he will have completed the nerd trifecta!
He was also in Terminator, albeit the lame Genisys reboot.
He should make an appearance in Bill and Ted 3, if it ever gets made. Crisscrossing phone boxes.
I’m into it. I enjoy his acting and I’m hoping to see him and Domhnall Gleeson fighting over who is the baddest bitch. It’s something I didn’t know I needed until now lol
And seriously, if Disney approached you and they were like “do you want to be in the new Star Wars film? It’s three minutes total in the film” you know you’d still take it lol
Right? Gimme a walk on with no lines as a cleaner and I’d take it 🙂
Yeah, the cheekbones may send him to the darth side, but he played charming boyfriend Doctor very convincingly. I mean, he’s no David Tennant, but he’s definitely got swag.