He’s explored all of time and space, taken up residence in Buckingham Palace and battled killer robots in the future, but now Matt Smith might be taking his biggest adventure yet in a galaxy far, far away. Yup, in an exciting development, Variety are reporting that the actor’s joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX, which is currently shooting at Pinewood Studios in the UK.
Right now, we have no idea what kind of role he’s playing, though the guy’s such a talented individual that it’s easy to imagine him as either a cold-hearted First Order commander or a plucky member of the Resistance. Heck, he’s got the exact kind of features that I could easily envisage him with a bit of makeup on as some bizarre looking alien.
Whoever he ends up playing, Smith is a welcome addition to the cast. He’s my personal favorite Doctor, bringing an ancient gravitas to the part with a performance that occasionally felt like he was a regretful thousand-year-old alien. He’s no slouch in The Crown, either, finding a depth and pathos in his Emmy award winning performance as the repellently racist Prince Philip.
Right now, Episode IX is shaping up to be one hell of a film. We already knew our primary heroes will be making a return, but the promise of Billy Dee Williams as Lando, a resurrected Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill’s final bow as Luke Skywalker and Richard E. Grant in a mysterious role makes the movie practically sweat acting talent.
As for Smith, you can catch him next in quite a different part from his usual fare. He’s playing Charles Manson in Charlie Says, which is due to premiere at the Venice Film Festival this Sunday. More on that, and who he may be portraying in Star Wars: Episode IX as soon as we have it.
