There’s been much speculation about who The Crown‘s Matt Smith could be playing in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, since he was reported to be involved with Episode IX last summer. An alteration to the movie’s cast list online, however, has got us wondering if the actor might’ve now been cut from the finale to the Sequel Trilogy.
If you head over to Disney’s UK website, you’ll notice that Smith’s name isn’t listed amongst the rest of the cast. That doesn’t sound like much at first, as Lucasfilm hasn’t exactly been broadcasting that he’s part of the movie’s ensemble, but it’s notable as the former Doctor Who star was once referenced by the site.
So, why could Smith have been removed from the cast list? Well, it might mean that the actor’s role has ultimately been cut from the theatrical release of the film. This happens all the time, of course. Just look at Katherine Langford’s cameo in Avengers: Endgame which was junked after a negative reaction from test screenings. Alternatively, Smith being listed in the first place could have been an oversight. After all, no other official outlets have mentioned him, insinuating that his role is classified information.
Due to the secrecy surrounding his part in the proceedings, fans have theorized that Smith could be portraying a young Palpatine, seeing as the first trailer confirmed that Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor would be returning for Rise. Director J.J. Abrams has also promised his grand finale will act as a conclusion to the whole nine-movie saga, so flashbacks to Darth Sidious’ youth could end up being relevant somehow.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see if Smith is involved or not, but one way or another, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will reveal all the answers when it blasts into theaters on December 20th.