Former Doctor Who and The Crown star Matt Smith is said to have landed a key role in Star Wars: Episode IX. And on National Bowtie Day, for crying out loud!
That’s the casting tidbit that almost brought the Internet to a standstill earlier this afternoon, when Variety revealed that Smith, still coming hot off his Emmy-nominated performance as Prince Philip, has joined Episode IX in an undisclosed, but no less vital role.
Speculation is rife that Matt Smith has clinched the part of Snoke’s other apprentice, while there are those who believe he’s a shoo-in for the Knights of Ren. Neither Lucasfilm nor J.J. Abrams have revealed anything official, so expect the rumor mill to operate at full tilt until further notice.
Speaking of which, Twitter is abuzz with the news that Smith, a real favorite among sci-fi nuts, will soon be trading the TARDIS for Lucasfilm’s galaxy far, far away, and it wasn’t long before the first knee-jerk reactions began to emerge. Most are positive, some are lukewarm, while one or two aren’t all that fussed by the news that Episode IX‘s casting docket has grown by one.
I will not hear that it's a ~coincidence~ that they announced #MattSmith's casting in #StarWarsEpisodeIX on #NationalBowtieDay pic.twitter.com/xyCTlBSAD4
— Jordan 🐝 Nielsen (@JordanBNielsen) August 28, 2018
My reaction seeing the Matt Smith casting news/ rumors for Star Wars: pic.twitter.com/x3905TgiR1
— Ventress87 (@Ventress87) August 28, 2018
https://twitter.com/benscalligraphy/status/1034502478006571008
https://twitter.com/13s_bestfriend/status/1034508885921615872
matt smith? star wars? pic.twitter.com/N7o0TwqbKo
— Dom (@WGGPapaDom) August 28, 2018
me : hasn't even seen all the star wars films
matt smith : joins star wars
me : I LOVE STAR WARS SO MUCH WOAH AMAZING— marion (@marmarsaurus) August 28, 2018
All in all, it’s a pretty positive reaction to Star Wars: Episode IX‘s latest casting coup, and with production well underway, it shouldn’t be too long before we have our first glimpse at Matt Smith milling about the set – that is, assuming he’s playing an actual physical character, as opposed to some CG alien or droid that will later be added in post.
Whatever the case, Star Wars: Episode IX has been scheduled for release on December 20th, 2019, and Smith now joins a small list of newcomers to the Sequel Trilogy that includes Keri Russell… and Billy Dee Williams, who’s about to reprise as the smooth-talking Lando Calrissian.
