Matt Smith is finally making the jump to hyperspace. After years of teasing (and that “maybe he was Palpatine’s clone” rumour in The Rise of Skywalker), the Doctor Who and House of the Dragon star is officially joining the Star Wars galaxy. He’ll play one of the villains in Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming standalone film from Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy. And no, we still don’t know if he’ll have a mohawk in this one, too. But we kind of hope so.
Smith stars opposite Ryan Gosling, who’s leading the film as a mysterious new character tasked with protecting “a young charge from evil pursuers,” according to THR. So, you know, pretty standard day in the Star Wars universe. Mia Goth (Pearl) also plays a villain, bringing that otherworldly voice and unsettling presence to a galaxy already full of terrifying space wizards. At one point, Anora Oscar-winner Mikey Madison was in talks for the role, but reports suggest her salary demands sent negotiations into the Sarlacc pit.
The film is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, meaning the Jedi are… still figuring it out? Maybe Rey’s teaching lightsaber classes. Either way, Starfighter isn’t part of a new trilogy (thank the Force). It’s a standalone, character-driven space adventure meant to reboot some cinematic momentum for a franchise that’s been mostly TV-bound recently.
Shawn Levy, whose filmography includes Free Guy, The Adam Project, and the entire Night at the Museum series, will direct. Say what you will about his resume, but with Deadpool & Wolverine tracking as one of the biggest releases of 2024, he’s clearly on Disney’s nice list right now. “The reality is that this script is just so good,” Gosling said during the film’s reveal in Tokyo at Star Wars Celebration. “It’s filled with so much heart and adventure, and there really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn.”
Jonathan Tropper (The Adam Project, This Is Where I Leave You) is writing the screenplay. He’s been working on it since at least 2022, which means there’s a good chance it survived the great post-Skywalker rewriting era of Lucasfilm.
Production on Star Wars: Starfighter kicks off in England this September. Disney has locked in a release date of May 28, 2027, a year after The Mandalorian & Grogu hits cinemas.
Smith’s casting comes as a bit of redemption. He was heavily rumoured to appear in The Rise of Skywalker, but the role never materialised. When asked about it by Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused, Smith said, “It was a big thing, it was a big story detail, a transformative Star Wars story detail, and it never got quite over the line.”
Now it’s happening. He’s traded the Iron Throne for the cockpit of a TIE Fighter. But will his Star Wars villain be as memorable as Daemon Targaryen or as cursed as Milo in Morbius?
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