Lucasfilm has reportedly cast Star Wars' 17th movie villain for 2027's Starfighter. Star Wars has a long history of producing the most iconic villains in movie history, from Darth Vader to Emperor Palpatine. While Disney has struggled to replicate the magic of the most legendary antagonists since acquiring Star Wars, the sequel trilogy struck up some popularity for Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo.
While the Star Wars galaxy has increasingly expanded to TV thanks to Disney+, the franchise's true roots remain on the big screen. Lucasfilm has somewhat let go of those roots recently, having left an almost seven-year gap between 2019's The Rise of Skywalker and the franchise's next movie, 2026's The Mandalorian & Grogu. But things look set to improve beyond that, with Starfighter already being lined up to follow in 2027 and many more Star Wars movies in development.
Coming off his roles in Morbius, Doctor Who, and House of the Dragon, Lucasfilm has reportedly cast Matt Smith as a villain in Star Wars: Starfighter, marking the 17th live-action movie villain casting confirmed for the galaxy far, far away.
Starfighter, which hails from Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, is set to begin production later this year to hit theaters on May 28, 2027. Drive actor Ryan Gosling and Pearl star Mia Goth have both been cast alongside Smith.
According to a recent edition of The InSneider newsletter, Smith will, sadly, not wield a lightsaber for his Star Wars role, and will instead be "some kind of military general" in Starfighter.
The Doctor Who star's latest trip into the sci-fi realm marks the 17th casting for a live-action Star Wars movie villain, and even the second for 2027's Starfighter:
Mia Goth
As Starfighter gears up to begin production later this year, Pearl star Mia Goth has reportedly been cast as a villain alongside Matt Smith. It's unclear what her Star Wars role will entail and whether she will be allied with Smith's mystery baddie, but her casting has stirred up fears she will exit Marvel Studios' troubled Blade reboot.
Ray Park - Darth Maul
The iconic Sith apprentice, Darth Maul, debuted in The Phantom Menace, where he was played by Scottish actor and martial artist Ray Park. In more recent years, Park was replaced as Darth Maul for his cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where The Clone Wars voice actor Sam Witwer replaced him.
Christopher Lee - Count Dooku
Count Dooku's villainous origin story is truly legendary, defecting from Jedi Master to Qui-Gon Jinn before becoming Darth Sidious' Sith Apprentice. The successor to Darth Maul featured in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, played by The Lord of the Rings actor Christopher Lee.
Temuera Morrison - Jango Fett
The Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett debuted in Attack of the Clones, where he served as the template for the Republic's clone army. Fett actor Temuera Morrison is still kicking about the Star Wars universe, but the failure of his Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett, has landed him on the shelf for now.
Matthew Wood - General Grievous
Revenge of the Sith brought in another prequel trilogy villain through General Grievous, a commander in the Separatist Droid Army. The vocals for the multi-lightsaber-wielding clanker were provided by Matthew Wood, who also happens to be a supervising sound editor at Skywalker Sound.
Hayden Christensen - Anakin Skywalker
Hayden Christensen joined the Star Wars franchise as Anakin Skywalker at 19 years old, knowing that all roads led to Darth Vader. Having brought his journey from Jedi hero to Sith apprentice to life in the prequel trilogy, Christensen will be back for more Star Wars in 2026 with a seemingly key role in Ahsoka Season 2.
Ian McDirmid - Emperor Palpatine
Outside of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine may be Star Wars' most iconic villain and the only one to appear in all three Skywalker Saga trilogies. The role was played by Ian McDirmid from 1983's Return of the Jedi to 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, where Rey was helped to defeat him by nine famous Jedis.
James Earl Jones/David Prowse - Darth Vader
Hollywood's OG big-bad Darth Vader was brought to life by two actors, with the 1.98 metre-tall bodybuilder David Prowse wearing the iconic black suit while James Earl Jones offered the imposing voice. Jones only retired from voicing Darth Vader after Obi-Wan Kenobi before his tragic passing in September 2024.
Peter Cushing - Grand Moff Tarkin
Grand Moff Tarkin was part of one of Star Wars' most legendary moments, giving the order to destroy Alderaan using the Death Star. Star Wars stirred up controversy in Rogue One by resurrecting the late actor Peter Cushing as a CGI'd Grand Moff Tarkin, even prompting a lawsuit in more recent years.
Jason Wingreen/Jeremy Bulloch - Boba Fett
Long before Attack of the Clones came along to explain his origins, The Empire Strikes Back debuted Boba Fett as a bounty hunter working under Darth Vader. At that time, Boba Fett was not played by Temuera Morrison, but was instead a joint effort between suit-wearer Jeremy Bulloch and voice actor Jason Wingreen.
Adam Driver - Kylo Ren
Oscar-nominated actor Adam Driver led the sequel trilogy's dark side front as Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo (son of Han Solo and Leia Organa). Kylo Ren aspired to follow in his grandfather, Darth Vader's footsteps, which he arguably did so as he redeemed himself by helping Rey defeat a resurrected Emperor Palpatine.
Andy Serkis - Supreme Leader Snoke
Mo-cap legend Andy Serkis took his first dive into Star Wars as Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens, heading up the First Order. While Star Wars fans once believed Snoke was being teed up as the Palpatine figure of the sequel trilogy, he was promptly killed off in The Last Jedi.
Gwendoline Christie - Captain Phasma
The female stormtrooper Captain Phasma was a formidable warrior in the First Order, brought to screens by Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie. She was ultimately killed by John Boyega's Finn, a defected stormtrooper, in a battle aboard the Supremacy that saw her plummet to her death.
Domhnall Gleeson - General Hux
The Paper actor Domhnall Gleeson played the sequel trilogy's General Hux, a First Order leader who would ultimately become a spy for the Resistance, leading to his death. The Mandalorian Season 3 revealed that Hux's father was previously among a group of remnants seeking to bring back Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Ben Mendelsohn - Orson Krenic
Secret Invasion star Ben Mendelsohn brought Star Wars' first spin-off movie villain to screens in Rogue One with Imperial Director Orson Krennic. As the Empire's director of Advanced Weapons Research, Krennic was obsessed with completing the Death Star, something which was felt when he returned in Andor Season 2.
Paul Bettany - Dryden Vos
Dryden Vos appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story as the public face of crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, which was ruled in secret by Darth Maul. The spin-off movie villain was brought to life by Paul Bettany, who is most famous for playing Vision and JARVIS in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
BONUS.) Lars Mikkelsen - Grand Admiral Thrawn
Sherlock actor Lars Mikkelsen brought Grand Admiral Thrawn to live-action in Disney+'s Ahsoka, and he is expected to return next year for Season 2. But that may not be the end of the line for the New Republic's big bad, as he is anticipated to be the MandoVerse's final villain in the future crossover movie.
