After being cut from the sequel trilogy in the late 2010s, one major actor has finally been recast in a new Star Wars role. House of the Dragon and Doctor Who star Matt Smith has been confirmed to have joined Shawn Levy's upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie, alongside fellow stars Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth (who is also supposedly set to play a role in Marvel Studios' Blade).
However, this is not the first time Smith has been cast in a Star Wars project. The former Morbius star was previously set to play an undisclosed role in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, but was ultimately cut. Smith's specific Star Wars role was not revealed then, but it has since come out that he was reportedly playing a younger version of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor Palpatine.
While Smith's role in Rise of Skywalker eventually hit the cutting room floor, as that movie pivoted focus mid-development, the actor has been recast in another role in the Star Wars universe.
The 42-year-old British actor has been cast to play a villain alongside X star Mia Goth in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter film.
This marks the first time a Star Wars actor has been cast in one role for a project, cut from that project, and then hired to play another character somewhere else in the beloved sci-fi franchise.
However, he is not the first star to have been cast as two characters in the Star Wars universe. Names like Mark Hamill have played multiple roles within Star Wars (Luke Skywalker and Darth Bane for Hamill).
Other names to have played more than one Star Wars character over the years include Temuera Morrison (Boba and Jango Fett), Andy Serkis (Snoke and Kino Loy), and Warwick Davis (Wicket and Weazel).
Star Wars: Starfighter is set to arrive in theaters on May 28, 2027, coming one year after the franchise's grand return to theaters in next year's The Mandalorian & Grogu. The new film, directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker, stars Smith alongside Barbie actor Ryan Gosling, and modern-day scream queen Mia Goth.
Plot specifics for Starfighter are still being kept under wraps, but it has been rumored that the movie will follow Gosling's character as he protects his potentially force-sensitive roughly five years after the events of the sequel trilogy.
Who Is Matt Smith Playing in Star Wars: Starfighter?
Seeing Matt Smith play a young Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker would have been special.
The actor has proven to be a force to be reckoned with on screen, especially when playing a villainous role, so Smith's taking on a character as iconic as Palpatine feels like it had the potential for greatness.
Sadly, that is not the reality fans got, as the actor was ultimately cut from the movie, leaving his Palpy portrayal on the cutting room floor. With Star Wars: Starfighter, though, audiences will finally get to see the Doctor Who actor in the Star Wars universe, and as a villain no less.
It has been reported that Smith's Starfighter will not be a force user but a military general working in the far reaches of Star Wars space. In description, this character sounds like something of a Thrawn or Tarkin-like figure, which sounds perfect for Smith.
While it likely means fans will not see the actor swing a lightsaber in the new movie, it gives him a perfect opportunity to show off the terrifying, calculating nature he has brought to roles like Daemon Targaryen in HBO's House of the Dragon.
