Star Wars: Starfighter's Villain Actor Almost Menaced The Sequel Trilogy

Production on "Star Wars: Starfighter" is set to begin this fall. "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy will direct the film from a script written by Jonathan Tropper. Academy Award-nominee Ryan Gosling will headline the film, with Mia Goth also set to star. This film will be set five years after the events of "The Rise of Skywalker," and will be the next film in Lucasfilm's marquee franchise following Jon Favreau's "The Mandalorian and Grogu," which will hit theaters on May 22, 2026.

As principal photography nears, more actors are being cast in what appears to be a much-needed new direction for big-screen "Star Wars" adventures, given that the franchise has mainly been a television fixture thanks to its several shows on Disney+. Now, Emmy-nominated actor Matt Smith has joined the cast of "Starfighter," and fascinatingly enough, he was originally cast in the Sequel Trilogy, but his role was ultimately axed.

The Eleventh Doctor has officially joined the galaxy. According to Deadline, Matt Smith, who has had notable turns in "Doctor Who," "The Crown," and "House of the Dragon," has been cast in "Star Wars: Starfighter." While details regarding the role remain frozen in carbonite, Smith will reportedly play a villain. The idea of Smith bringing a "Star Wars" villain to life is irresistible, given his proven track record as a dynamic performer who has skirted the line between a leading man and eclectic character actor.

As mentioned above, this is not the first time Matt Smith has been courted for the "Star Wars" universe. The actor was previously reported to be part of the cast of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." However, Smith was ultimately not involved with the film, but he did acknowledge that when he was initially in talks to join the film, the role would have been a very transformative shift for the franchise. Smith claims that negotiations were only held over a couple of meetings, never making it to the costuming stage, hence the lack of "Star Wars" action figures featuring his distinct, unmistakable likeness that is only comparable to Kylo Ren himself, Adam Driver.

Besides nearly unleashing menace upon the galaxy in the "Star Wars" Sequel Trilogy, Matt Smith was cast in the failed sequel/reboot, "Terminator Genisys." In that franchise's fifth entry of which was planned to start a new trilogy, Smith played Alex, an advanced T-5000 Terminator. Unfortunately, this role (much like the rest of that film) ultimately led nowhere, and Smith's talents were wasted.

Matt Smith's next film franchise attempt was "Morbius," which was part of the now-defunct Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Smith played Lucien/Milo Morbius, the surrogate brother to Jared Leto's Dr. Michael Morbius. As most /Film readers know, "Morbius" was yet another infamous flop for this failed cinematic universe, and was subject to mockery thanks to internet memes. Misunderstanding the ironic "Morbius Sweep" memes, Sony rereleased "Morbius" into theaters, only for it to flop for the second time. As someone who was in attendance for the "House of the Dragon" Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, I recall the moment in which, during the Q&A, a fan exclaimed to Smith, "It's Morbin' Time!" which left the terminally offline Smith visibly confused. I can still feel the secondhand embarrassment in that room of roughly 6,500 fans three years later.

When it comes to the future of "Star Wars," all bets are off. The franchise has had its ups and downs since the release of "The Rise of Skywalker," and Lucasfilm's track record of announcing film projects with massive fanfare only to have them shelved is woefully embarrassing. On the bright side, we somehow got "Andor" out of it, which is unequivocally the best "Star Wars" media we received since 1980. It's encouraging that the franchise will return to theaters next summer with "The Mandalorian and Grogu," but a new film set after the events of the Sequel Trilogy is a big yet necessary risk. "Starfighter" can go either way, but here's hoping that Matt Smith is given the chance to shine as a great antagonist on the big screen, because he deserves it.

"Star Wars: Starfighter" is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2027, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the release of the original film.