XPost: alt.fan.starwars   
   From: YourName@YourISP.com   
      
       'Star Wars: Starfighter' Adds Matt Smith in Villain Role   
       --------------------------------------------------------   
       Matt Smith is headed to a galaxy far, far away.   
      
       The "House of the Dragon" star has joined the cast of Shawn Levy's   
       "Star Wars: Starfighter" for Lucasfilm, sources close to the actor   
       confirm. He will appear in a villain role, opposite previously   
       announced cast members Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. Lucasfilm could   
       not be reached for comment.   
      
       This isn't Smith's first brush with the "Star Wars" franchise. The   
       "Doctor Who" alum was previously cast in "The Rise of Skywalker,"   
       but ultimately didn't appear in the film. "We were close to being   
       in it, but it never quite happened. I think the thing they were   
       thinking of before. Eventually, the part became obsolete and they   
       didn't need it. So, I never got to be in 'Star Wars,'" he told the    
       Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2021. He declined to elaborate on   
       the role he would have played (though many suspected he would   
       portray the son of Emperor Palpatine), adding, "It was a really   
       groovy part and concept. It was a big thing, a big story detail.   
       A transformative 'Star Wars' story detail. But it never quite got   
       over the line. It was a big shift in the history of the franchise."   
      
       Smith's additional credits include "Last Night in Soho," "Morbius"   
       and his Emmy-nominated turn as Prince Philip on "The Crown." He   
       will soon appear in Darren Aronofsky's "Caught Stealing" alongside   
       Austin Butler and Zoe Kravitz.   
      
       "Star Wars: Starfighter" shoots this fall and is due in theaters   
       on May 28, 2027. Jonathan Tropper wrote the script. He has written   
       prior features for Levy ("The Adam Project," "This Is Where I Leave   
       You") and is the creator of the Apple TV+ series "Your Friends &   
       Neighbors."   
      
       Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer   
       Dave Filoni officially unveiled plans for "Starfighter" at the   
       annual Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo this April.   
      
       The standalone, which focuses on new characters in the "Star Wars"   
       universe, is set roughly five years after the events of "Star Wars:   
       Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker," which concluded the Skywalker   
       saga and currently stands as the final feature chronologically on   
       the "Star Wars" timeline.   
      
       "Star Wars: Starfighter" marks Levy's directorial follow-up to   
       Marvel Studios' hit buddy comedy "Deadpool & Wolverine," which raked   
       in $1.3 billion at the global box office after releasing in July   
       2024 and stands as the highest-grossing R-rated feature of all time.   
      
       Deadline was first to report the news of Smith's casting.   
      
      
      
      
      
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