Fans may have heard about the casting of Matt Smith in the new Starfighter film. Building on the momentum of Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth being added to the project, Smith’s inclusion figures well for this movie. Smith’s villain acting also fits well in the Star Wars franchise.
The Excitement of Matt Smith Being Cast in Starfighter
As reported this month, the House of the Dragon star, Matt Smith, will be joining the latest Star Wars movie project. Smith also starred in Doctor Who and almost made it into the cast of Rise of Skywalker. Now, he is set to take a leading role in the upcoming stand-alone project called “Starfighter.”
Early this year, we discussed the addition of Ryan Gosling to the project. That move is promising because it adds star power to the post-sequel time frame. Since then, the Starfighter movie added Mia Goth as the main villain opposite Gosling’s character. Director Shawn Levy is anticipated to center the action on Gosling’s character protecting “a young charge against evil pursuers.”
After Goth was cast, news stories like this one captured the excitement about “just the second Star Wars feature film since The Rise of Skywalker.” Starfighter is expected to be released about a year after The Mandalorian and Grogu movie. The project gains momentum, with filming scheduled to start this fall.
Now, with Matt Smith joining the villain side, fan excitement reaches new levels. One post here indicates that there is not “a working actor that has a face more fit to be a Star Wars villain” than this actor. He “belongs in an imperial uniform” or fits the role of “a First Order Remnant admiral clinging to power.”
With a reputable acting background and fan support, Smith promises to fit well into the Star Wars franchise.
Smith’s Potential in the Franchise
How Smith delivers his villainy bodes well for the galaxy. It could be “the unhinged charisma of Prince Daemon in House of the Dragon” that transitions effectively into Star Wars. We could agree that “Smith is at his best when he’s a little unhinged, a little dangerous,” which promises to complement his character in Starfighter.
Star Wars movies and shows thrive on his villain dynamic. We may think of Vader right away, as a fallen villain who straddles “tragedy and terror.” With speculation that Smith could play “a military general”, his character would build on the complexity of villains set forth in Andor.
In comparison, the characters of Deedra Meero and Syril Karn top the list as this kind of villain. Individually, the two provided depth to what Imperial officers were about, but they also forged “a romance between two villains who remain villains” absorbed in “power, obsession, and emotional dependence.”
Smith may take some cues from the type of complexity, as he draws on his own acting career. As the short video below describes, we should see the promise of another Game of Thrones actor who “crosses over into Star Wars.” While we probably won’t see a younger version of Palpatine, we could very well encounter a remnant officer with complex motivations.
This video speculates that we could see Smith’s character have some Force powers, connections, or intersections with our all-encompassing mystical energy field. If that turns out to be the case, that element would enhance his villain role.
In the case of the larger franchise, it may be true that adding Smith to the cast is part of Lucasfilm’s efforts to learn from its mistakes. To continue placing the franchise on a positive track, “Lucasfilm understands how important the next wave of Star Wars films will be.” As with Gosling, Smith’s star power lends credibility, but also, in contrast, villainy.
Matt Smith in Starfighter
We can thus see the promise of Matt Smith’s acting for both the Starfighter movie and the franchise. As this next movie moves forward to filming, Smith’s villain track record is bound to boost the project and continue the use of complex villains in the galaxy.