Matt Smith has been cast as a villain in Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, and his rumored role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker proves he’s the right choice. To be a villain in Star Wars is to join an august group, alongside the likes of Darth Vader, Palpatine, Grand Moff Tarkin, and Darth Maul.

Matt Smith has now joined Starfighter, Shawn Levy’s upcoming movie. The Doctor Who / House of the Dragon star will be playing the next Star Wars villain, alongside accomplished horror star Mia Goth. It’s actually not the first time Smith’s name has been mentioned when it comes to this franchise, though…

Matt Smith Was Rumored To Play A Young Palpatine In Rise Of Skywalker

Matt Smith was in discussions for Rise of Skywalker, although the precise nature of his role is something of a mystery. Reports first swirled back when Colin Trevorrow (of Jurᴀssic World fame) was ᴀssociated with the threequel, but they continued even after he’d been replaced by J.J. Abrams.

There are credible rumors that Smith was due to play a particularly important character; the young Palpatine. It’s unclear how this would have played into Rise of Skywalker, but many theorize he’d have been a rejuvenated Palpatine after the Sith Lord drained the power of the Force Dyad.

Whether these reports are true or not, it’s striking that the Star Wars fanbase did not object to the idea of Smith as a young Palpatine. Smith’s career was already booming in the years after his departure from Doctor Who, and the idea he’d be so important was thrilling. It was generally seen as inspired potential casting.

It takes a truly great actor to unify the vocal Star Wars fanbase. Lucasfilm clearly noticed, because the studio has returned to Smith, taking advantage of the fact Smith’s original character was rendered “obsolete” as Rise of Skywalker took shape (his own words).

Matt Smith Has Proven He Can Be A Top-Tier Star Wars Villain

Matt Smith’s star is shining brighter than ever now, thanks to House of the Dragon. He’s received universal acclaim for playing the part of Daemon Targaryen, a power-hungry and sophisticated villain who is utterly chilling. But that is far from the darkest role Smith has been cast for; he played a cannibalistic, necrophiliac serial killer in the American Psycho musical.

Smith’s villains tend to be complex characters, in part because he’s drawn to such complexity. “I mean, if we just had a bit of group therapy in House Targaryen, there probably wouldn’t be a show,” he quipped in an interview with The Guardian. It’s telling that he’s working with Mia Goth, an actress noted for similarly complex characters.

We don’t know much about Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter. This is the first movie set after The Rise of Skywalker, five years after the sequels, and it will establish a whole new status quo for the galaxy. But if the villains are as good as Matt Smith and Mia Goth, then it’s truly promising.