It seems like Matt Smith is ready to leave Buckingham Palace behind him and head for the galaxy far, far away. The Crown and Doctor Who alumni just joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX in an undisclosed, but crucial role.
News of Smith’s casting comes only a few days after Dominic Monaghan joined the franchise. Fans were super-excited about this announcement because Lost actor already worked with director J.J. Abrams in the past… but he’s not the only one! Keri Russell, who rose to prominence after playing the lead in his show Felicity, also recently joined the lineup.
Matt Smith’s casting is just the cherry on the cake since he already has experience going on epic space adventures. He became a household name after playing the eleventh incarnation of The Doctor in the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who. The international audience knows him as Prince Philip from the Netflix historic drama The Crown. Smith even received an Emmy nom for this role, but we’re yet to find out if he’s going to win.
The regular cast of Star Wars sequel trilogy will reprise their roles in the new movie. Abrams recently stated he’s planning to use previously unreleased footage of the late Carrie Fisher to bring Leia Organa’s story to a satisfying conclusion. The director made this decision after getting a blessing from her daughter Billie Lourd, who also stars in the movie. Star Wars: Episode IX comes to theaters on December 20, 2019.
