Matt Smith’s Role in STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER May Have Been Uncovered

It looks like we might know who Matt Smith is playing in Star Wars: Starfighter. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Smith had joined the cast of the upcoming Star Wars film, which also stars Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth, with Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy behind the camera.

Now, a new report is pointing toward the type of villain Smith will be bringing to the galaxy far, far away.

According to Jeff Sneider, Smith will be taking on the role of a military general in the film, which is set five years after Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. Sneider first revealed the detail in his newsletter before discussing it further on The Hot Mic with John Rocha.

During their conversation, Rocha referenced rumors about the former Doctor Who star playing an antagonistic role, and mentioned reports of him sharing the screen with a female villain. That lines up with earlier news from May 2025, when Goth was revealed to be playing an antagonist opposite Gosling.

When pressed for more details, Sneider said he wasn’t a huge fan of Smith and claiming that neither Smith nor Goth’s villain performances will be “iconic.” He added, “He’s like a military general,” and said that Smith’s character won’t have Force powers.

Sneider admitted he didn’t know much about Goth’s role and avoided confirming whether Gosling’s character will wield the Force.

Sneider also revealed that Smith wasn’t the first choice for this role and that “a lot of people have been passing on this movie.” According to Deadline, Levy had met with several actors before the studio decided on the House of the Dragon star.

The conversation even drifted into some Star Wars history, with Rocha and Sneider discussing past speculation that Smith was once considered to play a young Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker and whether that played any part in his Starfighter casting.

Levy is directing Star Wars: Starfighter from a script by Jonathan Tropper, with production kicking off this fall. The movie is set to hit US theaters on May 28, 2027.

This means we could be looking at a Star Wars entry that puts Smith in a grounded, non-Force-wielding villain role, possibly making him a political or strategic threat rather than a mystical one.

Given the timeline, fans are already speculating about how his general might connect to the post-Skywalker Saga galaxy and what kind of adversary he’ll be for Gosling’s character.