Matt Smith Joins Star Wars: Starfighter as Villain in New Lucasfilm Film

House of the Dragon star Matt Smith is heading to a galaxy far, far away. According to Deadline, Smith has signed on to join Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming Lucasfilm feature directed by Shawn Levy. He’ll star alongside Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth in what’s shaping up to be one of the most anticipated entries in the post-Skywalker Star Wars era.

While plot details remain under wraps, sources confirm Smith will play a major villain, potentially establishing a new dark force in the Star Wars universe. The film is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, making it the latest point on the Star Wars timeline to date. Originally announced at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo this past April, Starfighter is slated for a theatrical release on May 28, 2027.

Jonathan Tropper penned the script, and casting has intensified over the last few weeks. Smith was reportedly chosen after a series of high-level meetings with Levy and Lucasfilm execs, who view his role as pivotal to shaping the next phase of Star Wars storytelling.

This marks a return to franchise genre work for Smith, who previously played the enigmatic Daemon Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon, a role that earned him critical acclaim. He’s also set to appear in Darren Aronofsky’s thriller Caught Stealing opposite Austin Butler, and in the upcoming limited series The Death of Bunny Monro.

Neither Lucasfilm nor Smith’s representatives have commented on the casting at this time.

With a leading cast that includes Gosling, Goth, and now Smith, Star Wars: Starfighter is positioning itself as a major cinematic event in the next chapter of Star Wars. As Lucasfilm moves beyond the Skywalker saga, this film could play a key role in defining the tone and trajectory of the franchise’s future on the big screen.