Matt Smith may best be known for changing sci-fi history for his role as the eleventh Doctor in BBC’s “Doctor Who” but he recently teased that he almost had a major role in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
The final film in the Skywalker Saga was originally supposed to be directed by Colin Trevorrow. However, he and Lucasfilm parted ways after alleged creative differences.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams returned to finish up his trilogy and try to appease fans who were let down by Rian Johnson‘s divisive “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
Now, Smith is teasing fans with a glimpse of what might have been.
Smith Confirms Early Rumors Correct
In 2018, a year before the movie was released, the Internet was buzzing with rumors that Smith was in talks to play a substantial role in the last film of the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy.
In a recent interview on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast, Smith revealed that many script changes ultimately led to his role being left on the cutting room floor.
Smith admitted that he never actually shot any scenes, nor was there a costume test for his character, although he did attend “a couple of meetings to talk about it.”
“We were close to me being in it and then it never quite happened,” Smith revealed. “I think the thing they were thinking of me for, eventually it became obsolete and they didn’t need it, and so, I never got to be in ‘Star Wars,’ there we are.”
Although he would not confirm rumors that he was supposed to be Palpatine’s son, he did mention that his character would have made “a big shift in the history of the franchise.”
“But it was a pretty groovy thing, it was a really groovy part and concept,” he offered. “It was a big thing, it was a big story detail, a transformative ‘Star Wars’ story detail and it never got quite over the line.”
Although Smith never made it into the Skywalker Saga, he is not ready to close the door on a galaxy far, far away just yet.
“Maybe I can come back,” Smith teased. “You never know.”
Is Anyone Else Returning To ‘Star Wars’?
The actor behind Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, Hayden Christensen, recently announced that he will reprise his roles in two new live-action Disney+ series.
He will appear in “Kenobi” along with Ewan McGregor, who is set to reprise his role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Marvel “Eternals” actor Kumail Nanjiani is also set to star.
Christensen will also appear in “Ahsoka.” The titular character will be played by Rosario Dawson, who recently brought the animated character of Anakin’s Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano to life in season 2 of “The Mandalorian.”
After the Skywalker Saga went out with a whimper, Lucasfilm was able to reignite interest in the franchise with their new spin-off shows, including the animated series “Star Wars: The Bad Batch.”
The Emmy-nominated show “The Mandalorian” has proven to be so popular with fans that it has launched its own spin-off show starring Temuera Morrison and the animated “Mulan” voice actress Ming-Na Wen.
“The Book of Boba Fett” will be available to stream on December 29 on Disney+.
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