Is Matt Smith Actually In Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker?

With less than two months to go until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits cinemas around the world, Disney and Lucasfilm have pretty much shown us everything they want us to see.

We've had all the trailers, info dumps, casting announcements and story details that we're going to get, and at this stage, it's simply a case of waiting for the film to open (as well as wading through an inevitable sea of TV spots) so we can find out more.

But one big thing that the studios have not yet discussed is the involvement - or lack thereof - of actor Matt Smith. Late last year, several reputable trades reported that he was joining the project, but we still haven't had any official confirmation about his role, and it isn't fully clear whether or not we'll see him appear.

Instead, we've had a series of rumours, leaks, interviews, and speculative reports, all of which paint a rather intriguing timeline of events that will hopefully allow us to piece this puzzle together.

So... is Matt Smith actually in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? Let's try and answer that question by looking at everything we know.

In August 2018, Variety dropped an exclusive report stating that Smith had been cast in Episode IX in a "key" role. Beyond that, however, they provided no further details, and didn't know whether he'd be playing a good guy or a bad guy.

Here's their exact quote:

"Sources tell Variety that The Crown star Matt Smith is joining Star Wars: Episode IX, which is currently in production in the U.K. It’s unknown at this time whether the Doctor Who alum will be on the side of the rebels or the evil empire."

The important word to note here is "sources". Smith's casting was not fed to Variety by an official channel of Disney or Lucasfilm - it came from one of the site's own insiders, someone who, presumably, had close ties to the production of the film.

Outlets like Variety are known for their accurate reporting and reliable sources, and they wouldn't publish a story like this unless they were 100-percent convinced that they were relaying facts. But because this information did not come direct from the studio, there's always a possibility that the report simply isn't accurate.

But then again, it's nearly impossible to find an instance where Variety has spouted baloney. There's always a first time for everything, but is this it?