Matt Smith Joins Star Wars Episode 9 - Who Is He Playing?

Matt Smith is in Star Wars now. Star Wars is cool.

The cast of J.J. Abrams' Episode IX continues to get bigger (on the inside) and more impressive, with the Doctor Who and The Crown alum the latest star to join the roster. News of his casting comes courtesy of Variety, who also report that he has a "key role" in the film, although of course there's no word yet on exactly who or what that is.

It completes a long journey to a galaxy far, far away for Smith, who was rumoured to be in talks for Episode VII way back in 2013 (via Bleeding Cool). Obviously that never materialised, but it seems like Abrams kept the actor in his thoughts.

Smith could feasibly play someone on either side of the Resistance/First Order divide; it's easy to imagine him as an officer in their ranks, which need swelling after the death of Snoke, so he could come in as someone around the same level as General Hux.

In even greater need, though, are the Resistance, who are down to just a ship full of people. They'll be getting reinforcements in the form of Lando Calrissian and Snap Wexley (with Billy Dee Williams and Greg Gunberg both confirmed to return, begging the question of whether the latter was just on annual leave during Episode VIII), but adding a Doctor to the mix would certainly help.

He could even be a Knight of Ren, should Abrams decide to explore Kylo's followers more in this movie (which seems quite likely after giving them some setup in The Force Awakens), After being the hero in Doctor Who, it would be fun to see him take on a more villainous role here.

Smith joins fellow newcomers Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Naomi Ackie, and Dominic Monaghan, all of whose roles are being kept under wraps for now. Production has been underway for just under a month, so it'll probably be a little while yet before we learn anything more concrete on that front, but Abrams has assembled a lot of talent for his trilogy closer.

Are you excited about Matt Smith's casting? Who do you think he will play? Share your thoughts down in the comments.