Variety reported last August that Matt Smith (Doctor Who) would be heading to a galaxy far, far away as he had joined the cast of J.J. Abrams' STAR WARS: EPISODE IX. There were no details revealed on just who Smith would be playing, but at the time, it was said to be a "key role." Resistance? First Order? Alien? Jedi? Sith? The guessing game began, but according to Smith himself, you shouldn't expect to see him in the film.
While speaking with The LA Times, the actor said, "As far as I can tell, I'm definitely not [in STAR WARS: EPISODE IX.]" Now, this could mean any number of things. It could mean that the announcement of his casting was a mistake and that he's legitimately not in the film, or perhaps he did take part but has been informed that his role has landed on the cutting room floor. It's also possible that he's simply keeping a secret and is lying about his involvement. I suppose we'll find out one way or another as the release for EPISODE IX approaches. Even without Matt Smith, the film still boasts quite the impressive cast, which consists of John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joona Suotamo, and Billie Lourd, along with Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Carrie Fisher. There are a few STAR WARS-newbies among the cast as well, including Naomi Ackie (Doctor Who), Richard E. Grant (LOGAN), Keri Russell (The Americans), and Dominic Monaghan (Lost).
Matt Smith is currently in the midst of production on MORBIUS, Sony's upcoming Spider-Man spinoff which stars Jared Leto as Morbius, the Living Vampire. Nothing has been officially revealed regarding Smith's role, but it's been said that he'll be playing the villain of the film, Loxias Crown, Morbius' best friend who also happens to suffer from the same blood disease. Smith told The LA Times that it was his former Doctor Who co-star Karen Gillan who persuaded him to take a part in the comic-book movie.
Karen’s amazing. She’s going to end up ruling the world. I can’t tell you her exact advice to me — I’d have to kill you. But she told me that she really likes it, making those movies. That was enough for me. “And that’s been my experience so far. I really like the director, Daniel Espinosa, on [‘Morbius’]. I’ve kind of waited [comic book movies] out a bit. I nearly did one last year and then I didn’t. This one felt right because of him.
STAR WARS: EPISODE IX will hit theaters on December 20, 2019, with MORBIUS premiering on July 31, 2020.