Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip in The Crown for seasons one and two, has been cast in the upcoming Star Wars film Star Wars Episode IX. According to Variety magazine, the actor will have a "key role" in the highly-anticipated sci-fi film set in a galaxy far, far away. The actor has joined Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan, Keri Russell and fellow Doctor Who alumni Richard E. Grant as newcomers in the franchise, while Daisy Ridley and John Boyega will be reprising their roles for the third and final time.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMatt will have a key role in Star Wars
Matt is also best known for his turn as the Doctor in Doctor Who from 2010 to 2013, and recently revealed that he congratulated the new Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, over the phone. He told the Guardian: "Oh, I just think she'll have a wonderful time. But the shift in your life is extraordinary, because it crosses generations. So when she goes to a wedding, she's not going to the wedding any more as Jodie Whittaker, she's going as the Doctor. When she goes to a funeral, she's not going to a funeral as Jodie Whittaker, she's going to a funeral as the Doctor. At her local cafe, they'll talk to you about that. Because people can't help but attach that to you; something changes in the perception of everyone else around you."
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Although the plot of Star Wars Episode IX has been kept tightly under wraps, Daisy previously opened up about saying goodbye to her character, Rey. She told Rolling Stone: "For me, I didn't really know what I was signing on to. I hadn't read the script, but from what I could tell, it was really nice people involved, so I was just like, 'Awesome.' Now I think I am even luckier than I knew then, to be part of something that feels so like coming home now… I am really, really excited to do the third thing and round it out, because ultimately, what I was signing on to was three films. So in my head, it's three films. I think it will feel like the right time to round it out."
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