Matt Smith Reveals When He Begins Star Wars: Starfighter Filming

Matt Smith shares when he will begin filming for Star Wars: Starfighter. The franchise’s upcoming film is directed by Shawn Levy and slated for a theatrical release date of May 28, 2027. Starfighter‘s cast also includes Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams.

Lucasfilm announced on August 28 that filming had begun in the U.K., along with confirming the cast and revealing a black-and-white photo of Gosling and Gray on set. While plot and character details are under wraps, it is confirmed to be a standalone story set in the years after The Rise of Skywalker.

During a conversation with actor Genevieve Gaunt at Paul Smith’s Mayfair boutique (via A Rabbit’s Foot), Smith now shares that he will begin filming for Starfighter in December. He also discusses how he is going through the process of fully establishing his character’s costume and overall look. Check out his comments below:

I’m going through this process now for the job I’m about to do. We’re going through the process of trying to find a costume, and sometimes you don’t know if you love a costume until you’ve worn it for a couple of days.

I’m about to do Star Wars in December, and we’re sort of trying to develop the look for that.

When the news first broke of Smith joining Starfighter, it was reported that he would be playing a villain, and Goth is allegedly playing a villain as well. With Smith only beginning filming in December, and the upcoming Star Wars movie having been in production since August, though, he may have a smaller role than originally anticipated.

As with any Star Wars villain, the costume and overarching aesthetic are essential. Before Smith begins filming, time is being taken to finalize these elements. So far, the only released set photos show Gosling and Gray’s characters, with an image of them at sea unveiled a few weeks after the first black-and-white image. There have been no first looks yet at Smith, Goth, or any of the other actors.

Matt Smith playing a Star Wars villain is not without precedent. He was heavily rumored to be playing a young Sheev Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker. Some theories suggested that this younger-looking Palpatine would have emerged after draining the power of the Force Dyad between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Ben Solo (Adam Driver).

While plans changed and Smith ultimately didn’t appear in The Rise of Skywalker, he is now officially joining Star Wars, adding another major franchise to his filmography after starring in Doctor Who and House of the Dragon.

Star Wars’ next movie is The Mandalorian & Grogu, coming to theaters on May 22, 2026, and it is the franchise’s first film since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. With a focus on characters from Disney+’s The Mandalorian series, it is more of a known quantity, whereas Star Wars: Starfighter is more of a mystery, even after months of filming.