From playing a royal to heading to the dark side. The Crown alum Matt Smith has signed on to play the villain in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter film alongside Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. The flick is slated to hit theaters on Memorial Day Weekend in 2027. MEGA The movie will be directed by Deadpool & Wolverine's Shawn Levy. His frequent collaborator, The Adam Project screenwriter Jonathan Tropper, handled the script. No further information has been revealed about Smith's role, and plot details are currently under wraps. The film will go into production this fall. According to reports, the new movie is set five years after the events of Disney's sequel trilogy, which concluded with 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Smith received an Emmy nomination for playing Prince Philip on Netflix's series centered around the British royal family. The 42-year-old is currently playing Daemon Targaryen on HBO Max's House of the Dragon, which will air its third season in 2026. Lumeimages / MEGA Gosling is set to star in Star Wars: Starfighter. "The reality is that this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters," he said in an interview. "It's filled with so much heart and adventure and there just really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn." The post 'The Crown' actor set as next major 'Star Wars' villain appeared first on Wonderwall.com.