Matt Smith made his name piloting the TARDIS as The Doctor in sci-fi phenomenon Doctor Who, but now he's joining another storied franchise of galactic proportions: Star Wars. According to Justin Kroll over at Variety, Smith is joining the yet to be titled ninth episode, which will see the return of J.J. Abrams to the director's chair. This role is said to be a key role, though that doesn't really indicate much at all.
Smith is no stranger to high profile geek roles, but this might be the most secretive project he's ever joined. And unlike his work in Netflix's The Crown, there isn't any real history to look at for clues. Abrams has this story under lock and key, as he's known to do with his projects. Star Wars fans will of course speculate. Could he be a villain? A hero? A new ally? A Knight of Ren? That's a concept Abrams himself set up in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The possibiltles are endless.
Episode IX is currently filming in the U.K. and it's set for release in December of next year. Hopefully, despite the long wait fans have ahead, we'll get some news soon as we ramp up toward Star Wars Celebration in Chicago next spring.