Oscar-winner Benicio del Toro has been offered the role of villain-in-chief for Star Wars: Episode VIII, the untitled second film in Disney’s new trilogy of films based on the iconic space saga, reports the Wrap.
Little is known about the storyline for the new instalment, so the nature of Del Toro’s role also remains nebulous. Episode VIII is being written and directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson. According to the Wrap, it will also include the return of John Boyega as heroic Stormtrooper Finn, Daisy Ridley as Rey and Oscar Isaac as X-wing pilot Poe Dameron. It is due to arrive in multiplexes in May 2017, around 18 months after the release of JJ Abrams’ series opener Star Wars: The Force Awakens on 18 December.
Del Toro, who won the best supporting actor Oscar in 2000 for his role as a Mexican narcotics cop in Traffic, previously starred as The Collector in the comic book space opera Guardians of the Galaxy, from Disney’s superhero-movies unit Marvel.
Johnson is also writing a treatment for the final episode in Star Wars’ new trilogy, so may become a more powerful player in the new era of the long-running saga than Abrams. He is due to begin shooting Episode VIII early next year.
A new villain for the second film of the Abrams era doesn’t necessarily mean Disney-owned Star Wars rights holder Lucasfilm is abandoning its formula from the original trilogy, which featured the James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader in all three films. Del Toro might move to the fore in Episode VIII but recede again into the background in the trilogy’s finale, while another villain (perhaps Adam Driver’s nefarious Kylo Ren) plays a part across the full triptych of movies.
As well as a new trilogy of films, in December 2016 Disney is releasing the spin-off Star Wars: Rogue One, about a team of rebels vying to steal the plans to the first Death Star. The studio is also planning a standalone movie about the early life of Han Solo, which The Lego Movie’s Christopher Miller and Phil Lord are reportedly in talks to direct.
