During the recent Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm announced a new Star Wars mainline film titled New Jedi Order, which will see Daisy Riley returning as Rey Skywalker, Lucasfilm has reportedly looking for the movie’s villain.
A new rumor suggests that Idris Elba is being considered for the role. Reliable industry insider MyTimeToShineHello shared the information on Twitter.
"Idris Elba being eyed to play the villain in the Rey New Jedi Order movie!" the insider tweeted.
Idris Elba being eyed to play the villain in the Rey New Jedi Order movie! pic.twitter.com/ckDtRWR4kj
— MyTimeToShineHello (@MyTimeToShineH) June 9, 2023
Adding Elba to the Star Wars film could potentially boost its popularity. The Daisy Ridley-led sequel trilogy had many fans disappointed especially with how it ended in Rise of the Skywalker.
What is the new Star Wars film about?
Lucasfilm announced back in April that a new Star Wars movie will focus on Rey Skywalker rebuilding the Jedi. The New Jedi Order will be set 15 years after the events of The Rise of the Skywalker. Rey will re-establish the Jedi as peacekeepers of the galaxy and lead a new generation of Jedi, something many fans have been clamoring for in the sequel trilogy.
While it has been confirmed that Ridley is returning to the franchise, longtime Star Wars actor Mark Hamill may not be part of the new movie. In a recent interview, Hamill shared that he is unlikely to reprise his role as Luke Skywalker in the upcoming project.
"No, I don’t have any expectations of that happening," Hamill said.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is set to direct the upcoming film which may be the start of a new trilogy. This will be the first fiction movie directorial project for the Obaid-Chinoy. She previously worked as a director for two episodes of the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel.
Lucasfilm also announced two new Star Wars films alongside the New Jedi Order. The first film titled Dawn of the Jedi will be directed by James Mangold. The upcoming movie will be a prequel film and tells the story of the Jedi in the infancy of the Galactic Republic. The project, which Mangold describes as "a biblical epic", will be set 25,000 years before the events of Star Wars.
The Mandalorian, directed by Dave Filoni, will serve as a crossover movie that bridges several Disney+ TV shows. The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ashoka TV series will all be tied-in to this upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie.
There were previous reports that Elba is also being considered as the next James Bond. The actor has shot down the rumors saying that he is "nowhere" near being cast as Daniel Craig’s replacement.
Elba will next appear in Extraction 2 alongside Chris Hemsworth. The actor will also be part of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty which is coming out later this year. He will also be voicing Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the Knuckles TV show.
