Benicio Del Toro Confirms Star Wars: Episode VIII Role

Benicio Del Toro confirms role as Star Wars: Episode VIII ‘villain,’ shooting in March

predator reboot benicio del toro version 1473691188 happy — PAN Photo Agency/Shutterstock

There’s no need to speculate anymore: Benicio Del Toro has confirmed that he’ll play a “villain” in Star Wars: Episode VIII. The Puerto Rican actor dropped the news, along with the film’s shooting schedule, in a Spanish-language interview with Rac1.org, which was later picked up by the Nerdist.

“Star Wars is coming up, we will see how that turns out,” Del Toro said nonchalantly. “I think we start shooting in March.” Unfortunately, he couldn’t reveal too much about his role. “Ehhh, the thing is, they don’t let me talk too much about it,” he added. “I’m like the villain. But we’ll see.” Like the villain. That leaves the door open for some interpretation. But we do know he won’t exactly be exactly aligned with the cause of the Rebel alliance, er, we meant the Resistance.

The Academy Award-winning actor should make an excellent addition to the film. He’s starred in a variety of films, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to Che to a voice acting role in The Little Prince, but it’s his wacky turn as The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy that has fans, and possibly the studio, most excited about his presence in the film.

Del Toro will next appear in a musical drama written and directed by Terrence Malick, which is due out in 2016 and co-stars a veritable “who’s who” of Hollywood, including Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and Michael Fassbender, among others.

Little is known about Star Wars: Episode VIII at this point, but we do know that Oscar Isaac will reportedly return as Poe Dameron, his Episode VII character. Meanwhile, director J.J. Abrams will pass the baton to Rian Johnson, who will write and direct Episode VIII, though his touch will no doubt be felt as producer. As of now, there are also three actresses reportedly in the running to play the female lead in the film.

Before Star Wars: Episode VIII, we still have Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to look forward to. They’ll open just a year apart — on Dec. 18, 2015 and Dec. 16, 2016, respectively. Star Wars: Episode VIII will arrive on May 26, 2017.

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