Post-The Force Awakens, one of the coolest parts of watching the dust settle following the release of possibly the most anticipated film of all time was the prospect of discovering which big names were hiding away beneath the armour and prosthetics. Simon Pegg played Jakku-based junk dealer Unkar Plutt, and Daniel Craig had a prominent role as the stormtrooper who Rey mind-controls into letting her escape. Now, if Making Star Wars is to be believed, yet another Hollywood star will pop up briefly in Star Wars Episode VIII – it’s only bloody Tom Hardy.
We won’t reveal the exact nature of his role here for fear of spoilers (although you can follow the link if you’re really desperate to find out), but it’s cool to see that Rian Johnson is continuing with the trend that JJ Abrams started in giving big names small novelty roles. It’s a shame that it’s not a bigger part, but frankly being able to use the words ‘Tom Hardy’ and ‘Star Wars’ in the same sentence is good enough news at it is, so we won’t quibble too much.
Hardy joins a cast that already includes the returning Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscaar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew, as well as new additions Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran. Rian Johnson is on board as director and writer, with Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman producing alongside executive producers JJ Abrams, Tommy Harper and Jason D McGatlin.
Star Wars: Episode VIII will be released in cinemas on 15 December 2017. Read our review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens here, and watch our video review here. For more news about the biggest movies, pick up the new issue of SciFiNow.
