Star Wars' next movie wants Idris Elba as the villain, says insider

Disney is currently looking for its next Star Wars villain, and it’s eyeing up Idris Elba as the next potential Sith Lord.

Three new Star Wars films were announced at the Star Wars Celebration event last April - one set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, one set in the present day, and one set in the distant future. The film set in the future is said to bring back Daisy Ridley’s character Rey, albeit a slightly older version, as she builds, trains and leads a new order of Jedi in the galaxy. Not much else is known about the story, but given how it’s a Star Wars film, it’ll likely feature a Sith Lord or two intent on destroying peace and raising chaos in the galaxy far, far away.

Speaking of Star Wars, Ahsoka premieres in August.

It’s unclear who will be opposing Rey Skywalker, but industry insiders reckon Idris Elba is favourite for the villainous role, although it’s unconfirmed if he’s actually been approached for the part yet. This news has been reported by @MyTimeToShineH, a prominent leaker, who said, “Idris Elba being eyed to play the villain in the Rey New Jedi Order movie.”

Honestly, Idris Elba would be a brilliant choice for the Star Wars galaxy’s next major threat, and he’s got plenty of experience playing a loveable villain, like Bloodsport in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. It’s still very early days for the upcoming Star Wars sequel, and it doesn’t seem like any official castings have been made apart from Daisy Ridley returning to the role of Rey. The planned release date of the film is rumoured to be late 2025, so we probably won’t be hearing any updates for a while.

Idris Elba is seemingly spoilt for choice when it comes to blockbuster roles. He recently brought his British detective character John Luther to the big screen with Luther: Fallen Sun, which he hopes will become a household name like James Bond. Speaking of Britain’s best secret-agent, he’s also a fan-favourite pick to play Bond in the next film, even getting celebrity endorsement from Tom Hanks who wants to see him in the role.

In other news, Ubisoft officially unveiled its new open-world Star Wars game, Star Wars: Outlaws, which is essentially Red Dead Redemption 2 in space, featuring a droid everyone is finding oddly attractive.