Benicio Del Toro is definitely in ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ but as is the norm with these flicks, nearly everything is being kept under wraps. It was heavily rumored that he was playing the Big Bad role, but once again, it wasn’t confirmed.
But Del Toro recently discussed shooting the film, which is due to begin next year for a 2017 theatrical release as well as his role.
“Star Wars is coming up, we will see how that turns out. I think we start shooting in March… Ehhh, the thing is, they don’t let me talk too much about it. I’m like the villain. But we’ll see.”
There is some uncertainty to this, because Del Toro made this statement in Spanish, saying his character “es como el villano” meaning “he is LIKE the villain.” This could mean that he is A bad guy but not THE bad guy. Or possibly there are multiple antagonists, some of which are part of the First Order, some who are not. This would be in keeping with the original movies. In those, there was The Emperor, Darth Vader and the rest of the Empire, but also neutral bounty hunters and other rogues like Jabba the Hutt who were only out for their own interests.
Del Toro is no stranger to playing the role of the heavy, having excelled at unsavory types in many films including ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ in which he played Marvel cosmic baddie The Collector. This cosmic turn should serve him well in this new film.
Del Toro was previously approached to play the villain who turned out to be Khan in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ but declined.
What do you think? Will the brooding Del Toro make for a good villain in ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’?
Source: /Film
