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Benicio del Toro is going cosmic. After a crowd-pleasing turn as The Collector in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy, the actor has been attached to a role in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Exactly what that role is has been a mystery though, but new reports from a casting sheet appear to confirm long-running rumours that del Toro will be playing the main villain in Brick and Looper director Rian Johnson's mid-trilogy instalment.


That's according to MovieCastingCall.com, a site run by Hollywood PR Alan Baltes, which is hosting a purported talent call for new actors.

It's also noteworthy that the call itself is for two lead female roles, asking for women of "any ethnicity, who can play between 25-30 years of age". That's potentially good news for the Star Wars movie universe, which has come under fire for a lack of diversity, even in a galaxy far, far, away.

The source also indicates cast from J.J. Abrams' upcoming The Force Awakens will return for Episode VIII, including newcomers John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, and Oscar Isaac, and Star Wars veterans Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford.


Del Toro had been rumoured for the role of the main villain since at least July, though the actor himself has been coy on the unknown character's villainous nature.

He would only confirm to ET Online last month that "I am going to be playing in Episode VIII of Star Wars", adding that "I don't know if he's a villain. People are saying that, but it's like they read a different script than I read. It's nice to keep people in the dark, a little bit of mystery is good."

Star Wars: Episode VIII is shooting now, with a worldwide release date of 26 May 2017 pencilled in. Johnson will also be writing Episode IX, set to be directed by Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow and targeting a 2019 release.