Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro is being sought after for the main villain role in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII, according to The Wrap.
Multiple sources for The Wrap have heard through the Hollywood grapevine that Del Toro has already been offered the role by Disney and Lucasfilm. However, negotiations between the two sides are in the “very early stages.”
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Del Toro earned his Academy Award for his supporting role in Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic (2000). He’s also known for his roles in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Usual Suspects and more recently The Collector in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
In 2011, the 48-year-old actor flirted with a high-profile, sci-fi villain role in Star Trek Into Darkness. He was said to be heavily pursued by J.J. Abrams to play Khan in the sequel, but dropped out of consideration for unknown reasons. Could it happen again?
Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII will arrive in theaters May 26, 2017.
