Already A Knight, Sir Derek Jacobi Wants In On The New Star Wars
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Every epic franchise needs at least one older, distinguished gentleman to play, well, an older, distinguished gentleman. This role usually goes one of two ways. He’s either a sinister villain, or a kindly, wise, secretly badass guide for a young hero. Think the parts played by Alec Guinness and Christopher Lee in the Star Wars saga and you’ll get what I’m going for here.
Given that there are new Star Wars films in the pipe, it stands to reason that the series will be in need of new older gentleman actor. And just in case they’re not looking his way, for some reason, Sir Derek Jacobi is throwing his hat into this particular ring. Talking with Radio 4, the venerable actor publicly announced that he wants in on any new Star Wars movie.
I’d love to do my big franchise movie…Ian [McKellen]’s got his Gandalf, Pat Stewart has his Star Trek, Michael Gambon has got his Dumbledore. They are running out of these old men you see. I have to be next!
The classically trained 74-year-old would be perfect for this type of role. He’s appeared in numerous adaptations of Shakespeare, spy thrillers like The Odessa File, and modern films like Gladiator (and let us not forget credits like Doctor Who and Underworld: Evolution). Given his distinguished demeanor, screen presence, and overall tough-old-geezer vibe, Jacobi could be an ideal fit for Disney’s new addition to the canon. He’s already a damn knight, so why not let him fill out his resume by becoming some sort of wizened Jedi, too?
