"When we meet in this film, it's already later in his career," Del Toro said when we sat down to speak with him about the project. At its height, the Medellin cartel smuggled upwards of fifteen tons of cocaine per day. Escobar is touted as "the wealthiest criminal in history" and once had an estimated net worth of $30 billion dollars as the head of Colombia's Medellín drug cartel. This week, Del Toro hits screens as one of the most notorious, successful, dangerous drug lords in history, Pablo Escobar in Escobar: Paradise Lost. Star Wars: Episode IX is expected to reach theaters in 2019, followed by the third Star Wars Anthology film in 2020.Already an industry favorite, Benicio Del Toro emerged on the world stage in a significant way in 2000 with his Oscar-winning portrayal of an honest cop caught in the midst of a violent drug war in Steven Soderbergh's critically-acclaimed Traffic. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th, 2015, followed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16th, 2016, Star Wars: Episode VIII on May 26th, 2017, and the Han Solo Star Wars Anthology film on May 25th, 2018. It will likewise be interesting to see how Episode VIII develops the themes and characters audiences are set to meet in December, paving the way for even more new players to debut in Johnson's Star Wars installment. Regardless of Del Toro's role in the film, the actor - who will next be seen in this month's crime thriller Sicario - is a welcome addition. He's already gone on record about how the incoming batch of Star Wars directors are truly passionate about the material, meaning this kind of reverence to the storytelling of the previous films isn't outside the realm of possibility. This would be a fun way for Johnson's film to honor the franchise's tradition when the film hits theaters in 2017. Perhaps it's telling that both of the previous trilogy's introduced the concept of bounty hunters into their respective stories in the second film. However, the phrasing he used to describe his role as "like the villain" does raise questions over how his character fits into the conflict between the Resistance and the First Order. The actor could just as easily be playing a bounty hunter caught up in it all, who simply has no personal motivation behind his actions other than a paycheck.Īfter all, Johnson's Episode VIII would mark the middle chapter of this new trilogy, just as The Empire Strikes Back and Attack of the Clones were. But we’ll see"Īt first appearance, there doesn't seem to be too much to take away from Del Toro's comments, as he is known to be a bit hesitant to share tidbits about his character.
I think we start shooting in March. They don’t let me talk too much about it. "Star Wars is coming up, we will see how that turns out. Here's what he had to say (thanks to for the translation): Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro - who has already joined that other Disney-owned shared universe as The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy - has been reported as being up to play a villain in Episode VIII, but now it sounds like his character might be more morally ambiguous than initially assumed.ĭuring an interview with Spanish-language radio station RAC1, the topic of Star Wars came up (naturally), and Del Toro teased a bit more about the nature of his character in the process. However, one high-profile actor has already been confirmed to join the long-awaited Star Wars sequel trilogy. That film will be written and directed by Rian Johnson ( Looper) and already the casting hunt for a new female character (to join returning players from Force Awakens) is underway. Star Wars: The Force Awakens hasn't even begun its run for the all-time box office crown, but anticipation for the untitled Star Wars: Episode VIII is already building.