'Star Wars' Actor Reportedly Playing Droid Character in New Series

A Star Wars actor is set to return as a droid character in a brand-new television series.

The Book of Boba Fett (2021) certainly has its fans, but it was mostly rejected for making drastic changes to the titular bounty hunter, and for its poor pacing and storytelling. Thankfully, it has a few saving graces and things worth salvaging from the wreckage.

Among those things is the character of Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), the peaceable marshal of Tatooine’s Freetown who became an instant hit with fans when he first appeared in The Mandalorian Season 2 wearing Boba Fett’s iconic armor.

Timothy Olyphant as Cobb Vanth in 'The Book of Boba Fett' — Credit: Lucasfilm

When we last saw Cobb Vanth, he was unconscious in a bacta tank on Tatooine during a post-credits scene, in which a “Mod” artist (Stephen Lee Bruner/Thundercat) was nursing him back to health by treating his laser blast wound using the highly advanced mod tech.

Cobb Vanth’s life-threatening situation came as a result of the Freetown marshal engaging in a standoff against the fearsome villain Cad Bane (Corey Burton), who had been sent to Tatooine to track down former fellow bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison).

Cad Bane (Corey Burton) standing off against Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant) in 'The Book of Boba Fett' — Credit: Lucasfilm

Given the negative critical reception, it’s unlikely The Book of Boba Fett will get a second season, which leaves Cobb Vanth’s future in Star Wars uncertain. While he first appeared in The Mandalorian Season 2, he wasn’t in the third season.

Fortunately, though, fans of Timothy Olyphant will get to see him appear in another faraway galaxy, as Deadline reports that, according to sources, the Scream 2 (1997) actor has been cast in the upcoming Alien television series, which has Fargo‘s Noah Hawley as showrunner.

Mickey Altieri in 'Scream 2' — Credit: Dimension Films

Not to be confused with the upcoming Alien movie, the television series is an entirely separate project and will take place on Earth — a first for the franchise if you don’t count the Alien vs. Predator movies — long before the days of Ellen Ripley’s galactic outings.

It follows eight Alien films: Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017), and the spinoff films, Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), which aren’t considered canon.

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) briefing the marines in 'Aliens' (1986) — Credit: 20th Century Studios

It’s unknown whether or not the Alien series will tie into the wider franchise canonically or serve as a soft reboot, ignoring past (and future) events.

Besides the fact that Olyphant, 55, is appearing in another galaxy-centric franchise, he’ll be playing a “synthetic” character known as Kirsh, opposite Sydney Chandler’s lead character Wendy, who is essentially a replacement for Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley.

The Xenomorph climbing onto the ship in 'Alien: Covenant' — Credit: 20th Century Studios

Synthetics are more commonly known in the Alien franchise as Droids, just like in Star Wars, except they appear in human form. This is an ironic turn of events, considering Olyphant’s Star Wars character, Cobb Vanth, was likely going to end up being part-Droid.

Previously, Droid characters have been portrayed in the Alien film series by actors such as Ian Holm (Ash), Lance Henriksen (Bishop), Winona Ryder (Call), and Michael Fassbender (David and Walter). Now, Timothy Olyphant is set to join those ranks.

Ripley and the xenomorph up close and personal in 'Alien 3' — Credit: 20th Century Studios

The Deadline article describes Olyphant’s role in the Alien series as “a mentor and trainer for Sydney Chandler’s Wendy, who is a hybrid, a meta-human who has the brain and consciousness of a child but the body of an adult.”

Ridley Scott is executive producer on the new series, which also stars Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gouray, and Kit Young.

Katherine Waterson as Daniels in 'Alien: Covenant' — Credit: 20th Century Studios

There’s no release date for the new Alien series, however, production is expected to resume early next year following delays caused by the WGA (Writers Guild of America) and SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strikes.

The new Alien film will release in theaters on August 16, 2024.

Which are you more excited about, the upcoming Alien television series or the new Alien film? And what did you think of Timothy Olyphant in Star Wars? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!