25 actors that could play Luke Skywalker next in Star Wars

16. Matt Damon

Another one of my favorites on this list, Matt Damon feels like another actor where no role is too big. He has illustrated the tragedy of World War II through Saving Private Ryan, depicted a competitive feud in Ford v Ferrari, suited up as the assassin Jason Bourne, and most comparably, survived in space as an astronaut both in Interstellar and The Martian. All things considered, Damon has worn a wide range of hats throughout his acting career and worn them all so well too.

He is also someone who understands the film industry inside and out, beginning as an actor at a very young age and pioneering his first project that went viral in Good Will Hunting. Like Luke Skywalker, he comes from humble beginnings in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has only persevered since.

Damon certainly has some form of affinity for Star Wars as well. Back in 2019, he spent a day at the Galaxy’s Edge theme park in what must have felt like a young boy’s dream come true. Speaking to Variety just before The Force Awakens’ release, Damon expressed his anticipation for the film by reflecting on his fandom for the saga, saying,

"Huge fan. Huge fan. I mean the first one, I think my brother saw it 26 times and I saw it 18 times … I just remembered that it was in the theater for months and months and months and if a week would go by and we hadn’t seen it, we’d just go back down and see it again."

Damon went on to explain that he did not have much engagement with the prequel trilogy. The originals are right up his alley, though, making Luke Skywalker a perfect fit for his foray into the Star Wars universe. It is genuinely quite surprising Damon has not cropped up yet, even with a minor cameo, but I certainly wouldn’t complain if it came in a lead role like Skywalker instead.