It takes a specific kind of actor to play a Sith Lord – they need genuine menace and intimidating physicality – but the Star Wars universe’s Jedi characters are a lot more vaguely defined. It seems that just about any actor can play a Jedi Knight as long as they’re likable and heroic.
But Mark Hamill and Ewan McGregor have proven that it takes a special something to truly embody the hypocritical but ultimately noble worldview of the Jedi in a way that will unite audiences. From Tom Hanks to Zoe Saldana, these actors would make great Jedi Knights.
The first female Doctor in Doctor Who’s run, Jodie Whittaker, would make an awesome addition to the Star Wars universe. She’s no stranger to delivering the mumbo-jumbo of a well-worn sci-fi universe with passion and conviction.
Plus, she can play a badass action hero in an otherworldly context. In the underrated sci-fi comedy gem Attack the Block, Whittaker fended off an alien invasion with the help of a London gang.
Since his heyday in the 1990s, Tom Hanks has been hailed as one of the most likable and profound actors in Hollywood. The recipient of back-to-back Best Actor Oscars, Hanks has the capacity for both infectious warmth and harrowing dramatic nuance.
For decades, Hanks has been renowned as a wholesome, relatable everyman. Picture a Jedi with Forrest Gump’s sweetness and Captain Phillips’ grace under pressure.
Not only is Charlize Theron one of the finest dramatic actors working today; she’s also an awesome action hero. She’s still the same gifted thespian who won an Oscar for her powerful portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster.
But she’s since become an unparalleled on-screen badass who burst into the action genre with gun-toting roles in modern classics like Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde.
Although Ian McKellen has yet to grace a galaxy far, far away with his captivating on-screen presence, he received some of the best reviews of his career for his portrayal of a powerful wizard in Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies.
In a future Star Wars movie, the legendary McKellen could play a high-ranking Jedi Council member at the height of the order’s powers (if Lucasfilm’s ongoing High Republic project is ever translated to the screen).
Zoe Saldana has played memorable roles in all kinds of genres, but she’s most closely tied to sci-fi – specifically stories set in space – due to her appearances in the Star Trek, Avatar, and Marvel franchises.
Star Wars is just about the only major sci-fi franchise that Saldana has yet to join. Her turn as a fierce sword-wielding intergalactic hero in Guardians of the Galaxy has proven she’d make a great Jedi.
Idris Elba has become a popular casting choice for James Bond since Daniel Craig bowed out of the role – and he’d certainly make a compelling gentleman spy in the next incarnation of the Bond series – but the actor might be better suited to the role of an older, wiser hero in a different blockbuster franchise.
Elba played a hammed-up cosmic baddie to great effect in Star Trek Beyond. He could be equally effective as a grizzled, ice-cool Jedi warrior in the Star Wars universe – like Luther with a lightsaber.
The combination of a zen presence and an eccentric personality has made Nicolas Cage one of the most unique and unpredictable actors working today. He was also once one of the biggest box office draws in the action genre.
Having appeared in only small movies for a long time, Cage is overdue for a Hollywood comeback. He could play an aging, exiled Jedi living on the fringes of the galaxy like Yoda in a future Star Wars spin-off.
Jackie Chan is one of the greatest action movie stars of all time. He usually directs his own movies and he’s fully dedicated to getting the fight choreography right, shooting take after take (doing all the stunts over and over again) until it’s perfect.
Based on his unwavering work ethic and iconic track record, Chan would make a kick-ass Jedi Master. He could do wonders in an intense lightsaber duel.
Michelle Yeoh played proficient martial artists to fantastic effect in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and even teamed up with James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Anybody who can hold their own opposite 007 and engage in a swordfight while floating through a tree is worthy of wielding a lightsaber.
Keanu Reeves’ zen, soulful, mesmerizing on-screen presence has made him one of the most popular actors in the world. The John Wick franchise has made Reeves a bigger star than ever. In those movies, he’s proven that he’s a badass action hero capable of conveying sweetness in a relentless killer.
In a Star Wars movie, Reeves could play a battle-hardened Jedi who had to make difficult decisions in the heat of war and lives with the guilt of having killed despite being a “guardian of peace.”
