Star Wars has officially cast a new actor as its R2-D2 – WBNews

© Lucasfilm Star Wars: The Last Jedi has officially cast a new actor as its R2-D2 Disney has officially cast actor Doctor Who star Jimmy Vee as Star Wars’ new droid R2-D2. Jimmy has previously played R2 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and was reportedly going to take on the role again in Rian Johnson’sThe Last Jedi. It’s now been made official, and Vee will be credited as the charming droid in Episode 8. We’re thrilled to announce that #OhSoSmall actor @RealJimmyVee is the new #R2D2! Full story here: https://t.co/eR2OKAdDR4#StarWarspic.twitter.com/FT1IAWno8I- Oh So Small (@OhSoSmall) February 13, 2017 In a statement released by the Oh So Small production agency, Vee said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to have worked alongside the legendary Kenny Baker. “Kenny was a fantastic actor and taught me all the ‘tricks’ on how he brought R2-D2 to life which I will continue to portray in his honor. “I’m so excited to be a part of the Star Wars universe and can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working so hard on for the last year,” he added. © Provided by Digital Spy Last August, original R2 actor Kenny Baker died following a long illness. Baker played the lovable robot in the first three Star Wars films, and reprised the role for George Lucas’s prequel trilogy. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran, Benicio del Toro and Andy Serkis will all appear in the next…more detail