Michael Fassbender has enjoyed a varied and dynamic career that bridges the gap between commercial blockbusters and challenging independent films. He’s equally comfortable in films like X-Men: Apocalypse or Assassin’s Creed as he is wearing a helmet for the entirety of Frank or slipping into the skin of a despicable character in 12 Years a Slave. So it’s no surprise that the talented and versatile performer was under consideration for a role in the Star Wars franchise.
Indeed, Fassbender revealed on Josh Horowitz’s podcast happysadconfused (via EW) that he met for a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens:
“We talked about a role. We had a conversation. I’m pretty sure I was busy doing something else in the summer he was kickstarting that.”
Fassbender doesn’t specify which character he was meeting for, but we did report in January 2014 that the actor was under consideration for a role alongside Adam Driver and also Hugo Weaving for "an Imperial commander" (Hux?). We now know that Driver was the first name Kathleen Kennedy suggested for the role of Kylo Ren, but it’s possible J.J. Abrams met with other actors to be sure. Or perhaps Fassbender was under consideration for the role of General Hux, which went to Domhnall Gleeson? Or maybe even Poe Dameron? Or it’s possible it was simply one of those general meetings that took place when the script for The Force Awakens was still very much in flux, as Fassbender's casting broke in the wake of screenwriter Michael Arndt exiting the project.
Whatever the case, it’s not hard to imagine Fassbender knocking Star Wars out of the park. He’s shown a willingness to play around in big budget territory with films like Prometheus and the upcoming Alien: Covenant while bringing a gravity and air of expertise to the role. He most recently tried his hand at a video game adaptation with Assassin’s Creed, which he produced, but reviews have not been entirely kind.
But even though Fassbender’s schedule didn’t line up for The Force Awakens, that doesn’t take him out of the running for a role in a future Star Wars film. Episode IX perhaps? Boba Fett spinoff? Let the dream casting begin.
