"Star Wars: Episode VIII" is still nearly two years and an entire Star Wars film away, but The Hollywood Reporter has word that an Oscar-winning actor may be close to joining the cast. According to THR, Benicio del Toro has been offered a role -- likely as a villain -- for the film, but a deal hasn't yet been made.

Del Toro, an Oscar-winner for "Traffic," already has experience with Disney genre films set in space: he played The Collector in a brief but memorable role in Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy." No casting has been made official for "Episode VIII," but THR says "Force Awakens" actors Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega are "expected" to return, along with "certain legacy actors" (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill are all named in THR's report).

Directed by Rian Johnson, the still untitled "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is scheduled for release on May 26, 2017. Before that, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" opens on Dec. 18.