Casting sheet claims Benicio Del Toro is villain in Star Wars: Episode VIII

After months of rumors swirling around Benicio Del Toro's role in Gareth Edwards' Star Wars: Episode VIII, an alleged casting sheet published online confirms he will be playing the film's main villain.

According to Movie Casting Call — a website that reportedly hosts Disney casting call sheets — Del Toro will play the unnamed villain alongside returning actors from The Force Awakens, including Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Leia Skywalker), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), John Boyega (Finn), and Daisy Ridley (Rey).

The exact nature of Del Toro's role in the film has been heavily debated, mostly in part to the actor's convoluted answers on the subject in various interviews.

The Wrap originally reported the news that Del Toro would play the baddie in the franchise's eighth official installment back in July, citing inside sources.

When pressed about the role during the Toronto International Film Festival last month (where he was promoting his new film, Sicario), the actor told Entertainment Tonight that the rumors about his villainous role weren't necessarily true.

"I don't know if he's a villain," he said. "People are saying that, but it's like they read a different script than I read."

Del Toro added that he not only couldn't give too much away, but didn't want to, and said it was more fun to keep people in the dark a little longer and let them believe what they want.

"If they want to believe it's the villain, then good."

However, around the same time as TIFF, Del Toro told Spanish radio station RAC 1 that although he couldn't talk too much about it, he was indeed "like the villain" of the movie.

Now, however, it looks like Del Toro may join the Dark Side in the Star Wars franchise.

Star Wars: Episode VIII is scheduled to start filming next March and is slated to be released on May 26, 2017.