The ever-sprawling Star Wars universe has given fans a plethora of memorable characters who continue to invoke nostalgia amongst the franchise’s long-term fans. One of the most memorable characters is that of General Grievous, introduced via The Clone Wars series, created by Dave Filoni. Filoni recently expressed interest in making a live-action R-rated Star Wars movie, and Grievous, a character he has already worked on, might as well be the ideal choice to be the antagonist of any such project.
General Grievous in The Clone Wars. | LucasFilm

The character, who was killed off by none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith, will undoubtedly have a plethora of superstars linking up for the role, if the movie ever sees the light of day.

Among them, should be Matthew McConaughey, who has previously already inspired a Star Wars character, and seems to be the ideal choice for the evil cyborg who held an undying hatred for the Jedi.

Dave Filoni expresses interest in making an R-Rated Star Wars movie

General Grievous is perfect for Matthew McConaughey? | LucasFilm
Filoni has already worked with General Grievous via The Clone Wars, and any R-rated movie revolving around the universe presents the character as an ideal choice. During a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, Filoni claimed the following about the possibility of such a project:

While currently, the focus remains on various live-action series such as The Acolyte and Ahsoka, the franchise in itself has grown in stature via the print media as well.

I think that there’s an audience for that. I think also with that audience, I want to still be hitting the imagination of the kids out there.

While Grievous in itself was conceptualized by George Lucas, Dave Filoni’s team had only been told to make the new Star Wars villain ‘iconic and scary.’ The transformation of the cyborg droid general into an evil figure was set to foreshadow Anakin Skywalker’s transformation to Darth Vader, and brought forth one of the most iconic villains of the franchise.

While it was John DiMaggio and Richard McGonagle who voiced the character in the animated offerings, the role seems perfect for Matthew McConaughey, who has previously played a range of deranged individuals who embrace pessimism and raw villainry.

What’s more, the actor himself has already been an inspiration for a character in the overall Star Wars universe, which further illustrates the point.

Matthew McConaughey inspired this The High Republic pilot

The Star Wars universe, amongst a plethora of offerings, also includes LucasFilm’s The High Republic, which is set 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace and delves into an era that is untouched by the movies. One of the most prominent characters it offers is Leox Gyasi, a human male pilot who worked for the Byne Guild in the High Republic era, which spans from 500 BBY to 100 BBY, during which time the Galactic Republic was at the zenith of its powers.

As it turns out, none other than Matthew McConaughey served as the inspiration behind the character, as revealed by Author Claudia Grey (The Direct):

I didn’t want to do somebody that was gonna be just like Han Solo. And I definitely didn’t want to Diet Han Solo. He’s kind of a rogue, but he’s a less interesting. So what is a template for a pilot who has some of this scoundrel energy and isn’t Han Solo at all? And somehow my brain was like, ‘you need to give 1990s Matthew McConaughey a spaceship and see what would happen’.

Regardless, as we see McConaughey as the perfect General Grievous, the character itself has undergone a range of casting-related consideration from the creators. Before John DiMaggio was cast in The Clone Wars, none other than Gary Oldman was offered the role (Screen Crush), who ended up turning it down.