It's official: Jimmy Vee to take over as Star Wars' new R2-D2

Following the sad passing of veteran ‘Star Wars’ actor Kenny Baker last summer, his official replacement as R2-D2 in the forthcoming movies has been announced.

57-year-old Scottish actor and stunt performer Jimmy Vee will take over the controls of the iconic droid full time.

He’s previously featured in movies including ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’, and Joe Wright’s ‘Pan’ in 2015.

He’s also appeared in several episodes of ‘Doctor Who’, playing a host of monsters and aliens, notably the prickly alien Bannakaffalatta opposite David Tenant and Kylie Minogue in the episode ‘Voyage of the Damned’.

And coincidentally, he’s 1.12 metres tall, precisely the same height as Kenny Baker was.

Vee was cast as R2-D2 in ‘The Force Awakens’, but it was not made official, with Kenny Baker also credited as a consultant on the movie.

Sadly, Baker, who was 81, died during filming.

So Vee’s first official appearance as the new R2-D2 will be in the next ‘Star Wars’ movie, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have worked alongside the legendary Kenny Baker,” he said.

“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 honour.

“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.”

Vee plays the droid in the instances where he’s walking on two feet, while a radio control unit is used for other shots.

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ hits screens in the UK on December 15.

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