Chris Chibnall: Why Matt Smith will not be in Broadchurch series 2
The writer of ITV's crime drama has taken to Twitter to refute claims the Doctor Who actor is being considered for series two
He's about to leave his role in Doctor Who for a lucrative career in Hollywood so it always seemed unlikely Matt Smith would be joining Broadchurch. But when quotes from Chris Chibnall surfaced yesterday claiming an interest in the star, the Whovian community got rather excited about a possible union with his predecessor David Tennant who plays DI Alec Hardy in ITV's whodunit.
However, any buzz about Smith joining series two has been dismissed by Chibnall who has taken to Twitter to deny the 30-year-old's involvement in the series.
Ahem. That Mirror headline about me wanting to cast Matt Smith in Broadchurch? Not true. Quotes don’t bear it out. Recycled old interview.
— Chris Chibnall (@ChrisChibnall) June 27, 2013
I love Matt and his work - that’s all I said. Never mentioned using him in Broadchurch. And he’s off doing movies anyway. Slow news day!
— Chris Chibnall (@ChrisChibnall) June 27, 2013
The TV writer – who has also penned a script for new BBC drama The Great Train Robbery starring Jim Broadbent, Philip Glenister and Tom Chambers – had already spoken of Smith's movie potential in the interview in The Mirror.
“Matt is a brilliant actor and he can effortlessly become an even bigger star than he is already," he said. "The thing is he’s transformative and brilliant. I think it’s great he’s off doing this movie role as a little break.”
Smith's first foray into Hollywood comes next year in the Ryan Gosling-directed How to Catch a Monster, which he is currently filming in Detroit with Christina Hendricks, Saiorse Ronan and Eva Mendes.