The eighth chapter in the “Star Wars” saga is coming, and Gary Barlow, the singer-songwriter and frontman of British pop group Take That, will be in it. He’s joined the cast of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in a mysterious role that he’s being all tight-lipped about.

Barlow made the announcement on ITV’s ‘Lorraine’

“X Factor” judge Barlow appeared on ITV’s morning show “Lorraine” to announce that he had an acting role in the new “Star Wars” movie. Most famous cameos in the new Disney “Star Wars” movies (such as “Mad Max: Fury Road” star Tom Hardy, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, and James Bond himself Daniel Craig) have been Stormtroopers, so naturally that was the assumption for Barlow’s role.

But he confirmed he is not playing a Stormtrooper.

Barlow didn’t reveal anything about his strange and mysterious character, because the crew is, as he puts it, “so strict” about leaking secrets, but it won’t be a very large appearance, because let’s face it, Gary Barlow isn’t an actor. And anyway, there simply isn’t room for anyone else. The cast is huge: original trilogy actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher (who managed to finish shooting before her tragic death), new trilogy stars Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac, as well as returning actors Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis, as well as newcomers Benicio del Toro (“Sicario”) and Laura Dern (“Enlightened,” one of the best shows ever, check it out).

Barlow is a big ‘Star Wars’ fan

Apparently Barlow is a huge fan of the “Star Wars” films. He’s the latest non-actor celebrity to be cast in a major Hollywood movie. Barlow in “The Last Jedi” will attract the teenage girl market, as will David Beckham in “King Arthur” and Harry Styles in “Dunkirk.” It’s so studios whose movie skews mainly males can hit another quadrant of the audience market, and it works.

Harry Styles will be in “Dunkirk” for about ten seconds, and the rest will be Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh and the great aforementioned Tom Hardy. But One Direction fans will go in expecting “the World War II movie starring Harry Styles.” The artistry of a Christopher Nolan epic masterpiece will likely be lost on them, but at least they’ll have bought tickets.

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” starring a million returning cast members plus Gary Barlow will be released in cinemas later this year, on 15 December.