'Star Wars' Leak Reveals Lars Mikkelsen Will Not Play Grand Admiral Thrawn
Last year, the internet went wild when seemingly reliable sources reported that Aladdin star Mena Massoud had been cast as Ezra Bridger in the upcoming Ahsoka series for Disney+. Roughly around the same time, news broke that Lars Mikkelsen would reprise his role as the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Danish actor had previously lent his voice to the blue-skinned alien in Star Wars Rebels where he and Bridger were last seen being kidnapped by a group of purrgils, giant space whales that are able to naturally travel through the hyperspace.
Rebels never disclosed the whereabouts of Bridger and Thrawn other than they were taken to the Unknown Regions. The appearance of Ahsoka in season 2 of The Mandalorian already made it clear that the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker was on the hunt for Thrawn (and probably Bridger), and this quest would be a major plot in the upcoming Ahsoka. Mikkelsen’s performance in Rebels was well appreciated by fans. It seemed only natural that he would be selected to also play the live-action version of the infamous Imperial.
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Last weekend, reports started to spring up that the casting for both Ezra Bridger and Thrawn has only happened recently. This news more or less contradicted the talks that casting had already happened last year. Jordan Maison, editor-in-chief of Cinelinx and a frequent source of Star Wars news and rumors, recently replied to a Tweet about the casting that Mikkelson would not be taking on the role of Thrawn.
There is no indication if Lucasfilm actually ever approached Mikkelsen to play Thrawn again, if the actor just turned them down, or if they have always had some other actor in mind for the role. After all, there is a difference between just standing in a sound booth speaking the lines and spending hours getting blue paint and/or latex applied to your face and having to wear red contact lenses all day. Besides, the Mikkelsen is currently involved in many projects, including the television series Borgen, Riget (The Kingdom), and season 3 of The Witcher. Interestingly enough, he is also working on a Star Wars fan film named Shrouded Destiny about the Citadel, the high-security prison that was first introduced in The Clone Wars where he will play a Jedi Knight named Okada Vidal. It is equally possible that his busy schedule simply did not allow him to take on the role of Thrawn.
If this rumor is actually true, it will surely disappoint a lot of fans. Mikkelsen’s calm, stoic performance of the Grand Admiral’s voice suited the character perfectly. His facial structure would also be fitting for the live-action portrayal of Thrawn.
Mikkelsen would not be the first and only character from Rebels to not continue their voice role in live-action. Ashley Eckstein was not cast as Ahsoka. Jason Isaacs will be replaced by Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor. Tiya Sircar is not returning as the Mandalorian fighter and artist Sabine Wren in Ahsoka. So far, only Katee Sackoff was able to play Bo-Katan Kryze both in animation and live-action.
Keep in mind that this disappointing report of Mikkelsen not playing Thrawn is still a rumor. Although Maison seems to have some inside scoop on Star Wars, his more recent track record has been more or less hit or miss. He had predicted that Rupert Friend would play Agent Kallus and that there would be some trailers for upcoming Star Wars shows at Disney+ Day last year. His jumping on another so-called leaker should be taken with a grain of salt.
If the rumors of a recently concluded casting of Thrawn are actually true, fans might not have to wait too long for an official confirmation. The upcoming Star Wars Celebration Anaheim would be the perfect venue to reveal the actor playing the big antagonist in Ahsoka.
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Source(s): Reddit, ComicBookMovie, IMDb