'Star Wars' Has Reportedly Found Its Grand Admiral Thrawn & Ezra Bridger
Does live-action Star Wars have its Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn? Well, according to sources by way of LRM Online, it seems we might. Since last year, we have known that these two characters might be appearing in the up and coming The Mandalorian spin-off shows in some form or another, whether it be in the form of cameos or as a full-on recurring characters. Though with the reports about these actors, the fans may be getting closer to the answer we seek.
The answer to the question is that Grand Admiral Thrawn would be played by the one and only Lars Mikkelsen, the very same actor who voiced him in Star Wars Rebels, while Ezra Bridger would be played by up and coming actor Mena Massoud. Both interesting and fantastic choices to play these two iconic characters.
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We have long speculated that Ezra Bridger and Grand Admiral Thrawn would be back onscreen one way or another. However, we have long thought that this might be in some sort of Rebels animated sequel series. Now, however, it appears that the story of Ezra and Thrawn will be continued in what many have dubbed "The Mandoverse." When we found out that live-action Ahsoka played by Rosario Dawson was looking for Thrawn, the seeds were set for Thrawn and Ezra to come in live-action. This idea was doubled down on when Lucasfilm did their major announcement for various live action streaming services shows.
With Grand Admiral Thrawn, the casting choice meets complete sense. Not only did Lars Mikkelsen voice Grand Admiral Thrawn in his first onscreen role in animation, but he also is a live-action actor. Thrawn, who had only been a characterin books, comics, and a bit of video game, had a fluid speaking voice rather than a concrete one. Lars Mikkelsen entered the scene, giving him a unique take that fit what many had thought Thrawn might sound like: calm, cold, and calculating. He iconized his Thrawn voice in Rebels so much that it would be hard to hear him now any other way. Plus, with Lars Mikkelsen being a renowned actor in his own right, with roles in famed shows like BBC’s Sherlock, he knows how to give a live-action performance in the same vein as he did in Rebels. Just put some blue makeup on him and you're good to go.
Mena Massoud as Ezra is different but interesting, to say the least. Clearly, this is not original voice actor Taylor Grey, but rather a different actor entirely. The irony of the choice would be that when Rebels started many called Ezra "space Aladdin" due to being a young thief on the streets of Lothal, as well as the similarities in the hair. Choosing Mena Massoud is choosing someone who literally played Aladdin in the live-action remake of the classic animated Disney film. The irony has not been lost on Star Wars fans. However, it seems that Mena Massoud would bring the same sort of energy that Ezra had in Rebels, and this would be an older Ezra as well who has presumably spent many years in the Unknown Regions lost to his friends and family. It would be interesting to see how the character is portrayed in the future, not just by the actor, but in terms of the writing itself.
So Thrawn and Ezra are about to make the jump to live-action. It’s a big deal not just for the characters but in terms of Star Wars history. Especially for Thrawn, as he is a character who started out in books, and having him make the leap to an animated series was big enough, but to come full circle and give him a live-action debut is a major deal for this legacy character. Star Wars is becoming more and more interconnected as animation and live-action start to collide, making it feel like one cohesive galaxy far, far away.
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Written By Joel Davis
Source(s): LRM Online