“Andor” is the next “Star Wars” series to hit Disney+ on September 21, with season three of “The Mandalorian” coming in early 2023. But on the horizon is “Ahsoka,” which sees a character first introduced in the animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” receiving her own live-action limited series. Rosario Dawson already made her debut as Ahsoka Tano in “The Mandalorian” last season. Now, she’s getting a series all to herself. And she’ll be bringing friends first introduced in the animated Lucasfilm world, too.
Cinelinx, a trusted source for “Star Wars” scoops who have delivered early word on many Lucasfilm projects, reports that Eman Esfandi will play “Star Wars Rebels” fan favorite character Ezra Bridger in the upcoming series. Esfandi’s recent credits include Robert Rodriguez’s horror film “Red 11,” A24’s current Oscar player “The Inspection,” and last year’s “King Richard.” Esfandi joins other cast members, including Dawson, Hayden Christensen (who reprises his role as Anakin Skywalker, likely in flashbacks), Ivanna Sakhno, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, the latter’s role has not yet been revealed. Update: The Hollywood Reporter has already confirmed the news.
In ‘Rebels,’ Bridger is initially a young con artist who becomes a Jedi-in-training after he is taken in and trained by Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi knight also introduced in “Star Wars Rebels.” Other members of the “Star Wars: Rebels” team are already in place. Natasha Liu Bordizzo is already confirmed to play Sabine Wren from ‘Rebels’ on “Ahsoka.” Meanwhile, footage from this year’s “Star Wars” Celebration confirms that fan-favorite characters Hera Syndulla and Chopper will also appear in the series.
But what other major characters might show up? Ray Stevenson is also part of the “Ahsoka” cast in an undisclosed role. Could he end up playing someone like Admiral Thrawn, the Imperial villain that Ahsoka revealed she was after during her episode of ‘Mandalorian’? It’s all speculation at this point. However, given Esfandi’s addition to the cast as Bridger, it looks like Lucasfilm’s priority for the next generation of Disney+ shows is to bring popular animated characters into the live-action universe.
“Ahsoka” still doesn’t have an official release yet, but expect it to hit Disney+ in mid-2023 and for more details to arrive tomorrow at Disney’s D23 Expo.