If the name Riz Ahmed comes to mind and you immediately think of “Venom” or “Rogue One,” that’s understandable. Those are probably the actor’s two biggest roles to date. However, you would be better served if you immediately go out there and watch “Nightcrawler” or the actor’s most recent acclaimed performance in “Sound of Metal.” But alas, people care about franchises and you can’t get much bigger than a Marvel film and a “Star Wars” film. So, inevitably, the question remains, “Is Ahmed done with those franchises?”
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In a new profile from THR, he’s asked directly about a return to the world of “Venom” or “Star Wars.” And though “Venom 2” is seemingly already in the can and Ahmed was nowhere to be found in the cast list, you would have to assume you know the answer to at least one of those questions. Well, and then there’s the whole thing about the character dying at the end of the film.
“I think I’m done in ‘Venom,’” said Ahmed. “It’s pretty conclusive. Dude got blown up in a spaceship”
There’s good news and bad news about Ahmed’s role in “Venom.” The good news is that (apparently) he’s done with the ‘Spider-Man’ spinoff franchise and maybe that means he can be used in another capacity with Marvel Studios. Not that he needs another shot at a superhero film, but he’s a damn good actor and why not give him a proper good guy role in the MCU? The bad news is that Ahmed was in “Venom” and maybe that makes him persona non grata in the MCU because of Sony’s tenuous connection with the MCU? Oh well.
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But Marvel isn’t the only major franchise company to work with Ahmed. He also appeared in a great role in “Star Wars: Rogue One,” arguably the best film in the post-Disney Lucasfilm era. When asked about a possible return to the “Star Wars” universe, particularly in a prequel to ‘Rogue One’ (not a sequel, for obvious reasons), Ahmed also shot down that idea, but with a caveat.
He replied, “I just haven’t heard of that, to be honest.”
Well, even though it doesn’t appear that there will be a ‘Rogue One’ prequel film anytime soon, there is a series coming that focuses on another character from that film, Cassian Andor. So, perhaps Ahmed could be seen in ‘Andor’ when that series finally comes to Disney+? Eh, doesn’t seem likely, but hey, who knows?
As mentioned, if you haven’t already, you really should just watch some of Ahmed’s more recent work in films like “Sound of Metal” (on Amazon Prime right now!) and in the upcoming “Mogul Mowgli.”
