'Mandalorian' Spinoff Lands MCU Star to Play "New Admiral...Not Thrawn" - Inside the Magic

In The Mandalorian Season 2, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels fans were treated to not one, but two, huge reveals in Dave Filoni’s Episode 5 (“Chapter 13: The Jedi”).

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The Lucasfilm Executive Creative Director was “pulling his hair out” to make this particular installment of the hit series a “masterpiece,” and it didn’t take long for viewers to figure out why.

First, Rosario Dawson made her live-action debut as Ahsoka Tano. Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan teamed-up with an unlikely ally, Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) to defeat Corvus Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto).

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As Djarin said, “A Mandalorian and a Jedi, they’ll never see it coming” — and they didn’t.

During her battle with Elsbeth, a second major animated character was introduced into the live-action canon. The Togruta successfully defeated Elsbeth, but not before learning that Star Wars Rebels villain Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) was behind all of the Magistrate’s ministrations on Corvus.

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Ahsoka reappeared in Filoni’s episode of The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1 (“Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger”). She interacted with her former Jedi Master’s son, Luke Skywalker (CGI Mark Hamill/Graham Hamilton) for the first time in the existing Star Wars canon, and delivered Djarin’s beskar chainmail gift to tiny Grogu.

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Now, as we gear up for her reappearance in Ahsoka — which expected to function as a sort of live-action Rebels sequel — Dawson will be joined by a returning Star Wars actor, Ray Stevenson (History Channel’s Vikings).

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

It is unclear who Stevenson will play, but sources say he is a villain in the series and will play an admiral … although, not Thrawn.

Ahsoka is due to begin shooting in Los Angeles at the end of April.

The move marks a return to the galaxy far, far away for Stevenson, as he voiced a character named Gar Saxon in Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars. The actor is known for playing Volstagg in Marvel’s Thor movies and played Blackbeard in Starz’ Black Sails pirate series.

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Ahsoka will presumably see its title character enter the World Between Worlds on her quest to find Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and fellow Jedi Ezra Bridger (Mena Massoud).

Rebels character Sabine Wren will also make her live-action debut in the upcoming spinoff series, with Natashia Liu-Bordizzo replacing voice actress Tiya Sircar.

Are you excited to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Ray Stevenson join the live-action Star Wars franchise?