Star Wars Adds a Polarizing Marvel Figure in Surprise Cameo for New Movie

Star Wars is no stranger to surprise appearances by famous faces. Even though the appearances in the original film were little jokes that fans didn’t recognize until much later (like Ralph McQuarrie in The Empire Strikes Back), they’re actually quite common. George Lucas and his kids appear in the background of the prequel movies, while the newer films have brought in famous stars like Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and even John Williams to make surprise appearances. Suffice to say, it’s never a jarring one, but they do happen with basically every film.

This morning saw the release of the highly anticipated trailer for The Mandalorian & Grogu, which not only offered a look at brand new footage from the film but a senes of what the actual narrative in the movie will be. There was also a tease of a cameo in the film, with fans immediately certain that a new alien in the film is voiced by Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese. Given the distinct tenor of his voice and even the eyebrows affixed to the CG character, it sure sounds like him, and now we know for sure.

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Martin Scorsese Has a Star Wars Cameo (to the Delight of Marvel Fans)

To the delight of fans across the galaxy, ComicBook has confirmed with Disney that, yes, the Ardennian seen in the opening of The Mandalorian & Grogu trailer is voiced by Martin Scorsese. The arrival of Scorsese’s dulcet tones in a galaxy far, far away may seem very random to fans, but there’s history there. Not only has Scorsese previously collaborated with The Mandalorian & Grogu director Jon Favreau (who had a role in his film, The Wolf of Wall Street), but, more importantly, Scorsese remains a longtime friend of franchise creator George Lucas. Scorsese and Lucas have a longstanding relationship, with Lucas being among the presenters at the Academy Awards when Scorsese finally won Best Director (standing alongside Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg).

It’s also worth noting that one of the last Ardennians seen on the big screen in a Star Wars movie was Rio Durant in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where he was voiced by, take a guess, Jon Favreau. Though there’s no reason to immediately assume that Favreau’s character from that film is somehow related to Scorsese’s new character from the upcoming film, given that Star Wars can’t resist a family connection, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Suffice it to say, the use of Martin Scorsese in a Star Wars movie has naturally resurfaced comments that the filmmaker previously made about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Back in 2019, the filmmaker revealed in an interview that he tried watching films from the MCU but came to the conclusion that they were “not cinema” and were closer to “theme park” attractions than movies. Naturally, this caused a fervor that wouldn’t go away, even when Scorsese tried to confirm his point by explaining further. Scorsese’s former comments on the matter (which are now almost seven years old) are now being seen as ironic, given his appearance in The Mandalorian & Grogu, though it’s perhaps more likely that the 83-year-old filmmaker has simply moved on, and maybe we should to.