Star Wars: Ahsoka Casts Ray Stevenson in Villain Role
Vikings star Ray Stevenson is has joined the cast of Star Wars: Ahsoka, one of the many new Star Wars series setting up shop at Disney+. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stevenson is set to have a villainous role in Ashoka, though he will not be playing the popular Star Wars villain Grand Admiral Thrawn. He is, however, expected to play an admiral. Grand Admiral Thrawn is rumored to make his live-action appearance after being namedropped by Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian Season 2. This won't be the first time Ray Stevenson has played the part of a Star Wars character. He also voiced Gar Saxon in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Ahsoka was one of the many fan-favorite characters to make a surprise appearance on The Book of Boba Fett. Episodes 5 and 6 featured the return of The Mandalorian, who set off to reunite with Grogu to hand-deliver new Beskar armor he had forged for the little guy. What Mando ended up finding was the early formation of a new Jedi Temple, along with Luke Skywalker continuing Grogu's Jedi training. Ahsoka ultimately convinced Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin that it would be a mistake to see Grogu face-to-face.
Rosario Dawson plays the live-action version of Ahsoka Tano following Ashley Eckstein's voice performances on Clone Wars and Rebels. When fans last saw Ahsoka on the Star Wars Rebels series finale, she was heading out to search for Ezra Bridger, who went missing alongside Grand Admiral Thrawn in hyperspace. Rumors persist that Disney+ is looking to cast for both Ezra Bridger and Thrawn in Ahsoka, with the story focusing on these three characters. Of course, with so many animated characters getting live-action adaptations, other Star Wars characters like Sabine Wren and Barriss Offee, who originally framed Ahsoka and turned her against the Jedi Order, are rumored to show up as well.
The production start window for the Ahsoka Disney+ series is reportedly March of this year, with a spring 2023 release window also rumored. The cast includes Rosario Dawson, Birds of Prey's Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Pacific Rim: Uprising's Ivanna Sakhno, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo, with Hayden Christensen also returning as Anakin Skywalker. Star Wars vet Dave Filoni is listed as a writer and executive producer, with The Mandalorian's Jon Favreau executive producing as well.
Are you excited to find out exactly who Ray Stevenson is playing in Star Wars: Ahsoka? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!