Star Wars: Live-Action Sabine Actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo Cast Over a Year Ago

Earlier today during the Mando+ panel at Star Wars Celebration came official confirmation from Lucasfilm that actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo would be playing the part of Sabine Wren in the upcoming Ahsoka TV series. Previously only seen in animation on Star Wars Rebels, this will mark the character's debut in live-action. The casting of Bordizzo was first reported in the press back in November of 2021, but confirmation from the studio never came. To make things even more interesting though, Bordizzo and her Ahsoka co-star Rosario Dawson confirmed that she landed the role of live-action Sabine over a year ago. It all started on the Star Wars Celebration livestream when Dawson herself flat out said, "She's been cast for a year."

Bordizzo added, "Sabine means so much to so many people. I have known that I would be playing Sabine for a year, and I'm so relieved that I can openly fangirl with the rest of you....I know that everyone wants to see the next chapter of Rebels, and you guys deserve it, the journey is not over." Production on the Ahsoka TV series has been ongoing for about three weeks now, with Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni helping shepherd it to Disney+

The pair also opened up about what they've learned from Filoni about the franchise with Bordizzo adding: "That Star Wars is about Hope and it's about being uplifting. It's about family and these characters go through so much and I think we all get inspired by how they hold themselves through those challenges. They're still playful, they still have a sense of humor when they're in the face of great, great danger, and that's how i get inspired by Sabine through all that."

Finally, she made a note about the crowd and how much fun her first Star Wars Celebration was, saying: "Now I know why Dave and Jon are so obsessed with the fans. They talk about you guys every day at work, 'for the fans, for the fans!'"

Bordizzo won't be the only character from Star Wars Rebels that will appear in the Ahsoka TV series as the first footage from the series was screened earlier and confirmed Hera, Ezra, and Chopper will all appear as well. A production listing for the series previously teased that the show's plot would be about Ahsoka continuing to hunt down Grand Admiral Thrawn and search for Ezra Bridger. Neither of those roles have been cast as far as we know just yet but filming on the series has officially begun and a 2023 release date has been confirmed.

(Cover Photo credit by Getty Images vis Disney+)