Star Wars: Aladdin Star Teases Taking on Ezra Bridger Role
Earlier this year, rumors emerged that Aladdin star Mena Massoud would be joining the galaxy far, [...]
Earlier this year, rumors emerged that Aladdin star Mena Massoud would be joining the galaxy far, far away to play the live-action version of Star Wars Rebels hero Ezra Bridger, with Massoud taking to Instagram to tease such an opportunity. The cryptic reference sees Massoud sharing a shirtless photo, though the somewhat ambiguous quote is a line Ezra Bridger uttered in the Season 2 episode "Stealth Strike." Given that there were no hashtags or any other references to Star Wars, this surely isn't a direct confirmation of the casting, but the caption alongside the photo could likely be a subtle confirmation that he's getting in shape for the opportunity.
Massoud captioned the photo, "Hey, just so you know, when I escape I won't hurt any of you." Ezra says this line to a group of stormtroopers after he has been captured by the Empire.
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Rebels marked the first animated Star Wars project following Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, with the events of the series taking place in the years leading up to Star Wars: A New Hope. With the series having been created by Dave Filoni, who had previously delivered audiences Star Wars: The Clone Wars, younger audiences appreciated the more playful elements of the adventure while older fans appreciated Filoni's signature take on the saga.
In the years since the series debuted, fans have wondered if Ezra or any of the other characters in the series could make the jump to live-action, with Season 2 of The Mandalorian debuting Ahsoka Tano for the first time in live-action, making Ezra's debut an eventuality. Adding more credence to the notion was that Ahsoka's debut, where she was played by Rosario Dawson, saw a mention of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Throughout most of Rebels, Thrawn was the main antagonist. Additionally, the series finale of Rebels hinted that Ezra and Thrawn met their demise, with the mention of Thrawn in Mandalorian confirming he wasn't as dead as some had assumed.
As fans speculated about who could get cast as Ezra, iZombie and The Haunting of Bly Manor star Rahul Kohli made a number of teases on social media about his interest in playing Ezra, to the point that he intentionally trolled his fans with references that could have potentially confirmed his casting. The joke ultimately snowballed to such a degree that Kohli has since admitted to muting Rebels-related terms as to distance himself from the conversation.
Stay tuned for details on the future of Ezra Bridger.
Are you hoping to see Massoud as Bridger? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!