Ahsoka Tano's live-action debut in The Mandalorian was a huge surprise in and of itself, but the fact she was revealed to be on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn is what really left jaws on the floor.
That villain vanished alongside Ezra Bridger in the final episode of Star Wars Rebels. However, he's clearly returned and may well be the one pulling Moff Gideon's strings as they look to resurrect their Emperor. The upcoming Ahsoka series will no doubt address all that and more, but who will play the live-action Thrawn?
We've been asking that question for a very long time. Lars Mikkelsen obviously lent his voice to the villain in Rebels, and has been rumoured - on multiple occasions - to be reprising the role in Ahsoka.
Express.co.uk recently spoke with the actor and asked if he's aware of how much fans want to see him return. They also wondered if he would consider reprising the role to which he said, "Well, I haven’t had the offer. But, yes, sure."
Wait, so he's not coming back as Thrawn?!
Try not to forget that Liam Neeson also dismissed the possibility of playing Qui-Gon Jinn again before returning in Obi-Wan Kenobi, so there's always a chance Mikkelsen is just trying to maintain the element of surprise here (we don't anticipate seeing Thrawn until the series begins streaming, regardless).
Thrawn is going to be part of Ahsoka - it wouldn't make much sense for him not to appear - but there's always a chance another actor will end up playing the villain. Despite what we've heard about Ray Stevenson's role, for example, we can't discount the possibility that he might star as this character in live-action.
It would arguably be a mistake not to cast Mikkelsen, though, and we're hoping the actor is simply attempting to throw us off the scent.
As always, you'll want to stay tuned for updates.