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 somehow returned and may well be the one pulling Moff Gideon's strings as they plot to resurrect the Emperor and possibly even form The First Order. 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. However, he's also denied that he's going to return as the villain and has done so again in a new interview.
Talking to Danish website StreamingGuide, Mikkelsen claimed to be in the dark about what Lucasfilm has planned.
"Well, I've heard that, but I haven't heard anything about it yet," he stated. "Then they should have approached me, but they haven't. So it must be someone else, unfortunately."
It's true the series has finished shooting, meaning the moment has indeed passed. Mikkelsen would go on to say that it "could have been fun" to play Thrawn again, doing whatever he can to throw fans off the scent! While it's possible he's telling the truth, it's hard to fathom who else could play the villain unless the decision has been made to replace him with Ray Stevenson.
That would contradict much of what we've heard about Ahsoka, of course, and it's hard to fathom it not being Mikkelsen when he's so perfect as Thrawn.
Time will tell, but with Star Wars Celebration just weeks away, an official announcement could be made then.
As always, you'll want to stay tuned for updates.