Mena Massoud delivered a star-making performance as the title character in Disney's live-action Aladdin movie, though the actor's fans have been shocked to see he hasn't landed more high-profile roles since.
We're sure that will happen, but last week, we found out Massoud won't be playing Ezra Bridger. After teasing fans on social media, it took no time at all for the Reprisal star to become a firm fan favourite pick to bring the Star Wars Rebels character to life alongside Rosario Dawson in Ahsoka.
Instead, relative unknown Eman Esfandi (King Richard) is set to play the live-action Ezra, and while we're sure he'll do a great job, it's a real pity to see Massoud miss out on the opportunity to head into a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Now, the actor has responded to Esfandi's casting in a Tweet sent out shortly after the news broke.
"Glad the rumors will stop now. Never really had a fair shot at it, unfortunately (1 self-tape months ago) but just wasn’t meant for me I guess," Massoud says below. "Can’t deny the dude looks exactly like Ezra. Hope it’s done justice!"
So, he got to send a tape in, but it sounds like that's as far as it went. It's interesting that he says he wasn't given a fair shot at the role, and we're assuming Lucasfilm and Ahsoka showrunner Dave Filoni just didn't see Massoud as someone who was the right choice to play Ezra in the Star Wars Universe moving forward.
Are you disappointed that Massoud didn't get the chance to play this character?