Star Wars fans had wondered if we might see Baylan Skoll in the galaxy far, far away again despite actor Ray Stevenson's passing, and we now have confirmation that the character will return for the second season of Ahsoka.
First reported by Jeff Sneider and later confirmed by THR, Scottish actor Rory McCann, best known for playing The Hound on HBO’s Game of Thrones, is set to take over as Skoll in season 2 of the Disney+ Star Wars series.
The season 1 finale of Ahsoka, "The Jedi, The Witch, And The Warlord," unfortunately served as a farewell to the late actor, but fans were confident that his character won't return down the line.
The Irish actor, who sadly died back in May just before his 58th birthday, played the villainous(?) former Jedi in the series, and the finale featured his last ever scene as the character, as we see the powerful Force-wielder standing on the ruins of a mountain-sized sculpture of the Mortis gods.
Skoll didn't have a big part to play in the events of the concluding episode, but Stevenson would undoubtedly have reprised the role at some point. Considering how important his character would appear to be to the ongoing story, it's not hugely surprising that the part has been recast.
McCann most recently appeared in Gladiator II, and his previous credits include Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Jumanji: The Next Level, the Knuckles TV show for Paramount+, and the animated series Transformers: EarthSpark.
What do you make of this casting news? Let us know in the comments section down below.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
The series stars Rosario Dawson in the title role, with Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, with Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger.
Kevin Kiner was announced as the series' composer.
Ahoska is written by executive producer Dave Filoni, alongside executive producers Favreau, Kennedy, Wilson, and Beck. Gilchrist is co-executive producer. The series’ directors include Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel and Rick Famuyiwa.
All episodes are now streaming on Disney+.