Star Wars Rebels ended on a major cliffhanger when Jedi Ezra Bridger and the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn vanished when they were dragged into hyperspace by the ancient purrgil. That was where we left things, and there were rumblings a few years ago about Dave Filoni developing an animated sequel series.
Since then, Ahsoka Tano has appeared in The Mandalorian (and The Book of Boba Fett), with that series making it clear Thrawn is very much still alive and up to no good.
That must mean Ezra survived as well, and Disney+'s live-action Ahsoka now looks set to tell that story. Recently, it was confirmed that Eman Esfandi has been tapped to play the live-action version of that character, but there's still no word on who will bring Thrawn to life.
We've previously heard that Lars Mikkelsen, who voiced the Grand Admiral in Star Wars Rebels, is Lucasfilm's top choice for the role. Now, that's been reiterated by an online scooper who claims to confirm his casting while revealing that he'll be decked out in Thrawn's classic white uniform.
If correct, that's a great choice by Lucasfilm on all fronts. Mikkelsen made Thrawn terrifying even in animation, and he definitely has the right look to play the blue-skinned baddie in this series. Some fans believe he's the one pulling Moff Gideon's strings, orchestrating events on behalf of the fallen Emperor Palpatine.
That would tie a lot of loose threads together and answer some big questions, so fingers crossed Mikkelsen's involvement in Ahsoka is made official sooner rather than later.
Ahsoka is set to premiere on Disney+ next year. Keep checking back here for updates.