Outside of yesterday’s Lucasfilm Showcase, arguably the most anticipated panel of this year’s Star Wars Celebration was that of the “Star Wars: Ahsoka” panel.
It delivered. Lars Mikkelsen is confirmed to be returning as Grand Admiral Thrawn, a role he voiced in “Star Wars Rebels”. Mikkelsen appeared onstage alongside the cast and was seen in a new trailer shown exclusively in the room for fans.
His reveal reportedly drew the biggest reaction this far of the whole convention. It follows years of speculation about whom would be playing Thrawn in live-action some day and Mikkelsen himself deflecting queries from fans and journalists over the past few months.
Filoni says they are having ongoing discussions with author Timothy Zahn about Thrawn’s character who was first introduced in those books. Filoni seems to have nothing but respect for Zahn’s work, saying: “That all starts with Tim Zahn’s books. When we were all kids, hungry for something else, and Heir To The Empire hit, it was so unique and so wonderful.”
The result is a villain not to be messed with, one known for his strategic mind and keen intelligence: “He doesn’t have the Force, but it doesn’t matter. He will outsmart you.”
Other shots in the new trailer included Sabine igniting a lightsaber and skidding on a speeder, and a close encounter with a Purrgil.
Other announcements at the panel included former “Doctor Who” alum David Tennant returning as the robot Huyang, whilst Diana Lee Inosanto will be playing Thrawn’s right-hand aide Morgan Elsebeth.
A glimpse of the battle between Ahsoka and Morgan Elsbeth was seen in the trailer, and the scene reportedly took more than 17 hours to film. In addition, George Lucas was reportedly on set for the scene.
Next up, it was revealed “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” composer Kevin Kiner is returning to handle scoring duties. Finally, the full list of directors was revealed – Dave Filoni himself, “Mandalorian” regular Rick Famuyiwa, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” co-director Peter Ramsey, and veteran TV directors Steph Green, Jennifer Getzinger and Geeta Patel.
“Star Wars: Ahsoka” is confirmed to be premiering in August on the Disney+ service.
