There are so many rumors and theories out there regarding what will come to pass for live-action Star Wars television. We know for certain that we’ll see Obi-Wan Kenobi return. Likewise, Rogue One’s Cassian Andor gets his own rebel spy thriller series. Beyond that…. We still don’t even have *official* confirmation that Ahsoka Tano will appear in The Mandalorian Season 2. Notwithstanding, there’s still a rumor of another live-action series that has people wondering. Will Ezra Bridger and Thrawn get their own series, or not?
The folks over at LRM claim to have a source that says the potential, live-action Star Wars Rebels spin-off “is still in play at Lucasfilm.” Many fans, like me, have been hoping to see Thrawn in some kind of live-action role since Timothy Zahn first introduced us to the blue-skinned Chiss in Heir to the Empire in 1991. But is an Ezra Bridger and Thrawn series the right vehicle for it now? We got a lot more of the Grand Admiral in a new Zahn trilogy of novels beginning in 2017. Now, he returns to print with a Chiss backstory trilogy. That begins with Thrawn Ascendency: Chaos Rising later this month. And, of course, he was the featured villain in the last two seasons of Star Wars Rebels. Thrawn is thoroughly ingrained in our minds at this point. Could a live–action appearance now do him the justice the character deserves?
Is an Ezra Bridger and Thrawn series the right move?
When it comes to the character’s portrayal in Rebels, Lucasfilm got everything right. (Everything, perhaps, except for his skin color. All prior depictions revealed the Chiss to have a richer, deeper blue complexion.) Otherwise, his calm demeanor and aristocratic speech were spot-on. Lars Mikkelsen performed Thrawn with aplomb…. So much so that it’s now hard to envision him in a Bridger and Thrawn series without Mikkelsen’s voice. The upside, however, is that Mikkelsen is only fifty-six years old. He’s smack-dab within the appropriate age range for the character if he were to reprise the role in live-action.
If Lars Mikkelsen is on board, then I think I am as well. The question remains of how they might handle Ezra. For me, and this might be an unpopular opinion, Ezra was always the weak link in terms of the Ghost crew characters. Sure, the character matured as the series went on, but he never truly lost that Luke in A New Hope whiny-ness. If we do get an Ezra Bridger and Thrawn series, I’d be watching for Thrawn, first and foremost.
What about you, Star Wars fans? Would you be interested in an Ezra Bridger and Thrawn series on Disney+? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: LRM
