Star Wars Series Ahsoka Casts Ray Stevenson As Mystery Villain (And It Isn't Thrawn)
Today brings some interesting news for "Star Wars" fans as the upcoming "Ahsoka" series has added yet another member to its ever-growing cast. None other than Ray Stevenson ("Thor," "Vikings") has been tapped to play an unspecified villain in the show. This will mark the actor's return to a galaxy far, far away, having previously provided his voice to both "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels" animated shows (more on that in a minute).
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Stevenson has secured a role in "Ahsoka" and will appear alongside Rosario Dawson who will reprise the title role after her appearance in "The Mandalorian" season 2. Other cast members currently include Ivanna Sakhno and Natasha Liu Bordizzo, as well as Hayden Christensen, who will be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker, much like he's doing for the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" show. Whether or not he will suit up as Darth Vader or will strictly play Anakin (perhaps in flashbacks) remains to be seen. More recently, Mary Elizabeth Winstead also signed on for the series in an unspecified role.
As for Stevenson's character, he's definitely playing a villain — though he's not playing Grand Admiral Thrawn, a character who is expected to be a factor in the show. Thrawn was a huge character in "Rebels," and in "The Mandalorian" season 2, Ahsoka name-dropped the Imperial leader. So it would make every bit of sense for him to factor in — but that's not why Stevenson has been brought into the fold.
Who Is He Playing?
While he's not playing Thrawn, Stevenson will play an Admiral of some kind, which opens the door for plenty of speculation. As previously noted, the actor voiced Gar Saxon in both "The Clone Wars" and "Rebels." Gar Saxon worked with Maul in his criminal syndicate before joining up with the Empire. In another life, Saxon was a Mandalorian super commando. In other words, he's a tough guy, and that suits Stevenson quite well. The actor is known for his role as Volstagg in the "Thor" franchise as well as Othere in "Vikings." He also portrayed Frank Castle in "Punisher War Zone," with my personal favorite being his part as a hired muscle Roger Wesley in "The Other Guys."
Given that "Star Wars" characters keep making the jump from animated to live-action, it would make a lot of sense for Stevenson to play Gar Saxon. Katee Sackhoff, for example, played her character Bo-Katan in "The Mandalorian" after voicing the character previously in animation.
Dave Filioni and Jon Favreau are on board to produce the show, just as they've done with the other shows in the Mando-Verse. Production is set to begin in April but plot details are being kept firmly under wraps for the time being. What we do know is that all of these shows are building toward a currently untitled event series. "Ahsoka" does not yet have a release date set but we will be sure to keep you posted as further details come our way.