Another Star Wars animated character is making the jump to live-action: Ahsoka has found its Ezra Bridger. Eman Esfandi will play the Rebels character in the show, per The Hollywood Reporter.
In Star Wars Rebels, Ezra is a Jedi in training involved in the Rebellion. He was last seen with Grand Admiral Thrawn – both mysteriously vanished and their fate is a complete unknown.
Esfandi appeared in King Richard, which stars Will Smith as the father of the Williams sisters, and has a role in The Inspection, which screened at this year's Toronto Film Festival. He'll be the first person to play Ezra in live-action.
Plot details on Ahsoka are scarce at the moment, but, judging by Ahsoka Tano's appearance in The Mandalorian, the show will involve the search for Thrawn, which probably means finding Ezra, too. We can also expect Ahsoka to be a continuation of sorts of Rebels, with Natasha Liu Bordizzo playing Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla confirmed to appear in the series, and Dave Filoni writing and executive producing. Ivanna Sakhno and Mary Elizabeth Winstead have mystery roles in the show, while Ray Stevenson is set to play a villain. Hayden Christensen may or may not be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker. Rosario Dawson is starring as Ahsoka herself.
Aladdin star Mena Massoud was a popular fan choice for Ezra, and the actor has addressed the news of Esfandi's casting. "Glad the rumors will stop now," Massoud wrote on Twitter. "Never really had a fair shot at it unfortunately (1 self-tape months ago) but just wasn't meant for me I guess. Can't deny the dude looks exactly like Ezra. Hope it's done justice!"
A teaser for Ahsoka was revealed behind closed doors at Star Wars Celebration 2022. "It feels like I've been adopted into a family," Bordizzo said at the convention. "Set is going really well! I know how much Sabine means to people in this room. Watching Rebels, she's come to me. You guys are going to be really excited about her journey."
Next up on the Star Wars release slate is Andor, which arrives on Disney Plus with a triple season premiere this September 21. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything coming soon from the galaxy far, far away.
