The Mandalorian casts Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano
The fan-favorite is coming to live-action
The Mandalorian season two has cast Rosario Dawson as Jedi outcast Ahsoka Tano, according to Slash Film's Peter Scrietta.
Star Wars Exclusive: 'The Mandalorian' Season 2 Casts Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano https://t.co/PMxyRO3JfP pic.twitter.com/xfOqOOdXl1March 20, 2020
The Disney Plus series, which is set to return in October of this year, is pulling from the annals of Star Wars history with this one. Ahsoka is a fan-favorite character from the Clone Wars animated series, a former Jedi Padawan to Anakin Skywalker who leave the Jedi order after she grows disillusioned with the Jedi Council and the way they treat her. Ahsoka is also a character in the other animated series, Star Wars Rebels, and her voice (provided by Ashley Eckstein) appears in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Needless to say, this is something of a dream fan-casting, as Dawson's name has been in the mix for a live-action version of the Togrutan badass for quite some time. Back in 2017, Dawson replied to a tweet calling for her to appear in a Star Wars movie as Ahsoka, with "Ummmm... yes please?! #AhsokaLives". She was also asked about the role and the fan movement to cast her on an episode of Good Morning America, where she called the idea "amazing".
Ummmm... yes please?! #AhsokaLives #AhsokaTano #StarWars https://t.co/jYposLVGIYFebruary 7, 2017
Considering Ahsoka's role in the siege of Mandalore (which we'll likely see in the last few episodes of season 7 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars), we could potentially get another fan favorite in The Mandalorian, as well: Sabine Wren, who Ahsoka heads off with at the end of Rebels.
I'm curious to see how Ahsoka will translate to live-action - she's orange-hued, with massive head tails that reach mid-back. The cosplay versions of Ahsoka vary from pretty dead-on takes to some serious dips into the uncanny valley. If Natalia Tena's turn as Twi'lek Xi'an in season one of the series is any indication, it could look a tad wonky.
Here's hoping the makeup department knocks it out of the park, as the casting is pitch-perfect.
Funnily enough, Ahsoka Tano just returned in The Clone Wars season 7 episode 5.
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Alyssa Mercante is an editor and features writer at GamesRadar based out of Brooklyn, NY. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.