By George & Josh Bate
Just two months before the highly anticipated second season of Ahsoka premieres on Disney+, Ezra Bridger actor Eman Esfandi teased that more beloved characters from Star Wars animated shows will appear in the new episodes.
Speaking at L.A. Comic Con, Esfandi said that Season 2 will feature “a lot of other well-beloved characters that we get to spend more time with in live-action,” implying that more Star Wars animated characters will appear in the show.
“I think everyone’s going to be really happy with them,” Esfandi remarked.
So far, Ahsoka has seen the live-action debuts of numerous characters from Star Wars animated shows, including Sabine, Ezra, Chopper, Hera, and Thrawn. But Season 2 seems as if it will go even grander with its ambitions to blur the lines between animation and live-action.
Here are five characters from Star Wars animation we think could appear in Ahsoka Season 2 (and who should play them).
Alexsandr Kallus
Zeb was notably absent from Season 1 of Ahsoka but will appear in Season 2, as confirmed by the official trailer. And if Zeb is thrown in the mix, why can’t Season 2 give fans what they’ve been desperately desiring for so long: Kalluzeb.
Kallus had one of the more interesting and unexpected arcs in Star Wars Rebels, evolving from a ruthless agent of the ISB to the disillusioned spy Fullcrum to a full-fledged member of the Rebels.
Given his redemption arc, it would make sense that Kallus is working for the New Republic at the time of Ahsoka Season 2, possibly by Zeb’s side.
If Kallus appears in live-action, there’s a few actors who could step into the role. Game of Thrones alum Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been frequently fan-casted due to his physical resemblance and his ability to play a rigid, ruthless military man who transitions into a character of deeper conscience and redemption.
Avengers: Doomsday actor Wyatt Russell is another solid actor who bears a solid resemblance and has experience playing complex, morally grey military figures.
Another promising choice could be David Oyelowo, who voiced the character in Star Wars Rebels. As a person of color, Oyelowo does not look like Kallus from the animated show, but he clearly has a better grasp on the character than any other actor and is an incredible performer in his own right.
Rex
Captain Rex only appeared briefly in Ahsoka Season 1, during the Clone Wars flashback in episode 5 “Shadow Warrior.” It’s about time the fan-favorite Clone Trooper steps into live-action in a more prominent role.
It will have been five years since Temuera Morrison appeared in a live-action Star Wars project, so the New Zealand legend is long overdue for a return. What better place than Ahsoka Season 2, where he could take on the role of Rex? This time hopefully without his helmet on.
Hondo Ohnaka
It’s pretty crazy Hondo has still not made the transition from animation to live-action. A fixture of Star Wars animation for decades and a prominent figure at Galaxy’s Edge, the sleazy, fast-talking pirate could easily be one of the new characters to appear in Ahsoka Season 2.
The animatronic and video footage of the character at Galaxy’s Edge offers a glimpse as to how Hondo could come to live-action. He could be voiced once again by Jim Cummings, who has repeatedly voiced his enthusiasm for playing the character.
Kanan Jarrus
Few moments in Star Wars history are as gut-wrenching as Kanan’s death in Star Wars Rebels Season 4. While we are not suggesting Kanan will be revived in Ahsoka Season 2, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Kanan appears in a flashback or a vision sequence.
There’s only one logical choice to play Kanan in live-action and that’s Freddie Prinze Jr. A picture of Kanan in Ahsoka Season 1 already had Prinze Jr.’s likeness.
Asajj Ventress
So far, all the characters on this list played prominent roles in Star Wars Rebels, but Eman Esfandi’s comments indicated that characters from Star Wars animation more generally would be coming to Ahsoka Season 2.
After playing one of the central villains in The Clone Wars, Asajj Ventress miraculously returned in The Bad Batch Season 3 before being the focal point of three episodes of Tales of the Underworld. The latter series concluded on an open-ended note for Ventress’ character, meaning it’s completely possible that the former dark side user is still operating at the time of Ahsoka Season 2.
Making Ventress’ appearance even more likely is the fact that Season 2 will take place partly on Dathomir, the home of the Nightsisters, a group of witches Ventress was once a part of.
Playing Ventress in live-action could be a tricky prospect for any actor to take on, yet there’s a few performers we think are up to the task.
Elizabeth Debicki, Vera Farmiga, and Charlize Theron all deliver a striking on-screen presence and could capture the physicality, intensity, stillness, and distinctiveness of Ventress.
Ahsoka Season 2 premieres January 20 on Disney+.