It had long been rumoured that Mena Massoud was going to be playing Ezra Bridger in the Ahsoka Star Wars series. Well, we heard today that he didn’t get the gig. Instead, it went to an actor called Eman Esfandi, and Massoud took to Twitter after the announcement to react to the news and also explain his experience auditioning for the role.
It was revealed earlier today that Eman Esfandi had been cast as the live-action Ezra Bridger in the Ahsoka Tano series, and I think it’s great casting. Eman is still a relatively unknown name in Hollywood, but he’s already been making a name for himself with his terrific performances in the movies he’s appeared in.
Eman appeared in Robert Rodriguez’s horror film Red 11, which screened at Cannes in 2019, as well as a small role in best picture nominee King Richard. Esfandi is also going to be starring in the upcoming gay military drama The Inspection, which is getting very good early reviews after its recent screenings at the Toronto Film Festival this week.
Mena Massoud has reacted to the Ezra Bridger casting news
Credit: Disney
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So, Massoud had been linked to the Bridger role for months. It was widely reported that he was in talks for the role. Some people even said that he had already been cast in the role. Well, it turns out that Massoud did send an audition tape to Lucasfilm ages ago. Turns out that Lucasfilm and Disney opted to cast someone else in the role, which does come as a bit of a shock because Massoud did really look the part.
Here’s what the Aladdin star had to say about the casting news via Twitter:
Glad the rumors will stop now. 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!
Glad the rumors will stop now. 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!
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) September 9, 2022
Who else will be in the Ahsoka series?
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It’s already been revealed that Rosario Dawson will be returning as Ahsoka Tano in the upcoming series. We last saw her in the role in The Book Of Boba Fett. However, we were first introduced to her in the role in The Mandalorian Season 2. She’ll be joined by the likes of Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno and Australian thespian Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Hayden Christensen will also reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker, and Ray Stevenson will play a mystery villain. We still don’t have any plot details for the series. However, it does seem as though Ahsoka will be looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn in the series.
As for Grand Admiral Thrawn, it was revealed to us a while back that Lars Mikkelsen has been approached to play the role in live-action. He voiced the character in the Star Wars Rebels series, and I think he would be a great fit for the live-action version of the character also. The Ahsoka series is set to be released on Disney Plus in 2023.
What do you make of this news? Were you hoping to see Mena Massoud cast as Ezra Bridger in the Ahsoka Tano series on Disney Plus? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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