It’s no secret that any creator’s first and foremost priority when it comes to depicting original characters into live remakes is staying true to how they have been written.
In this case, Timothy Zahn, who created Grand Admiral Thrawn in The Thrawn Trilogy with Lucasfilm, expresses being skeptical when it comes to the upcoming live-action series, Ahsoka, on Disney Plus.
“The danger is that the screenwriters write it badly.” Zahn told Clone Web.
Zahn then went on to describe how much of Thrawn’s underestimated abilities as a great villain could potentially go out of hand once he goes live.
On that note, he is relieved that Dave Filoni will be in charge of helming the series.
“[Thrawn] is a tactician, always ahead of his enemies.” Zahn said, “Dave Filoni showed in Rebels that he understood the character. So I think everything will be fine, as long as Filoni and Jon Favreau remain at the helm.”
It is worth mentioning though that Lars Mikkelsen, who voice acted for Grand Admiral Thrawn in Rebels, will be reprising his role in live-action!
While this may not entirely confirm that Zahn’s worries have been addressed, it should put fans at ease, seeing as reprising their animated roles means they already have a grasp of their characters.
ALSO READ: Which Rebels Episode You Should Watch Before Ahsoka, Dave Filoni Reveals
This, in turn, potentially means delivering their stories well, even in live-action.
Take a look at Katee Sackhoff reprising her role as Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian.
There is no doubt that fans are even celebrating Mikkelsen for getting the job, despite being poked fun at for not looking exactly as the villain.
In fact, even Zahn himself previously applauded that Mikkelsen is the perfect actor to take the role:
“Lars Mikkelsen did a wonderful job with the voice,” Zahn said, “The actor is Danish. He doesn’t really have an accent, but he has a particular vocal cadence when he plays Thrawn, which gives him a little alien side.”
Overall, Zahn called Mikkelsen “the perfect cast”.
It remains to be seen whether Mikkelsen will prove Zahn wrong, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough once the series releases on the platform.
Ahsoka is set to hit Disney+ this August.
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