The unprecedented success of The Mandalorian has given Lucasfilm a golden opportunity of expanding the Star Wars franchise even further with little to no reliance on the Skywalker Saga.
Just recently, it was officially confirmed that the events of all MandoVerse-centric series — The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew will culminate in a massive crossover on the big screen directed by the fan-favorite Dave Filoni.
As it stands, key details surrounding the exciting project have remained under wraps but it looks like we have already been given an idea as to who the film's big bad is going to be.
On the summer issue of Empire Magazine (via The Direct), Dave Filoni seemingly revealed that Grand Admiral Thrawn, who makes his live-action debut in Ahsoka will serve as MandoVerse film's main villain which of course makes total sense.
When asked if he sees Thrawn as the New Republic Era's biggest threat, he said: "Definitely, in my eyes. When Timothy Zahn wrote 'Heir To The Empire,' Thrawn became this very iconic villain, because he was different than anything we’d seen before. He wasn’t another helmet-wearing, lightsaber-wielding bad guy, you know? There’s a lot of pull to make characters that are like Vader, because it is so iconic."
He added: "But the boldness that Tim had was to make somebody that wasn’t like that, that didn’t have those abilities, but could fight in a different way. In the words ‘Star Wars’, the ‘war’ part of it — him being a Grand Admiral, a leader, a military strategist, a Moriarty archetype, someone that will out-think you, out-strategise you — that really resonated. He’s a critical player in this time period. We’re fortunate to have that character, and fortunate to have Lars [Mikkelsen] playing him."
"There are a lot of factors, especially in playing with a character like [novelist] Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn — I want to make sure that I’m honouring ideas that Tim had, so I want to see what’s [in his books] for the story. In The Bad Batch, there is actually some crossover with the book Heir To The Empire in the military base of Tantiss. So there are little things along the way that I’ve built across different mediums, all in preparation for things that come later."
Also Read: The Mandalorian: Katee Sackhoff Admits Not Being a Fan of Controversial Season 3 Decision
Filoni's statement almost guarantees that Grand Admiral Thrawn won't suffer the same fate as Moff Gideon, who died in The Mandalorian's third season finale. Well, at least until the film finally hits cinemas.
And let's be real here, Thrawn is too valuable of a character to just use as a one-off villain.
Meanwhile, all three seasons of The Mandalorian are available to stream on Disney+.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!