It can’t be easy for a young actor to land the role of a lifetime that takes their career to the next level, only to see further opportunities dry up in the aftermath. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Mena Massoud, who took top billing ahead of Will Smith in Disney’s billion-dollar live-action Aladdin remake, but failed to see any major doors opened.
The star even admitted that he was struggling to land any gigs despite the global success of his first-ever major leading role in a movie, but he’s since signed on for Netflix romantic comedy The Royal Treatment. However, if a recent spate of rumors are to be believed, the 29 year-old could be on the verge of getting to play in the Star Wars sandbox.
Massoud has been linked to Ezra Bridger before, a fan favorite character fans have been hoping to see make the jump into the Disney Plus universe built out from The Mandalorian, and there was talk just a few days ago that he was locked, with Lars Mikkelsen also set to take his vocal performance as Grand Admiral Thrawn to the next level.
While the news hasn’t been officially confirmed by anyone at Disney or Lucasfilm, new fan art from Mizuri showcases how perfectly suited he is for Kanan Jarrus’ Padawan, which you can check out below.
After Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano name-dropped Thrawn during her one-episode guest spot in The Mandalorian that doubled as the backdoor pilot to her own solo series, the chances of Ezra Bridger being part of the show increased exponentially. There’s still no word on when Ahsoka will be shooting, but if casing pieces are reportedly being put in place already, then the next Star Wars streaming exclusive could be gaining serious momentum behind the scenes.