Egyptian-born Canadian Actor Mena Massoud, who is famous for playing that character Aladdin in Disney’s 2019 live-action reboot, may have just dropped a huge hint regarding those Star Wars casting rumors that have been circulating as of late.
While Massoud has been acting since 2011, he was thrust into stardom after he was cast in the titular role for the Disney live-action Aladdin reboot. Massoud also found success in the world of TV with a reoccurring role on Amazon Prime Video’s Jack Ryan and a leading role on the Hulu original series Reprisal. Massoud has recently been the subject of casting rumors and in a post on Instagram, he seems to indicate some validity to these rumors.
Recently, Massoud posted a shirtless black and white image of himself on Instagram, which included the caption reading, “Hey, just so you know, when I escape I won't hurt any of you.” To some, this may just seem like an odd bit of reassurance that the very fit actor isn’t gonna rough up his Instagram followers, but many on social media were quick to point out the significance of this caption. It may actually be a quote spoken by a certain character from the animated series Star Wars Rebels.
In the second season of the hit Star Wars series The Mandalorian, many viewers were introduced to an ex-Jedi Padawan named Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). Some Star Wars fans would immediately recognize Ahsoka from her previous role in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and its follow-up Star Wars Rebels, but Season 2 of The Mandalorian marked the first time the character made a live-action appearance. In the episode titled The Jedi, Ahsoka faces down an evil Magistrate and asks her about the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn. To some, this name left them confused, but fans of Rebels recognized it immediately and understood its potential hinting at another animated character making his live-action debut: fellow Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger.
In the final season of Star Wars Rebels, orphaned street rat-turned-Jedi trainee Ezra Bridger confronted Imperial antagonist Grand Admiral Thrawn before the two vanished after being shot into hyperspace by some giant space whales (it makes sense when you see it). At first, this seemed like the end of Bridger, but his death was never confirmed. When the series ended with Ahsoka and fellow Rebel Sabine Wren going off to search for him, fans began to speculate on his return. Once Ahsoka made her live-action debut, showing that she was still looking for Thrawn, Ezra Bridger’s return to the Galaxy Far, Far Away seemed inevitable.
Ever since Disney confirmed that there would be a Mandalorian spin-off series focusing on Ahsoka, Massoud was rumored to be considered for Ezra. He certainly shows an uncanny resemblance to the character and is roughly the right age. It’s also fitting because Ezra Bridger was likely inspired by Aladdin: a street rat surviving as a thief who goes on to prove himself to be more than meets the eye. In the Instagram post, Massoud seems to be quoting Ezra Bridger from the season 2 episode Stealth Strike, when Ezra is captured by the empire. While this isn’t confirmation that Massoud has been cast in the role, it seems like a pretty strong hint. But who knows, maybe this another case of actor trolling fans, as was the case when Paul Bettany teased a surprise guest appearance in WandaVision who turned out to be himself.
Star Wars Rebels and Disney’s live-action Aladdin are streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Mena Massoud | Instagram