A Star Wars movie by Lucasfilm Executive Creative Director Dave Filoni was recently announced at the 2023 Celebration event. Now, Filoni has hinted at the villain of his upcoming movie: Grand Admiral Thrawn.
When Filoni's Star Wars movie was announced at the event, fans were told the film would focus on the New Republic and conclude the story set up by The Mandalorian and its spinoffs. While much of Grand Admiral Thrawn's stories were relegated to the non-canon Star Wars Legends category, the character played an important role in the animated Star Wars Rebels. His return has been hinted at in recent live-action shows, causing fans to suspect Thrawn is the main villain of Filoni's Star Wars movie.
During an interview with Empire, Filoni was asked if Thrawn is the primary antagonist of the New Republic era shows. "Definitely, in my eyes," Filoni said in response. "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." While discussing Thrawn's rumored role as the main villain of the upcoming Mandalorian crossover movie, Filoni was more coy. "He’s a critical player in this time period. We’re fortunate to have that character, and fortunate to have Lars [Mikkelsen] playing him."
While nearly everything fans need to know about Thrawn is no longer canon, Filoni said he still wants to honor the ideas established by Thrawn creator and Star Wars Legends author Timothy Zahn. "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," Filoni said. "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."
In Star Wars Rebels, set before the original movie trilogy, Thrawn's plot is foiled when young Jedi Ezra Bridger jumps himself and Thrawn through light speed into the unknown corners of the galaxy. Traditionally, Thrawn is depicted as the leader of the Galactic Empire's remnants after its downfall. However, as mentioned, many of Thrawn's stories are no longer canon, meaning his fate after Star Wars Rebels and during the New Republic era is unknown.
Lars Mikkelsen will play Thrawn in Ahsoka after previously voicing the role in Rebels, which fueled theories about him being the villain of the Mandalorian crossover movie. Those theories were boosted when The Mandalorian season 3 featured a scene where Moff Giden and Imperial Remnants leaders discuss Thrawn's impending return during a conference call. So, if Filoni's comments weren't enough confirmation, the Star Wars shows are setting up Thrawn as the Mandalorian story's overarching villain.
Filoni's Star Wars movie is in development.
Source: Empire (via The Direct)