Summary
WhileStar Warsfans were immediately excited at a recent casting rumor for the second season ofStar Wars: Ahsoka,the celebration and fan speculation on what it could mean seems to have been premature.
Star Wars: Ahsokawas a major win for older fans of the franchise who had enjoyed the animatedStar Warsshows that traced their lineage back to the 2000s and saw their narrative endpoint inStar Wars: Rebels.The show would bring Ahsoka, a fan-favorite character created for theClone Warsanimated series, to the fore in her own live-action adventure and would facilitate live-action debuts for multiple other characters. Fan excitement was only elevated further when it was confirmed thatHayden Christensen would be returning as Anakin Skywalker in the show, and the cameo did not fail to deliver in phenomenal fashion.
WithAhsokagearing up for another packed season on Disney+, a very recent rumor making the rounds posited thatprequel star Natalie Portman was in talks to return to the franchisein her iconic role as Padme Amidala, likely in a flashback sequence similar to Christensen’s season one performance. Unfortunately, news of Portman’s discussions to return seem to have been greatly, albeit optimistically, exaggerated at best. The rumor is now confirmed to be false, asSci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette, who also coveted the initial rumor, revealed in a more recent story that the publication had been told Portman was not involved in any such talks to return to the role for Ahsoka season two. The site also notes that other similar publications had received similar assurances in the time since the original rumor got started, many of which have also published updates on the matter. This news came alongside more positive news about another project, Shawn Levy’s plannedStar Warsproject, coming along speedily.
If true, the rumor would have seen Portman joinAhsokalead Rosario Dawson alongside fellow prequel star Christensen and potentially eventhe ill-advised addition of Ewan McGregorfor the second season of the show. This return was one that fans were already primed to accept, as Portman has been vocal in the past about her desire to return to the franchise that was a major part of her early adult life (Portman started work on her firstStar Warsproject at 16). Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Portman’s performance has always been one of the less besieged facets of the prequel trilogy, and with those films getting a lot more love in general lately, the idea of seeing Queen Amidala on screen again was certainly quite the treat for fans who heard the rumor. While this was already great in isolation, the possibilities seemed even more potent when the show’s prior cameo and how the two might interact in the upcoming second season were taken under consideration as well. Many fans haveremained fascinated with the dynamic between Christensen and Portmanand immediately got excited at the prospect ofAhsoka’ssecond season reuniting the two in their iconic prequel roles. While that would have certainly been a great moment, and given the second season a massive boost in interest in line with its predecessor, it unfortunately won’t be happening this time around. Fans are fortunate that the rumor was soundly debunked so soon after getting started, so everyone can manage their expectations for a season that’s still certain to be a treasure trove of callbacks and interesting character introductions.
There are arguablymore deservingStar Warscharacters that the series could potentially introduceinto the live-action franchise instead of bringing back previous stars, no matter how popular the decisions might be. The franchise needs to grow if it’s going to maintain its momentum going into a post-Mandalorianera and maintain fan interest ahead of the planned theatrical push that Lucasfilm Is working on. Regardless, it seems that fans are in for some more of the show’s strong in-group appeal no matter which way the season chooses to go.
TheStar Warsfranchise is available to stream on Disney+.
Ahsoka
Rosario Dawson stars as Ahsoka Tano in this Disney Plus Star Wars series that brings some of the franchise’s most beloved characters from the animated world into live-action. The series, created by Dave Filoni, also stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, and the late Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll.
