Aladdin actor Mena Massoud has hinted strongly that another popular Star Wars animated character may be about to make the jump to live-action,
The 29-year-old Massoud, who starred in Disney’s live-action Aladdin, has teased his fans on Instagram by suggesting he may be taking on the role of Star Wars Rebels hero Ezra Bridger.
While the tease isn’t confirmed, it adds fuel to the rumors that the popular Jedi Padawan and freedom fighter, Erza Bridger, may soon appear in some live-action form.
Mena Massoud hinted he’ll be a live-action Ezra
There have been rumors the character might make a return, either for the Mandalorian or another of the Disney+ Star Wars series. And Massoud had been mentioned in the running, with the actor neither confirming nor denying it.
But Massoud threw more speculation when he posted a photo on his Instagram page with the quote “hey, just so you know, when I escape, I won’t hurt any of you.” This is a popular Ezra quote from when he escapes Imperial troops.
It’s possible the line was a coincidence; however, that seems unlikely. The photo he chose portrayed himself in amazing shape, fueling the idea the actor may be beefing up for a part in some sort of project.
While the post confused many fans, some made the connection to Erza Bridger straight away. “So you’re going to be Ezra Bridget in live-action,” wrote one fan in the comments. And another wrote: “Please be Erza.”
Who is Ezra Bridger?
The central character of Star Wars Rebels (the first animated series following Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm), Ezra was born on the very day the Republic was transformed into the Empire. His parents were outspoken opponents of the Empire, which led to them being imprisoned and eventually executed.
Ezra was forced to grow up on the streets of Lothal, where he became a thief and a con artist to survive.
One job had him running into a crew of smugglers turned Rebels. Their leader, Kanan Jarrus, was a former Jedi who had escaped Order 66.
Realizing Ezra was Force-sensitive, Kanan decided to train the youth as his new Padawan. While reluctant at first, Ezra was able to use the Force well, complete with his own lightsaber.
Ezra worked with the crew as they graduated into a full Rebel cell, led by Fulcrum, aka former Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano.
The series finale of Rebels had Ezra trapped on a ship alongside Imperial commander Grand Admiral Thrawn as it was being pulled into deep pace.
That happened before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy, but an epilogue taking place after Return of the Jedi had some crew members hoping to find him.
Live-action adaptations
The fact that The Mandalorian has been making live-action versions of animated Star Wars characters a regular occurrence is a key reason the Ezra rumors are taking off.
Season 2 of the series first had Katee Sackhoff playing a live-action version of the Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan who she had voiced in the Clone Wars and Rebels series.
Rosario Dawson followed that as the live-action Ahsoka, who she will reprise in her own spin-off series. In her episode, Ahsoka reveals she’s looking for Thrawn, who is still alive.
If Thrawn survived, then the possibility exists Ezra did as well. Massoud is the right age for when Ezra would be in the Star Wars timeline and he looks much like the cartoon character as well.
However, Massoud hasn’t been the only candidate, iZombie star Rahul Kohli threw his hat in the ring to be the live-action Ezra to the point he had to mute any Rebels-themed talk on his social media.
While this could all end up being a big coincidence, Massoud’s choice of words is making Star Wars fans hopeful Ezra will soon be following Bo-Katan and Ahsoka in taking the jump from animation to live-action.
Star Wars Rebels streaming on Disney+.