For a while there, fans were getting excited over the possibility of Mara Jade appearing in Star Wars: Episode IX… until it was confirmed that Luke Skywalker’s wife from the Legends canon won’t be showing up in the trilogy closer. However, maybe we were barking up the wrong tree and a different celebrated character from the Expanded Universe is making a jump to the movies instead? In short, is Richard E. Grant playing Grand Admiral Thrawn?
As we reported the other day, ever since the prolific British star (Logan, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who) was revealed to be joining Episode IX last week, fans have been theorizing that he might be bringing Thrawn to live-action. The blue-skinned, red-eyed Imperial officer is part of the official canon thanks to his prominent role in Star Wars Rebels, where he’s voiced by Lars Mikkelsen, and we know how much Lucasfilm likes to plunder the animated series thanks to Saw Gerrera and Darth Maul’s appearances in Rogue One and Solo.
Now, Richard E. Grant himself might’ve teased that fans are on the right track. Curiously, the actor’s official Twitter account has liked a tweet from a Star Wars lover which used a GIF to express excitement at the idea that he could be playing Thrawn. You can see Grant’s avatar as the second user along on the like section in the screenshot below:
Of course, there’s nothing necessarily revealing about this action. Grant could just be pleased that fans are excitedly speculating about what role he’s playing in Episode IX. Or, yes, he could be liking the tweet as a sign that we’ve cottoned on to the truth. Not to mention that Grant would be a very safe choice for Thrawn, as he’s made a career out of playing villains and would certainly look the part, give or take some make-up or light CGI.
No doubt more details on Grant’s character – be it Thrawn or someone else – will leak out as Star Wars: Episode IX goes in front of cameras this August. Until then, though, tell us, would you like to see the villain show up in the movie? Have your say in the comments section down below.