Star Wars rumors: Mena Massoud reported frontrunner to play live-action Ezra Bridger

STAR WARS REBELS - "The Lost Commanders" - Ahsoka sends the Rebel crew to find and recruit a war hero to their cause, but when they discover it is Captain Rex, trust issues put the mission at risk. This episode of "Star Wars Rebels" airs Wednesday, October 14 (9:30 PM - 10:00 PM ET/PT) on Disney XD. (Disney XD)EZRA
STAR WARS REBELS - "The Lost Commanders" - Ahsoka sends the Rebel crew to find and recruit a war hero to their cause, but when they discover it is Captain Rex, trust issues put the mission at risk. This episode of "Star Wars Rebels" airs Wednesday, October 14 (9:30 PM - 10:00 PM ET/PT) on Disney XD. (Disney XD)EZRA

It looks like we’re one step closer to having Ezra Bridger appear in a live-action Star Wars property. Kessel Run Transmissions has reported (via The Direct) that live-action Aladdin star, Mena Massoud is a frontrunner to take on the role of the Jedi Padawan of Kanan Jarrus. This news comes as a bit of a surprise as we’d expected someone like Rahul Kohli to take on the character as he has been interested for some time.

Though, I definitely approve of Massoud in the role if this ends up being the case. He has the look for an older Ezra especially given where the story is headed. The last time we see the character is in the series finale of Star Wars Rebels when he is thrown into the Unknown Regions with Grand Admiral Thrawn in an attempt to stop him from plaguing the galaxy further.

The first hint to where the adventure is headed was in The Mandalorian “Chapter 13: The Jedi” where we learn Ahsoka is searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn. However, it is still unclear when the episode actually takes place as it is unclear how much time has passed since Ezra and the Chiss leader vanished.

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Massoud also has the skill to play someone like Ezra given how well he played Aladdin. He is also incredibly fit given how much he enjoys staying active. This would be a great challenge for him and one that would be very rewarding.

It might be some time before we actually know who will be Ezra if he appears in the Ahsoka series at all. Though, it would be foolhardy not to include him given where we last saw him in the timeline and where Ahsoka herself is at in her quest to find him and Grand Admiral Thrawn.

What we know about Ezra now in the timeline

There’s been a ton of questions about how Ezra fits into the larger story of the Ahsoka series if he does in fact appear. Let’s dive into one of these. Now, I need to stress that this are just an educated guess.

The question we need to ask is how much older will Ezra be now in the timeline.

Well, looking back at how old Ezra was 14 when we meet him at the beginning of Star Wars Rebels as the series begins in 5BBY, meaning five years before A New Hope. 

A few episodes into the first season of the series, and Ezra turns 15 having been born the day the Empire was born — meaning he was born on Empire Day and a couple of days before Luke and Leia Skywalker were born.

By the end of the series run, Ezra is roughly 20 years old as the series ends prior to the beginning of Rogue One and A New Hope which take place within just days of each other. If the Ahsoka series takes place in 9ABY at the same time as The Mandalorian, then Ezra would be about 30 years of age as 10 years would’ve passed from the last time we see him. This is backed up by the aforementioned The Direct article.

Ezra’s age would fit the bill for Mena Massoud as he’s almost the same age Ezra would be.

Now, since we don’t know whether the final scene of Rebels takes place before or after the Battle of Yavin or around the time of the Battle of Endor, the Ahsoka series should shed some light on that when the time comes.

Want do you think about the possibility of Mena Massoud as Ezra? Be sure to share your opinions with us below in the comments.