In a surprising — and highly anticipated — announcement, Eman Esfandi has been cast as the long-missing Jedi Ezra Bridger in Disney+ series Ahsoka, according to a report from geek-focused site Cinelinx. He joins series star Rosario Dawson in continuing the adventures of Ahsoka Tano, the onetime apprentice to Anakin Skywalker, who was last seen in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett.

Esfandi was most recently seen in 2021's King Richard, and his casting in Ahsoka is something Star Wars fans have been waiting for for years. When the character was last seen in the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, he propelled himself into parts unknown on board an Imperial ship to save the crew of the Ghost. His whereabouts have been a mystery in canon since.

When audiences first saw live-action Ahsoka Tano, it was in an episode of The Mandalorian Season 2 where she aided Din Djarin (Pedro Pacal/Brendan Wayne) in his efforts to find a Jedi to train Grogu. Ahsoka herself was preoccupied with another mission, namely tracking down the elusive Grand Admiral Thrawn, who was last seen in the finale of Star Wars: Rebels disappearing with Ezra Bridger.

Ezra Bridger Star Wars Rebels

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The series is expected to bring both old faces and new friends together for the adventure. Hayden Christensen, who returns to the Galaxy Far, Far Away this week in Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to reprise the role of Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka, marking the first live-action encounter between the two characters. They previously appeared together (played by Ashley Eckstein and Matt Lanter respectively) in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Another familiar face is Sabine Wren, who first appeared in Rebels and will be making the move to live action, this time played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo. Given how close she and Ezra were, it's not a wild guess to assume she will be joining Ahsoka on her quest for Thrawn, if indeed they're trying to find out where he went.

Also joining the cast are Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ivanna Sakhno, and Ray Stevenson, all of whom have been cast in mystery roles. All that's known so far is that Stevenson's character is described as a "villainous admiral." With the series now in active production it's only a matter of time before we find out more on who they're expected to play.

Ahsoka will arrive on Disney+ in 2023