Admiral Thrawn Origins Movie Reportedly In Development

It looks like Lucasfilm has major plans for Grand Admiral Thrawn in Star Wars going forward. The blue-skinned Imperial villain was always a fan favorite, thanks to his appearances in the old EU novels by Timothy Zahn, and he finally got to make it to the screen in Star Wars Rebels. The Mandalorian season 2 then teased his live-action debut, with Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano revealed to be on the hunt for him.

Reports have come out since then pointing to Thrawn being the big bad of The Mandalorian season 3, or else he’ll have a presence in Dawson’s Ahsoka TV series. The latest word on the topic, though, says he’s getting his very own vehicle. Insider Daniel Richtman has heard that Lucasfilm is in early development on an origins movie for the villain which would explain how he climbed up the ranks of the Empire.

This is just filed as a rumor for now, but it could link up neatly with other intel that’s going around. For instance, Richtman previously shared that Mandalorian showrunner Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. are apparently looking to work together again, and it could happen on a Star Wars project. A different source, Pirates and Princesses, then reported that Downey Jr. was up for the part of Thrawn himself.

If that’s correct, then you can see why Lucasfilm is now thinking of doing a Thrawn movie. After all, you don’t get a talent of Downey Jr.’s caliber and then not give him his own film. It’s unclear at this stage if this origins tale would be headed to theaters or streaming, but despite RDJ’s tentpole appeal, it’s probably more likely to be a Disney Plus project, though that’s just speculation. There will no doubt be a lot of cross-pollination between the two mediums going forward.

Tell us, are you excited to see Grand Admiral Thrawn in live-action, whether he’s played by Robert Downey Jr. or not? Let us know in the comments.