Another fan-favorite character from Star Wars animation is coming to live-action. Deadline is reporting that actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo has been cast as Sabine Wren in the upcoming miniseries Star Wars: Ahsoka.
Sabine was one of the main characters in Star Wars Rebels, where she was voiced by Tiya Sircar. As established in Rebels, Sabine comes from one of the most prominent families on Mandalore, and she was also an Imperial Academy recruit before she turned against the Empire and joined the Rebels. Sabine is a skilled warrior with a customized suit of Mandalorian armor to call her own. She is also an accomplished artist who incorporates her artistic skills into her acts of rebellion.
Bordizzo had her first big break in the Netflix original movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. Some of her other credits include Crazy About You, The Voyeurs, Detective Chinatown 2, Guns Akimbo, and Hotel Mumbai. She is also a trained martial artist, which should come in handy while portraying Sabine’s fighting skills in her upcoming Star Wars debut.
Star Wars: Ahsoka will feature Rosario Dawson in the leading role as former Jedi apprentice Ahsoka Tano. Like Sabine, Ahsoka originated in a Star Wars animated series. Ahsoka was one of the main characters of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and she was a supporting character in the second season of Rebels. That’s where the connection between Ahsoka and Sabine was made.
In the final episode of Rebels, Sabine and Ahsoka joined forces to find their missing friend, Ezra Bridger. Ezra was a young rebel with Jedi-like abilities, even though he never formally completed his training. Ezra and the Rebels’ constant nemesis, Grand Admiral Thrawn, were whisked away into parts unknown during the last episode of the series. However, Thrawn’s name was dropped during The Mandalorian season 2, which may mean that his return is imminent as well.
Ahsoka is a direct spinoff from The Mandalorian, and Dawson made her Star Wars debut during the second season. The Mandalorian‘s Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau will executive produce the series for Disney+. While Ahsoka doesn’t have a premiere date yet, Bordizzo’s casting suggests that filming may begin in a few months.
