It’s been revealed thatStar Wars Rebelsrepeated a decision thatStar Wars: The Clone Warsmade, and it might’ve been the best thing for the show.Rebelspremiered in 2014 and ran for 4 seasons, and it had many connections and overlaps with otherStar Warstitles and characters. As the first visual media to come out of the Disney era ofStar Wars, a lot was riding on the success ofRebels.
Rebelsfocused mainly on the six members of theGhost, with a particular interest inJedi Kanan Jarrusand his Padawan, Ezra Bridger. Since the end ofRebels, most of theGhostcrew members have made their live-action debuts- except for Kanan, who died inRebelsseason 4. It’s clear that sinceRebelsended in 2018, the characters have continued to be an important aspect of the largerStar Warsstory. However, the main voice ofRebelscould have been very different.
Pod Of Rebellion Revealed That Ezra Bridger Was The Last Of The Ghost Crew To Be Cast
Taylor Gray Was Not A Part Of The Cast When They First Met
Vanessa Marshall, Tiya Sircar, and Taylor Gray, who portrayed Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger respectively, launched a new Rebels rewatch podcast along with moderator Jon Lee Brody calledPod of Rebellion. In the first episode, Tiya Sircar and Vanessa Marshall were discussing their first-ever recording session forRebelsandrevealed that the series' main character, Ezra Bridger, hadn’t been cast.
Star Wars Rebels Voice Cast - What The Actors Look Like In Real Life
Star Wars Rebels features an amazing cast of live-action and voice-acting all-stars, each who bring an added edge to Star Wars.
Taylor Gray confirmed as much, stating that he was brought on board forRebelsafter doing Ezra’s digital shorts that were used as advertising before theRebelsseason 1 premiere. At the point when themain cast ofRebelsmet and began recording, Sircar, Marshall and Freddie Prinze Jr. (Kanan Jarrus) were all present.Steve Blum, who voicesZeb Orrelios, was already cast but was at a convention in London, meaning he wasn’t present at the first recording session.
Matt Lanter Was The Last Of The Main Cast Added For The Clone Wars
The Voice Of Anakin Skywalker Was A Late Addition To The Clone Wars
AtThe Clone Wars15th Anniversary panel atStar WarsCelebration 2023,Anakin Skywalkervoice actor Matt Lanter revealed that he was a recast. Essentially, Lucasfilm had hired a different actor to voice the Jedi, but six months into the recording process, they began looking for a new actor, a role that Lanter eventually stepped into, and frankly excelled in.It’s unknown who the actor originally cast as Anakin was, or why he left the project,but it’s clear thatStar Warsmade the right decision as Lanter has become a beloved member of theStar Warscommunity.
The Clone Wars Version of Anakin Was Almost Very Different
During The Clone Wars 15th-anniversary panel at Star Wars Celebration, Matt Lanter revealed one detail that almost made the show very different.
Ahsoka Tano’s voice actor, Ashley Eckstein, revealed at the panel that it took her about six months to really find Ahsoka’s voice, a timeline that coincides with Lanter’s hiring.Matt Lanter’s performance as Anakin Skywalker added so much to the character’s story and gave him a vulnerability and softness that wasn’t seen in theStar Warsprequels. In many ways,The Clone Warstook Hayden Christensen’s performance from theStar Warsprequels and gave him more layers.
Hayden Christensen returned toStar Warsto reprise his role of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader inObi-Wan KenobiandAhsoka.
Hayden Christensen has even said that he is indebted to LanterandThe Clone Warsand watched the show in preparation for his return as the character in live-action.Lanter has returned multiple times to reprise his role as Anakin, most notably inRebelsandTales of the Jedi. While the previous Anakin voice actor was likely a fine actor, there’s no doubt that Lucasfilm made the right decision by casting Matt Lanter.
Star Wars Seems Committed To Getting The Right Actors For Their Animated Projects
And That’s A Good Thing
It’s odd thatStar Wars’two most famous animated projects waited to cast their main characters,but ultimately it worked in their favor, as both Taylor Gray and Matt Lanter are amazing in their respective roles. It’s clear that patience was the right way to approach the casting process for these animated projects. Not only were Gray and Lanter the perfect people to play Jedi, but the entire casts of bothThe Clone WarsandRebelsare fantastic and have truly made these shows so beloved.
Casting in a franchise as massive and as beloved asStar Warsis difficult because fans will let their opinions be known if someone’s performance isn’t up to snuff.
Casting in a franchise as massive and as beloved asStar Warsis difficult because fans will let their opinions be known if someone’s performance isn’t up to snuff. However, it’s rare to hear complaints about the acting inThe Clone WarsandRebels. That is likely because of the care and time the showrunners took in casting. No matter their reasoning for recasting Anakin or waiting to hire Taylor Gray, Lucasfilm got it right when it came toThe Clone WarsandRebels.
