MCU star Benedict Cumberbatch rejects the possibility of playing this major character

Benedict Cumberbatch has commented on the persistent rumors that he would be portraying Grand Admiral Thrawn from Star Wars Rebels in a live-action project.

Fans have been speculating about the fate of Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Star Wars universe since the ending of Star Wars Rebels. Since Ahsoka’s (Rosario Dawson) name-drop of the villainous Imperial commander back in episode 5 of Disney Plus‘ The Mandalorian‘s second season, fans have turned their speculation towards who will portray Thrawn.

One name that keeps popping up in rumours and fan-art is Benedict Cumberbatch. The Doctor Strange star is a fan-favourite and many fans believe he would be the perfect fit for the highly intelligent villain. However, it seems unlikely that this will occur.

Is Benedict Cumberbatch playing Grand Admiral Thrawn in Star Wars?

Benedict Cumberbatch was asked about the possibility of playing Grand Admiral Thrawn in a Star Wars project during an interview with Collider. In the discussion, he is asked straight up whether he would be up for playing the character, as the actor subsequently dashes all fans hopes by stating that he would never portray the character.

"“That’s a straight no from me, right now. There’s no way I want to be turned blue. I turned the air blue, very recently. No no, seriously, I have precious time with my children and I think sitting in a makeup chair and being painted blue, and the amount of time it would take to do that and then take it off at the end of the day might just… it’s not the right time in my life for that.”"

While this may be disappointing for fans to hear, this does not mean that Thrawn will not be appearing in live action. The character seems destined to appear sooner rather than later, with him having the potential to play a major role on The Mandalorian or Ahsoka (or both!) in the future.

The addition of Thrawn to either series would only benefit the shows, providing the heroes with a cold and calculating foe to deal with. While fans eagerly await Thrawn’s inevitable arrival, Star Wars Rebels is streaming on Disney+ to catch up on when Thrawn was last seen in the Star Wars canon.

Would you have liked to see Benedict Cumberbatch play Thrawn in a future Star Wars project? Let us know in the comments below!