The Mandalorian season 3: Benedict Cumberbatch stuns as Grand Admiral Thrawn in incredible image

Benedict Cumberbatch has been atop many fan-casting lists for Grand Admiral Thrawn in either The Mandalorian season 3 or Ahsoka. This awesome image of him donning the Star Wars character’s signature look indicates why.

Grand Admiral Thrawn may just be the biggest Star Wars character that hasn’t actually appeared in a live-action movie or TV series within the long-running franchise. And yet, that could be about to change as there have been some long-running rumors that suggest the character will debut in that medium in the not-so-distant future (perhaps even appearing in Disney Plus‘ The Mandalorian season 3 or Ahsoka).

As always, with rumors comes the debate over who should bring the character to life. The thing with Thrawn, though, is that there have only ever been a select group of actors fans have envisioned as the character. One is Lars Mikkelson – the actor who voices him in animated series Stars Wars Rebels.  The other is Benedict Cumberbatch.

Cumberbatch has found himself on many fan-castings for the character in recent years, with most fans believing that he would do a fantastic job playing the role. While it isn’t likely to happen, that hasn’t stopped the fandom from imagining what he could look like in the iconic role.

With The Mandalorian season 3 bringing the conversation back to the forefront, let’s take some time to appreciate this awesome artwork.

Benedict Cumberbatch suits up as Grand Admiral Thrawn for The Mandalorian

After the rumors of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s potential live-action debut coming in The Mandalorian or a future Star Wars series such as Ahsoka first made their way around the internet, Instagram user ApexForm shared an epic piece of artwork which envisions Benedict Cumberbatch in the role.

With the character’s signature blue skin and chilling red eyes, the Marvel Cinematic Universe star looks downright terrifying as Thrawn and if we can take anything away from this awesome artwork, it’s that fans were right to place him so high up their Thrawn fan-castings.

Is Benedict Cumberbatch in a future Star Wars project as Grand Admiral Thrawn?

As exciting as the idea of Cumberbatch playing Thrawn in a future Star Wars project would be, it likely won’t happen. That’s not to say that Thrawn won’t show up in the future, but if he does, Cumberbatch probably won’t be playing him.

In an interview with Collider back in 2021, the Sherlock star was asked about the possibility of him playing the Grand Admiral in the future – to which he responded:

"“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.”"

It’s understandable that the veteran actor feels that way because, as anyone who has played a character that requires extensive make up or prosthetics will tell you, it can be incredibly time-consuming before you even get the chance to play that character.

Will Grand Admiral Thrawn ever appear in a live-action Star Wars show?

Fans are eager to see Grand Admiral Thrawn appear in a live-action Star Wars series and rumors have suggested that it could happen in the near future. If not in the original Star Wars Disney Plus series, then in another Disney Plus property. And that could actually happen soon, it seems.

A more recent rumor suggests that Thrawn will indeed be making his way to the screen in Ahsoka and that he could be played by Lars Mikkelson. If that is the case, it will be incredibly exciting to see the definitive actor for the role bring him to life in a new capacity.

Ahsoka is currently expected to premiere on Disney Plus before the end of the year. The Mandalorian season 3 premieres on March 1, 2023.

Who else would you like to see Benedict Cumberbatch portray in the Star Wars franchise? Should Thrawn appear in The Mandalorian season 3 or another Star Wars show in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!