Could Benicio Del Toro Be Playing This Star Wars Rebels Character In The Last Jedi?

Benicio Del Toro

While the next Star Wars movie has a title now, it still has many more questions than it has answers. One of the biggest is who Benicio Del Toro will be playing in the new movie. One new theory has an interesting answer to that one. It posits the idea that Del Toro could be playing an adult version of a character known to fans of the Star Wars: Rebels animated series, young Jedi in training Ezra Bridger. But the theory goes on to suggest quite a bit more about how this character could factor into the new trilogy.

The theory comes from Reddit, because of course it does, from a user named Darth_Hodor (well done on the name). The basic gist of the theory is that Ezra Bridger, as a young man sensitive in The Force, would be an obvious candidate for Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy, and that this would be an obvious place for the character to end up following the end of the Star Wars: Rebels series. However, things don't turn out well for poor Ezra, because he turns to The Dark Side alongside Ben Solo. This causes Luke Skywalker to take Ezra's daughter and hide her away so that Ezra can't get to her. That's right, in this theory Benicio Del Toro is playing the father of Daisy Ridley's Rey.

What are the odds that this theory could turn out to be true? Well, to be fair, there's little evidence that one can hold against it, although, the main reason for that is that we have just short of zero information about Benicio Del Toro's role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. There's a rumor that his character will be found in a casino of some kind, but since that's still a rumor we can't be sure it's accurate. If we discount that then we essentially have nothing. It's not even clear if Del Toro is playing a villain in the film, as he's been cagey with his answers on that front.

There is one piece of information which does appear to at least begin to support the idea that Benicio Del Toro could be playing Ezra Bridger. Based on Star Wars chronology, Bridger would be 51-years-old at the time of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Del Toro is 49, putting him in the right age range for a part like that. It doesn't do anything to confirm that Del Toro is playing Bridger specifically, but it does imply that Del Toro is the right age to play somebody who was the same age as Bridger during the Star Wars: Rebels era.

Ever since Saw Gerrera made the leap from animated series to feature film it would seem that seeing it happen again is a strong possibility. Do you think we'll see Ezra Bridger in Star Wars: The Last Jedi? Let us know in the comments.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.