As animated stories have become more central to Disney’s grand Star Wars plan, several actors originally cast in voice roles have brought their characters to life. Former “Battlestar Galactica” star Katee Sackhoff joined the franchise years before Disney acquired Lucasfilm, voicing the Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” It’s a character that immediately channeled Sackhoff’s experience playing hard-boiled sci-fi warriors, so it was only right that when Bo-Katan debuted in live-action years later in “The Mandalorian” Season 2, Sackhoff returned as well.
Similarly, Lars Mikkelsen was selected to bring Grand Admiral Thrawn from the Legends timeline into canon by voicing him in “Star Wars Rebels.” The animated series’ story is continued pretty directly in the live-action Disney+ show “Ahsoka,” which puts Mikkelsen in the Chiss strategist’s blue makeup and baggy pants for real.
These examples prove that Disney is willing and able to turn popular voice actors into live-action stars. The same fate could be in the cards for Cameron Monaghan. While it would be a little different bringing a character over from a video game instead of an animated series, the “Jedi” games have sold well enough to guarantee that a pretty major swathe of the fandom knows Cal Kestis. Plus, the more photorealistic style of the games makes Cal even closer to his actor in appearance than the characters of the animated series.
