What Benedict Cumberbatch Would Look Like As Star Wars' Admiral Thrawn

The Mandalorian is quickly diving into familiar territory for fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. 

On "The Heiress," Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and The Child encounter Bo-Katan Kryze and her small squadron of Mandalorian soldiers. It's from them that our heroes learn of a powerful Jedi by the name of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). A couple episodes later on "The Jedi," they finally reach Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan, who unearths the dark past of Grogu (the real name of The Child): She tells them to travel to the planet Tython, where other Jedi may be alerted of Grogu's presence. It's through this that Din Djarin may be able to find a Master to properly train the Force-wielder. 

However, sending the protagonists to another far-off planet wasn't the only development on "The Jedi." We also learn that Ahsoka Tano is searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn, a prominent antagonist on Star Wars Rebels. It's obvious this won't be the last time we see Ahsoka, and in all honesty, it wouldn't be surprising to see Mando get wrapped up in another galactic conflict. 

It's only a matter of time until Grand Admiral Thrawn gets the same live-action treatment as Ahsoka, and while there are plenty of fine actors who could do a great job, there's one in particular who we have in mind, especially after seeing the latest piece from artist ApexForm on Instagram. 

Benedict Cumberbatch has been part of some of the biggest franchises ever. In addition to making his mark on popular culture as the titular character on the BBC series, Sherlock, he plays Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and provided the voice and motion capture for the dragon, Smaug, in The Hobbit series. It's only a matter of time until someone realizes Cumberbatch has never been in a Star Wars property, and casting him as Thrawn would be the perfect choice. 

ApexForm recently posted the artwork above, showing what the actor would look like as the big blue guy, along with the message, "He has the look, and the acting ability to play calculated and sinister. What do you think?" 

Based on the response from fans within the post, it seems like pretty much everyone is onboard with this casting. Comments have already poured in with praise like, "I'm with you," and "I cannot disagree with that choice." 

Granted, Benedict Cumberbatch is a big-name movie actor who may be a bit out of the show's price range. He's also incredibly busy in the near future, not only with Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, but also an appearance in the upcoming Spider-Man sequel — and that's just his to-do list within the MCU, without getting into all of the other projects he likely has lined up. Still, until an official casting announcement comes out, we can at least fantasize about Cumberbatch becoming one of the most formidable foes in the Star Wars universe.