Star Wars Jedi actor Cameron Monaghan said he is open to portraying series protagonist Cal Kestis in a live-action setting, as long as it furthers “the story or the character in some way”.
“It would have to be right,” said Monaghan after being asked whether he would be interested in playing Kestis in a live-action Star Wars project during a panel appearance at FanExpo Vancouver 2024, as reported by The Direct.
“By that I mean, it has to continue the story or the character in some way,” explained the actor. “I don’t want him to just kind of show up to stand around and be there. I want him to mean something and for there to be a significance for the character itself. So, it would have to make sense. But in the right context then, yeah, absolutely.”
Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi video game series follows Kestis’ flight from the galactic empire in the wake of Palpatine’s brutal purge of the Jedi order depicted in Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Kestis, whose adventures have taken him to a number of planets frequented in several cinematic and TV Star Wars projects, has yet to make the leap to live-action, though a number of elements popularised by the series clearly have.
For example, Episode 5 of The Book of Boba Fett featured a droid that was of the same model as Kestis’ longtime companion BD-1, while Season 1 of Ahsoka saw the titular Jedi use psychometry. This rare force ability allows Jedi to detect echoes of the past by interacting with objects or locations, and was taken by some as an indication that Ashoka had encountered Kestis at some point in her past.
A wave of new and returning Star Wars content is currently in development for release in the next few years, ranging from new series of Andor, and Ahsoka, to the premiere of The Acolyte, and movies from directors Taika Waititi, Dave Filoni, and James Mangold. Regardless of whether Monaghan appears in any of these projects, fans can rest assured that the actor will likely return to portray Kestis in the third entry in Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi series, after the actor casually revealed the game’s existence at a Comic Con appearance last year.
“We’re working on the third,” said Monaghan at the time. “We’re in the process of doing it right now. That’s a big undertaking and there have been some conversations so far. Hopefully when all things are said and done we’ll be able to go in and make something really cool for you guys again.”
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
