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To be given a chance to play in the sandbox of a franchise as huge and iconic as Star Wars is one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Like the consummate professional he always has been, Shazam! star Zachary Levi has never wasted a shot to tell the world he’s ready to jump into a particular universe, and Star Wars is the latest target he’s set his sights on.
If you’re a fan of author Steve Perry’s classic Star Wars novel Shadows of the Empire, you’re about to squee with delight at Levi’s choice to play that story’s Dash-ing protagonist, as seen below:
Introduced in the tale that served as a bridge story between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Shadows of the Empire involved Dash Rendar palling around with Princess Leia and the Rebellion as the Star Wars story saw a frozen Han Solo being transported to Jabba the Hutt, and a criminal kingpin names Xizor planning to wreck his own brand of havoc across the galaxy.
Now the most obvious option is also the most difficult, as Shadows of the Empire’s place in the Star Wars timeline makes adapting that novel from the original expanded universe canon all the more difficult. Short of an animated series/feature film, there’s a very slim chance that Zachary Levi would be portraying that version of Dash Rendar’s character.
That scarcity of hope is only compounded when you look at the fact that anything pertaining to the Skywalker Saga is pretty much done and over with in the Star Wars universe. However, with shows like The Mandalorian making a splash on Disney+, and the time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens being explored by that very series, there’s another option for Levi to live the Star Wars dream that he shared with the world, via his Twitter.
Dash Rendar could still find himself becoming the lead of his own series or original movie on Disney+, potentially in the timeframe following Shadows of the Empire. Even better, there’s always a chance that Dash Rendar could show up on The Mandalorian as a guest character, building his place in the Star Wars galaxy further to the point where even more adventures would be crafted for him to explore.
Obviously this is all speculation at this point, as Zachary Levi has not been officially tapped to be part of the Star Wars team; nor has Dash Rendar been mentioned as a going concern in the future of the franchise. But in a world where the new and exciting are seen as a premium in this legendary sci-fi galaxy, it really couldn’t hurt for creative partners Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau to open discussions with Levi, in hopes of transporting him to that galaxy far, far away.
Should there be any serious interest though, it’ll have to take into account the fact that the actor will undoubtedly need to keep an eye out for potential scheduling pertaining to Shazam 2!, which is looking to happen on a pretty accelerated schedule in order to capitalize on its young cast. If anything moves forward on either of these Zachary Levi prospects, we’ll update you with the latest news.
In the meantime, Shazam! is now available on digital HD, Blu-ray, and DVD, and can also be seen on HBO and its streaming platforms. Shazam 2! is aiming for an April 1, 2022 release date.