Cameron Monaghan wants live-action Cal Kestis appearance but won't 'stand around'
From Shameless to Gotham to the galaxy far, far away. Cameron Monaghan hasn't quite done it all, but having ticked off many actors' bucket list of playing the Joker and starring in Star Wars, he's done a lot. Now, the man behind Cal Kestis has teased his move from video games into live-action.
First swinging a saber in 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Monaghan lent his vocals and likeness to the outcast Jedi of Order 66. Set in that sweet spot between George Lucas' prequels and the original trilogy, Fallen Order was an unprecedented hit that led into 2023's Jedi: Survivor.
Cameron Monaghan is 'ready' for a live-action Cal Kestis
Click to enlargeAs Disney tightens the leash on Star Wars and tries to make all its sprawling plot threads intertwine, the Jedi games are confirmed as canon. With this, there are questions of when (not if) Monaghan could play the flame-haired Jedi in live-action. After teasing the idea before, at least he's still keen.
Speaking at FanExpo Vancouver 2024 (via The Direct), Monaghan fielded a question on Cal's potential live-action arrival. The star told fans, "It would have to be right. By that I mean, it has to continue the story or the character in some way. I don't want him to just kind of show up to stand around and be there."
More than just chucking Cal out there for the sake of it, Monaghan added, "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."
Kenobi Season 2 would be perfect for Cal Kestis
Click to enlargeThe ever-complicated Star Wars timelines largely have us in three distinct periods. The likes of Ahsoka and The Mandalorian as set after Return of the Jedi, the upcoming Daisy Ridley-yet Rey sequel is 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, while Jedi: Survivor was set around 9BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin).
It conveniently happens that the Obi-Wan Kenobi series was set during this exact period, leading to many hoping Cal was going to stop by in some sort of post-credit stinger. Instead, Kenobi neatly set up a second season, but we've heard nothing about it.
Giving us a full-blown Cal Kestis series might be a bit of a stretch, but we could easily see him crossing paths with Ewan McGregor's bearded sage before the latter goes into his self-imposed exile on Tatooine. Given that Ahsoka was given a second season not long after the credits rolled, it's not looking good for Kenobi.
Even if we don't see McGregor don the robes again, there are plenty of ways we could weave Cal Kestis into the expanding world of Star Wars. Hey, why give Monaghan some prosthetics and have a much older Cal babysitting Grogu in The Mandalorian? Either way, fans have waited more than long enough for Cal's live-action debut.
