Ming-Na Wen, who portrays assassin Fennec Shand in The Mandalorian, has confirmed that she is also voicing the character in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Last week’s Disney investors call brought us a lot of great Star Wars news, including the trailer for Star Wars: The Bad Batch – an animated follow-up series to Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
In the trailer, we see what looks to be a young Fennec Shand, the lethal assassin played by Ming-Na Wen in The Mandalorian. The actress has now confirmed this is the case to StarWars.com and that she is returning to voice the role. The interview reads:
“Do you know how long I’ve had to keep silent a2bout Fennec coming back?” she asks with a joyful laugh. “This is the first time I’ve been able to talk about it!” After the sizzle reel for the upcoming Star Wars animation project was revealed last week, Wen still had to stay mum for a few more days, [Dave] Filoni told her. Her response? “Dave, if you wanted to keep it a secret you shouldn’t have put me in the trailer!” she laughs. “Everybody is saying they just want the confirmation. So, yes, it is Fennec! It’s a younger Fennec and she is voiced by me and I’m thrilled and beyond happy that Dave wanted to create more of a backstory for her.”
Regarding what we can expect from Fennec, she says: “She’s cutting her teeth as a bounty hunter in The Bad Batch…She’s still a loner, a drifter…. There’s just a sense of more recklessness about her, just bravado. You know, a young punk. She’s more adventurous and willing to take greater risks because she doesn’t know what the consequences are.”
It’s pretty cool that we are getting to see and learn more about this character, providing tangible links between The Mandalorian and a series that takes place decades before, just after Order 66. Who knows what other familiar faces will turn up!
Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill, which makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. In the post-Clone War era, they will take on daring mercenary missions as they struggle to stay afloat and find a new purpose.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is executive produced by Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Athena Portillo (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels), Brad Rau (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Resistance) and Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars Resistance, NCIS) with Carrie Beck (The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels) as co-executive producer and Josh Rimes as producer (Star Wars Resistance). Rau is also serving as supervising director with Corbett as head writer.
