Can We Expect to See ‘Shōgun’ Star Hiroyuki Sanada as a Jedi?: “I’m a big fan”

Recently released ‘Shōgun’ got widespread critical acclaim, with a 99% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 85 out of 100 on Metacritic. Critics lauded its visual richness, cultural authenticity, and adaptation quality. Of course, the acting itself was at the forefront of the positive reviews, it’s truly one of the best shows released so far in 2024.

It doesn’t surprise us that the cast of his mega-hit is currently in the spotlight, with Sanada being the primary star and point of interest. Hiroyuki Sanada portrays Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1543–1616), a formidable bushō and ruler of the Kantō region. As one of the five Regents governing Japan for the young heir of the late Taikō, Toranaga is a descendant of the Minowara clan (Minamoto clan), who historically held the position of shōguns.

Variety recently talked with Sanada about plans for the future and the interviewer offered a choice between several massive franchises in Hollywood like Star Wars and Marvel. Sanada had an interesting answer:

Yeah all of them, especially ‘Star Wars,’ I’m a big fan of them so, yeah.

When he was asked about his favorite character the star got a bit overwhelmed with so many to choose from.

Um, I cannot say one, beacuse the world itself is amazing.

Hiroyuki Sanada is no stranger to hit series. He is known for various notable roles in film and television. He appeared in ‘The Last Samurai’ alongside Tom Cruise, where he portrayed Katsumoto, and ‘Rush Hour 3’ as Kenji. Additionally, he appeared in the TV series ‘Lost’ as Dogen and in ‘Westworld’ as Musashi. Before working on ‘Shōgun,’ Sanada in recent times worked on ‘Bullet Train’ and ‘John Wick 4.’ He also had a minor role in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ so he is technically already canon to the MCU.

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