It turns out a certain character who has become a not-insignificant part of the "Star Wars" universe nearly died in "The Mandalorian" season 2. And when we say nearly, the character technically did die, but the powers that be filmed another scene and decided against going with that outcome. The character in question is Axe Woves, played by Simon Kassianides in the Disney+ series.
The news was revealed by Katee Sackhoff, who plays Bo-Katan Kryze. The actor recently appeared on Kristan Harloff's YouTube channel for an interview following "The Mandalorian" season 3 finale, which featured Axe Woves. You know, since he's not dead. But Sackhoff explains that, had things gone another way, he would have been a distant, deceased memory:
"Axe, you know, we knew he was supposed to die last year. That was the thing that no one could talk about. There was this moment where he sacrifices himself in that episode. We shot it. In season 2. And then they were like, 'It needs to be Din. Not him.' So then you shoot a person's death and then they take it out and then there's still a scene left and then everyone's like, where'd they go?"
Sackhoff didn't state which episode Axe was supposed to die in, but he sure as heck wouldn't have been taking part in the season 3 finale if he did. Not only was Axe part of the most recent episodes, but he was a pretty big part of it at that. It seems Dave Finloni and Jon Favreau may have made the right call in keeping him alive since they found a use for him as one of the Mandalorian leaders who united under Bo-Katan's leadership.
Axe Woves Escapes An Early Death
Axe Woves was introduced as a member of Clan Kryze back in season 2 when the various factions of Mandalorians were divided, largely due to ideological differences. At first, he did seem like a somewhat disposable character (no offense to Simon Kassianides). But in staying alive, he became a central figure and now has his place on the reclaimed planet of Mandalore. It's a pretty impressive turnaround for a guy who literally filmed a death scene.
For Kassianides, as an actor, this could mean much larger opportunities in the future as well. Not only is "The Mandalorian" season 4 already confirmed to be in development, but Dave Filoni was revealed recently to be directing a new "Star Wars" movie that will serve as the culmination of all these Disney+ shows. That being the case, Axe Woves could conceivably make the jump to the big screen. So he should certainly thank Din Djarin for falling on that sword.
"The Mandalorian" season 4 does not have a release date.
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