The Disney+ Star Wars shows have allowed fans to revisit earlier timelines in the Galaxy Far, Far Away, and though we've seen both Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor reprise their respective roles as Anakin/Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala has yet to show up in a Disney+ Star Wars series. She appeared in The Clone Wars animated series and various Star Wars novels, but we haven't seen her in live-action since 2005's Revenge of the Sith.
Although Natalie Portman often said that she would "be open" to return as Padmé, it's difficult to imagine a new Star Wars prequel or spin-off story featuring her character. However, a new rumor suggests that the 43-year-old actress may be close to singing a deal to reprise her role of Padmé in the upcoming second season of Star Wars: Ahsoka.
Podcast host/ YouTuber Kristian Harloff, who previously reported that Christensen, McGregor, and Ariana Greenblatt (who portrayed young Ahsoka Tano in the first season) are set to return for Ahsoka Season 2, claims that Portman is also "close to reaching a deal" to return as the former Queen of Naboo.
According to what Harloff heard, Dave Filoni has been pushing hard to bring Portman back to the Star Wars franchise. Harloff said that both sides are close to reaching a deal. How Amidala could factor into Ahsoka's narrative remains unclear, but there's speculation that she could show up via the World Between Worlds, the realm where Ahsoka with her old Jedi Master, Anakin Skywalker in Season 1. The World Between Worlds allowed the show to venture into Clone Wars-era flashbacks, but it's too early to tell if they will bring back that story vehicle in the sequel.
It's been almost 20 years since Portman appeared in a Star Wars project. In May 2023, she expressed that she's open to returning to playing Padmé but had not been asked. In a video segment with GQ Magazine, Portman replied to a Reddit question asking if there was “any chance that Padmé/Natalie Portman returns to Star Wars?”, to which she replied: “I have no information on this. No one has ever asked me to return, but I’m open to it.”
This wouldn't be the first time she had made a surprise reprisal to a major franchise after an extended absence. In 2022, she returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jane Foster after taking on a major role in Thor: Love and Thunder after being absent in Thor: Ragnarok.
Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2 Release Date Speculation
The official release date of Star Wars: Ahsoka Season 2 hasn't been announced yet. The new season is expected to enter production this year, though, so there's a good chance that we could get a 2026 Disney+ premiere.
In early December 2024, IndieWire reported that Ahsoka Season 2 is set to begin filming the new episodes in April 2025, with the production moving from Los Angeles to the UK.
According to showrunner Dave Filoni's latest update on the show, he's still hard at work writing the sequel.
"I'm so well into that as well… I've been writing it, and I'm still the single writer on it, and so I've been enjoying doing that, but it's a challenge, of course, and working some of these arcs through has been a challenge and making sure it's all going to come out in a way that I think is exciting for fans," he said during an interview with Extra TV.
"I know that they're interested in where some of the things I developed in Season 1. I'm pretty happy with it… Love working with Rosario [Dawson], so I can't wait to get back to that."
All episodes of the first season of Star Wars: Ahsoka are now streaming on Disney+.
