Simon Pegg As Dengar? The Actor Still Keen To Play Star Wars Villain
Warning: Includes spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett episode 4
Simon Pegg reveals he's still interested in playing the bounty hunter Dengar in a live-action Star Wars project. The character first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back as one of a group of bounty hunters tasked with hunting down the Millennium Falcon by Darth Vader, a task that Boba Fett would ultimately complete. In that film and Return of the Jedi, where he is briefly visible in Jabba the Hutt's Palace, he is portrayed by Morris Bush.
Despite playing a minor role in the films, Dengar has been expanded upon in other media, including The Clone Wars animated TV series. He was voiced there by Pegg, who reprised the role in the Star Wars: Battlefront video games, and the actor has since expressed an interest in playing the character in live action, suggesting an appearance in Disney+'s The Mandalorian series. While that has yet to materialize, Dengar's connection to Boba Fett makes the currently airing The Book of Boba Fett a more natural fit, causing some fans to theorize a cameo for him in the final episodes.
However, when asked about the possibility by ComicBookMovie.com, Pegg says that the Boba Fett ship has already sailed, at least for this season. Unless he is pulling an Andrew Garfield, this seems to confirm that Dengar won't show up in the remaining episodes of Boba Fett, unless as portrayed by another actor. Should the opportunity ever arise, though, Pegg says he would still be interested in playing a live-action Dengar. Check out his full quote below:
Not in this season, but you just never know. I’ve put many things out into the universe in the past and they’ve oddly come back to me. I occasionally throw out these little cultural boomerangs and we’ll see [Laughs].
While the Star Wars fanbase would surely welcome Pegg's turn as Dengar in one of the Disney+ shows, many will be disappointed to learn that won't be coming in The Book of Boba Fett. This week's episode 4 finally revealed the beloved bounty hunter's motivation for assuming Jabba's throne, with Boba expressing solidarity with others in his profession by complaining that they have been serving the whims of idiots for too long. The end of the episode teases a cameo from The Mandalorian, but it would also be reasonable to expect other of his former contacts to come to his aid, including Dengar.
This appears not to be the case, however, and Boba Fett will have to look elsewhere for help waging his war. Pegg could still make an appearance as Dengar in one of the other Star Wars shows currently scheduled, including the upcoming The Mandalorian season 3. Given how much of the slate is planned in advance, though, it could also be some time before the writers can work the character into their storylines, meaning that short of a cameo, fans shouldn't get their hopes up about seeing Pegg play Dengar anytime soon.
Source: ComicBookMovie.com