The late Ray Stevenson appears in new trailer for Star Wars: Ahsoka after his death at 58

The late actor Ray Stevenson was seen in the new Star Wars: Ahsoka trailer, released on Wednesday, less than two months after his death at 58.

While his exact cause of death remains unknown, the star was hospitalized for an mystery illness, on the island of Ischia, ahead of his unexpected passing on May 21. 

In the preview for his highly-anticipated Disney+ series, the performer, who portrays  Baylan Skoll, could be seen wielding a orange-red crossguard lightsaber. 

While details of his character have been kept tightly under wraps, he portrays the show’s main antagonist, who is speculated to be a former Jedi warrior. 

The upcoming series – which serves as a spin-off from the series The Mandalorian – is part of the sci-fi fantasy franchise and will follow Rosario Dawson as Jedi Padawan Ahsoka when it streams exclusively on Disney+ later this year. 

Devastating: While his exact cause of death remains unknown, the star was hospitalized for an mystery illness, on the island of Ischia, ahead of his unexpected passing on May 21

Set after the fall of the Empire, Star Wars: Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.

In the trailer, the character can be heard declaring: ‘Things have changed. I started hearing whispers about Thrawn’s return as heir to the Empire. We have to prepare to for the worst. The Jedi fell a long time ago. There aren’t many left.’

The upcoming fantasy series also stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn and Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger.

The news comes just weeks after Dawson explained that things really ‘clicked’ for her on set when she realized there was ‘no hesitancy’ from her character amid her physical training with the famous lightsaber weapon.

‘She is ambidextrous, that was just a lot to kind of own. She’s so fierce from the very beginning, It was never a question about whether she is capable. She meets every single match just so head on. There’s no hesitancy from her whatsoever, and that’s really different from someone who’s learning martial arts in their 40s who’s trying to protect their face,’ she told Entertainment Weekly.

Dawson continued: ‘There was definitely a moment a few months into the training where I just felt it land in my body in a way. I remember when it clicked in where I really felt grounded in her and some of the stuff started feeling more familiar and seamless. That’s when I really felt like I locked into Ahsoka.’

Lucasfilm’s Ahsoka will launch exclusively on Disney+ 23 August.

Stevenson’s death came just days before his 59th birthday.

Highly-anticipated: The upcoming series – which serves as a spin-off from the series The Mandalorian – is part of the sci-fi fantasy franchise and will follow Rosario Dawson as Jedi Padawan Ahsoka when it streams exclusively on Disney+ later this year

Talented cast: The upcoming fantasy series also stars Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn and Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger

Coming soon: Lucasfilm’s Ahsoka will launch exclusively on Disney+ 23 August

Intense: It is set after the fall of the Empire, Star Wars: Ahsoka follows the former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy

In the trailer, the character can be heard declaring: ‘Things have changed. I started hearing whispers about Thrawn’s return as heir to the Empire. We have to prepare to for the worst. The Jedi fell a long time ago. There aren’t many left’

The Northern Irish thespian is best known for starring in a string of action and fantasy films including Marvel’s Thor movies, Punisher: War Zone and King Arthur. 

While no cause of death has been revealed, at the time, the Italian newspaper Republica reported the actor felt unwell and went to a hospital a few days before his death. 

It’s believed he was working on the film Cassino in Ischia where he was set to play a disgraced action star struggling with reviving his career and the consequences of leaving his family for fame. 

The actor was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland May 25, 1964, the second of three sons to a Royal Air Force pilot and his wife.

The family moved to England when he was eight.

As an adult he enrolled in the Bristol Old Vic Theater School, graduating at age 29.

After making guest appearance in various television shows, and TV movies, Ray made his big screen debut in 1998’s The Theory of Flight, as a gigolo, starring opposite Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter.

He obtained steady work afterward appearing in various British TV series.

The six-foot-three actor’s commanding presence landed him the part of Dagonet in 2004’s King Arthur, opposite another up-and-coming actor, Clive Owen.

After that, he began to win more action parts, playing a burly soldier with a heart of gold in the Emmy winning mini-series Rome, and later as action anti-hero Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone.

Gone too soon: The Northern Irish thespian is best known for starring in a string of action and fantasy films including Marvel’s Thor movies, Punisher: War Zone and King Arthur  (pictured in London in April 2023) 

In a 2008 interview with Collider, the classically trained actor said he wasn’t familiar with the comic on which the character is based.

‘In all fairness, when I first read it, I thought, “This is just extremely violent. What the Hell is this?”‘

Referring to the character, he explained: ‘You don’t want to be Frank. It’s strange to have the sort of lead or hero of a film that you don’t actually want to be. That’s what intrigued me.’

The actor was adamant that he didn’t want fans to emulate the character and insisted that was made clear in the script.

‘He’s in such a dark place. He may have made his peace with that, but there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. There’s no redemption for Frank. That’s deeply intriguing.’  

The vibrant star got to show his tough yet loyal side in Thor as a Volstag, a member of the Warriors Three, and wore a fat suit for the part.

‘I’m Volstag and what you see is what you get,’ he told Collider in 2010.

‘He’s a bon vivant lover of life epicurean goodfellow. He’s a god, which helps. He’s full of life.

‘There’s a wonderful innocence to him. the star explained, ‘and the steadfast loyalty of a big Saint Bernard dog. He’d come running through the snow with a keg of beer to save your life. You know, he’s got a twinkle in his eye. He’s always up for a party. Yeah, that’s about it. He’s an all-around good egg. Big egg, but a good egg.’

Ray went on to reprise the role in Thor: The Dark World and in Thor: Ragnarok.

The versatile star joined the Star Wars family after providing the voice for Gar Saxon in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.