Natalie Portman's Critically Acclaimed Murder Mystery Shows The Best Way To Bring Her Back To Star Wars

Natalie Portman's critically acclaimed 2024 mystery TV seriesLady in the Lakehas made Padmé Amidala's live-action Star Warsreturn feel so much more possible. There has already been plenty of speculation that Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka season 2 and that Ewan McGregor may even be joining him as Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is somewhat less surprising in Christensen's case, as the Ahsoka finale confirmed that Anakin is on Peridea with Ahsoka as a Force ghost, heavily hinting that he still has a role to play.

Hints that McGregor and Christensen are both returning are more surprising, although it's clear that neither actor is opposed—on the contrary, both actors remain enthusiastic about the possibility. The much more shocking news is that Natalie Portman's return as Padmé is now heavily rumored, teasing the ultimate Star Wars prequel trilogy reunion. It has long seemed like Portman's time in Star Wars was over, and while these rumors are unsubstantiated and must be taken with a grain of salt, Portman's series Lady in the Lake perfectly laid the groundwork for her return to the Star Wars timeline.

Lady In The Lake's Flashbacks Showed What A De-Aged Natalie Portman Could Be Like

Lady In The Lake Impressively Avoided The Uncanny Valley

Mr. Durst and Maddie (Natalie Portman) in a Lady in the Lake flashback

Star Wars already brought Christensen and McGregor back. Both actors returned in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Christensen returned in Ahsoka. De-aging technology was used in both cases, specifically in the flashback sequence between Obi-Wan and Anakin in Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Clone Wars flashback in Ahsoka. The need for de-aging was minimal for both, though, which has raised questions about how Portman could ever really return.

Because of Padmé's death in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and since she cannot return as a Force ghost, Portman's involvement would need to be done entirely with de-aging technology. That would no doubt be a daunting task, but Lady in the Lake has proven that de-aging can be brilliantly effective with Natalie Portman. In the series, Portman had entire scenes in which she was de-aged to be a teenager. The most impressive aspect of Lady in the Lake's de-aging is that it avoided the uncanny valley.

Lady in the Lake has proven that de-aging can be brilliantly effective with Natalie Portman.

Star Wars has unfortunately fallen victim to this problem before, especially with Luke Skywalker's return in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, as well as Leia's cameo in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Yet, Portman's appearance in Lady in the Lake has proven that not only is de-aging Portman possible, but also, it works incredibly well. This example of de-aging may have been precisely what Star Wars needed to finally take the leap and bring Padmé Amidala back to Star Wars.

Will Ahsoka Season 2 Use The World Between Worlds To Give Us A De-Aged Padmé?

Star Wars Is No Stranger To De-Aging Technology

The World Between Worlds has already proven to be a fun tool that allows Star Wars to bend the rules of space and time. This is one obvious way Ahsoka season 2 could bring Portman back, especially considering it already appeared in season 1. On the other hand, that might make it less likely. Perhaps Star Wars wants to avoid repeating the same trick. There are other possibilities, of course, such as Padmé appearing in flashbacks—either Anakin's or Ahsoka's.

It remains to be seen whether these rumors are true or how likely such a return could really be. Star Wars audiences have long hoped for a Clone Wars live-action show announcement, and Ahsoka season 1 even teased that possibility with the Clone Wars flashback sequences. Even so, bringing Natalie Portman back as Padmé Amidala in Ahsoka season 2 may be too big a leap, even with Lady in the Lake as a solid example of how well this can work.