Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: andor, Diego Luna, disney, rogue one, star wars, tony gilroy

Andor: Tony Gilroy Wanted Approach to Rogue One Prequel "To Be Real"

Published Sun, 25 Sep 2022 15:10:13 -0500

Tony Gilroy was unabashedly unafraid to take on Star Wars when he signed to co-write Rogue One because his "superpower" was that he wasn't a lifelong fan of the franchise. His work on the Gareth Edwards film allowed him to become a showrunner for the Disney+ prequel series Andor. While assembling his team, he wanted to ensure they set aside any favoritism for Star Wars while working on the project.

Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Lucasfilm's ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

"In every department, we've had all kinds of people come in, and they know it's Star Wars, so they change their behavior. They change their attitude. They change their thing," Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter. "And you go, 'Wait, no. Do your thing. You're here because we want you to be real.' So it's a testament to the potent power of Star Wars. It really gets into people's heads, but to change the lane and do it this way, it takes a little effort."

Andor: Tony Gilroy Wanted Approach to Rogue One Prequel "To Be Real" — (L-R): Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) in Lucasfilm's ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Initially, the Michael Clayton and The Bourne Legacy director only planned to helm a portion of Andor season one until COVID changed the plan. There's hope he will be able to direct a block of season two but admits the showrunner duties is too demanding of his time. "I am not [directing in season two]. I can't. This job is just too huge. I don't have the time to spare. It's a really poor use of my time," Gilroy says. "[Director] Ari [Ariel] Kleiman is out in Pinewood. We start shooting in November. He started prepping three weeks ago. He's got his hands full out there just to get to November. There was some fantasy that I would end up doing the last block, but I just can't, to be honest with you."

The series takes place five years before Rogue One and finds Cassian (Diego Luna) going from thief to what will become the Rebel Alliance. For more on how Gilroy returned to Star Wars, how Andor differs from other franchise productions, Luthen Rael, new characters, and more, you can read the whole interview here. The series streams Wednesdays on Disney+.

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