Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: andor, Cassian Andor, Diego Luna, lucasfilm, star wars, tony gilroy

Andor: Why Tony Gilroy Wanted to Bring "Real People" Into Star Wars

When Tony Gilroy was initially approached about doing Andor following his work on Rogue One, he was reluctant. The 2016 film, which he co-wrote, featured Rebel spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) on an infiltration mission with a ragtag group to steal plans to the Death Star. Gilroy was also responsible for extensive reshoots in place of director Gareth Edwards. He recalled the conversation with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy following its success. "I remember Kathy saying, 'What can we do?' And I said, 'Well, what kind of stories do you want to do?'" Gilroy said. "And she goes, 'We could do anything.' So I said, 'Could you do, like, "Inherit the Wind"?'"

By 2018, Lucasfilm was already developing what would become Andor, which initially featured both Cassian and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). "It was in the vein of Cassian, and K-2 are like Butch and Sundance, and they're gonna storm the Citadel," Gilroy said of the initial script he was sent before his involvement. "The material was fine but very hard to sustain over a long haul." He wrote back "a long forensic manifesto" to Lucasfilm and what he thought they should do instead. The 12-episode season uses Cassian's story to depict the intertwining lives of everyday people as they orbit around the formation of the Rebel Alliance.

In addition to legacy characters Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), the vast majority of the ensemble's more than 200 actors are playing brand new characters. Like Rogue One before it, Andor will not feature any Jedi but rather more everyman blue-collar types. "I wanted to do it about real people," Gilroy said. "They've made all this IP about the royal family, in essence. It's been great. But there's a billion, billion, billion other beings in the galaxy. There's plumbers and cosmeticians. Journalists! What are their lives like? The revolution is affecting them just as much as anybody else. Why not use the 'Star Wars' canon as a host organism for absolutely realistic, passionate, dramatic storytelling?" As for any other legacy characters who may pop up in Season 1, they are, Gilroy said, "never fan service." "It's never cynical," he continues. "It's always meant to be there. It's always protein; it's never icing."

For more on how Andor is different from other Star Wars projects, production & more with comments from stars Luna Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, and Denise Gough, you can check out the whole Variety interview here.

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