Cassian Jeron Andor, the Rebel Alliance member we met in Rogue One, is getting a brand new series on Disney Plus, and I thought it’d be nice to introduce you or remind you of everything we know so far!
A slow production
Andor has been in the making since 2017, it started just one year after Rogue One was released. I remember very clearly how Rogue One was received by fans and critics, it was a glimpse of how good modern Star Wars could be.
Of course, Disney gave priority to episodes VIII and IX so we wouldn’t know about the Andor series until 2018 when they officially announced the tv show Andor.
Filming began at the end of 2020 in the legendary Pinewood Studios, London. But as we all know, 2020-2021 were full of obstacles for productions around the world and Andor was no exception, every project that Disney was working on, was delayed.
Originally, Stephen Schiff was the showrunner of the series but by April of 2020, he had been replaced by Tony Gilroy. This meant that a few changes to the story were made, regardless of the amount and extension of these changes, this combined series of events made the production quite a challenge.
To be honest, I’m surprised they were able to finish the production in September of 2021 but I’m hopeful that the series delivers and that it was worth the wait.
Getting to know Cassian Andor
The Andor version that we met in Rogue One is not the same one we’re going to watch in this series, the spy in the movie is at the end of his journey. Here, we’ll be able the see the beginning of the said journey, the ups and downs, and the events that forge Cassian to be the ruthless spy that would do anything in the name of the rebellion.
“We’re gonna get the chance to know the character, to know the journey. I believe Rogue One is about what happened, an event. And now we have the chance to tell you the story of that character you met there. Where he comes from, why he got where he got.” stated Diego Luna.
He has also mentioned the importance of the character being a refugee, being displaced from where you belong can change a person forever and that is something that really resonates within him.
We know Andor joined the rebellion at the age of six, he probably didn’t understand many things, but he didn’t need to. Anger can be the only motivation someone needs, especially if that anger can be directed towards something as big and powerful as the Galactic Empire.
I think watching his journey from the first episode of Andor to Rogue One is going to be one of the most interesting things in recent Star Wars media.
The Plot of Andor
The story is set five years prior to the events of Rogue One and will tie up with the film.
“Some of us… must of us… we’ve all done terrible things on behalf of the Rebellion. Spies, saboteurs, assassins. Everything I did, I did for the Rebellion. And every time I walked away from something I wanted to forget… I told myself it was for a cause that I believed in. A cause that was worth it.” – the words of Andor himself, from Rogue One.
Star Wars often portrays conflicts as “good guys versus bad guys” and while we can all agree that the Galactic Empire is evil to its core, the Rebel Alliance is far from being a group of innocent people. If the rebels wanted to defeat the Empire, they wouldn’t do it by playing fair.
For decades, the faces of the Rebel Alliance have been Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. They represented hope in a galaxy that was in desperate need of it, but there are those who had to get their hands dirty to get the job done.
I’m very excited to see the grey area that this series is going to explore and actually learn how far some of its members are willing to go in order to complete their mission. Is there a limit that Cassian Andor wouldn’t cross? Or has he committed to the cause no matter the cost?
Lots of new planets, characters, and places will be introduced. One of my favorite things about The Mandalorian is the fresh atmosphere that it has while still feeling like Star Wars, I think we can expect something similar with Andor.
It’s the first time we’re going to have the point of view of an operative from the Rebel Alliance in mainstream media, which is super exciting.
The hype for this series isn’t as big as it was with series like Obi-Wan Kenobi or The Book of Boba Fett, which is understandable, they have been fan-favorite characters for decades. But I have the feeling that once the first season of Andor is over, he’ll become a new fan favorite.
Cast and crew
Aside from Diego Luna as Cassian Andor and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Forest Whitaker is returning to reprise his role as Saw Gerrera.
The cast also includes Denise Gough (Yennefer of Vengerberg in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), Kyle Soller (Anna Karenina, Bad Education), Fiona Shaw (Dorian Grey, Harry Potter, Enola Holmes), Adria Arjona (Unforgettable, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Morbius) and Stellan Skarsgård (Thor, Dune, Chernobyl).
Alan Tudyk will not play K-2SO in the first season but has mentioned that he hopes to be brought on board for the second season of Andor.
Tony Gilroy, co-writer of Rogue One is an executive producer of the show and he also wrote five episodes of it. I believe that bringing him back for this series is a very important step to ensure that everything connects in a coherent way.
Andor is going to have three directors: Toby Haynes (Black Mirror, Doctor Who, Sherlock, The Musketeers) Susanna White (Generation Kill, Our Kind of Traitor, Bleak House), and Benjamin Caron (Skins, Wallander, Sherlock, The Crown).
Having different directors is a double-edged sword, it can bring lots of good things to the table but it can also affect the intended vision of a character. Honestly, I don’t think we should worry about it, Diego Luna is also an executive producer of the show and I doubt he’d compromise the character in any way.
Nicholas Brittel was in charge of composing the music for the series. He has won multiple awards for his work on Moonlight, Cruella, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Big Short, and more.
Andor release date on Disney Plus
The live-action series starring Diego Luna and Genevieve O’Reilly will start streaming on August 31, 2022. Like the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the first two episodes will air together.
Andor is going to have two seasons of twelve episodes each. That is a surprising amount of episodes, especially if we consider that the Obi-Wan Kenobi series only got six.
Having that many episodes only raises my expectations about the series, it could be said that it’s the biggest build-up for a Star Wars movie in the history of the franchise. The second season will start filming in November 2022.
We are still waiting for a full-length trailer but meanwhile, you can watch the teaser trailer to have a better idea about what Andor is all about.
