Star Wars is a famously inconsistent franchise with high highs and low lows, a trend that continues to this day. Last year’s Andor served as one of the bright spots of the entire enterprise, garnering not just critical acclaim, but some ardent fans and award nominations for its 12-episode debut season. The show seemed like a surprise addition when it was first announced as a simple Rogue One prequel, and even Cassian Andor himself was surprised at how well the show was received.
Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, series star (and producer) Diego Luna credited the show’s glowing praise to the time taken to make it the best possible version of itself. Disney and Lucasfilm gave showrunner Tony Gilroy “freedom and support,” he said, but it all came down to the writers and cast. “Throughout the whole process, we did exactly what we thought was best,” he said. “We never prioritized anything but the show. […] So everything just kept getting better and better, and I always had the feeling that something had to go wrong. But it didn’t.”
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While Disney let the writers do their thing, Luna admitted he was surprised by some of the content that got into Andor proper. Thinking back on the show’s opening scene wherein Cassian kills two cops giving him a hard time, he described it as “too perfect. I always had a feeling that this wasn’t gonna see the light of day till it did. […] The whole idea, I always thought, ‘That’s impossible.’” There were other scenes in the show he was impressed by for how far they went, and takes great pride in what all encompasses that first season.
Luna didn’t say anything new about season two and Cass’ journey, but he was candid in saying he’s glad Andor only has two seasons (at least, at time of writing). Playing Cass for five seasons would be “impossible,” he said, and he thinks it’d be healthier for him as an actor to have this short time with the character. “The thought of making five seasons, I would probably be 54 and still doing this,” he laughed. “It’s great to know that we can give everything to it, and by the end, still have something else to give to other projects and to life.”
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The first season of Andor is available on Disney+, and season two will premiere in August 2024.
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