When Disney announced Andor, a sprawling prequel-to-the-prequel about Cassian Andor’s adventures before Rogue One, it had a lot going for it. Tony Gilroy, the mastermind behind reshoots for Rogue One, a two-season deal of 12 episodes each, a cast of returning actors like Diego Luna and Genevieve O’Reilly, and new faces like Stellan Skarsgard and Fiona Show were all promising highlights.
The series was still seen as risky, as a small-scale Star Wars story with no Jedi or Sith was the opposite of what the franchise is known for. But Andor was a critical darling that racked up eight Emmy nominations, and now, ahead of its second season, Tony Gilroy has revealed something unique about Season 2 that promises even more greatness on the horizon.
In conversation with Empire Magazine, Gilroy revealed that the success of Andor Season 1 gave him more creative freedom in Season 2. “The critical appreciation of the show was really helpful, if not essential, in helping Disney choke down the price of what this is,” he said. “In terms of creative notes, no one has come to me and said, ‘No, they shouldn’t say that.’”
This is especially interesting considering Season 2 is the part of Cassian’s story that has to merge with existing Star Wars lore. On paper, it would’ve been more likely than Season 1 to face tweaks from the powers that be, so it’s reassuring for Andor fans to learn that the series will end on Gilroy’s terms next April.
While Season 1 covered one year in Cassian’s life as he met Luthen Rael, got caught up in the nascent Rebellion, and broke out of prison, Season 2 will have a much larger scope. “When we come back later, it’ll be literally like a Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Gilroy told Deadline. “And then, we’ll jump a year, and then it’ll be, like, four or five days, and then we’ll jump a year, and then there’ll be another four or five days, and then we jump a year, and be another four or five days.”
With Season 2 covering the four years before Rogue One in a handful of episodes, Gilroy has his work cut out for him. But with no notes coming down from on high, at least that work will be exactly what he intends.
