Disney+’s Andor is set to continue the adventures of Diego Luna’s titular protagonist ahead of the explosive (and tear-jerking) events of 2016’s Rogue One. Details on the project are mostly under wraps, though the show has announced its principal cast. The roster includes a mix of veterans and newcomers to the Star Wars family, making for an eclectic mix of stars. Now, a recent rumor suggests that franchise alum Andy Serkis is rumored to have joined the production and, if it turns out to be true, his casting could answer some major franchise questions.
The veteran actor originally played the villainous Supreme Leader Snoke in the sequel trilogy. Introduced as a powerful lord of the Sith in 2015’s The Force Awakens, the character ultimately met his fate at the hands of Kylo Ren in the 2017 sequel, The Last Jedi. The trilogy capper, The Rise of Skywalker, would later establish that he was merely a genetic puppet used by Emperor Palpatine to prolong his own life and influence Ren’s rise to power.
Interestingly enough, Making Star Wars’ report does not indicate whether Andy Serkis will be playing Snoke or an original character. But if it happens to be the former, it could help answer a few lingering queries. The biggest would arguably be the ultimate creation of Snoke. At this point, The Mandalorian, which is set after the events of Return of the Jedi, has hinted at a cloning operation being conducted by the remnants of the Galactic Empire. So Andor could potentially provide even earlier insight into the experiments.
Giving the cloning aspect of it all, it’s possible that the Lord of the Rings alum could be playing the original host that Darth Sidious used for the process, an assertion the news site also makes. How said person would theoretically intersect with Cassian Andor’s story is anyone’s guess. However, given how much the rebel spy travelled the galaxy, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that he could run into them.
Of course, on the flip side of all this, if Andy Serkis has actually been cast, there’s a fair chance he could be portraying a new character. It wouldn’t be the first time an actor has played multiple roles in this franchise, especially ones that only require vocals. Mandalorian director Jon Favreau voiced characters in both The Clone Wars and Solo. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill has had voice roles in every new movie that’s been released since 2015.
One thing that can be said for certain is that the British actor and director would be a strong pick-up for the Rogue One spinoff. He’d join a Diego Luna-led cast that includes Star Wars newbies Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona and Fiona Shaw as well as veterans Genevieve O'Reilly and Forest Whitaker.
Production on the show wrapped in late-September so, Andy Serkis would theoretically be finished with his work on the show at this pointn, barring any potential reshoots. It’ll be interesting to see if the report pans out to be true. And if it does, it could have some interesting ramifications for not just the series but for the Star Wars universe as a whole.
Andor is set to arrive on Disney+ sometime in 2022.
