News that Diego Luna is reprising the role of Rogue One's Cassian Andor for the Disney+ Star Wars prequel series continues to please fans, and now, co-star Ben Mendelsohn is musing on how Orson Krennic could be a part of all that. The actor spoke to CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes ahead of Robin Hood's big screen premiere, giving his thoughts on the portion of Krennic's life that he thinks the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel should focus on.
If they were going to do a prequel, if they were wanting to see Orson, I would imagine that the interesting period of Orson would be Orson as a 20 - 30 something, rather than the Orson that we've already encountered. I think probably the interesting period for Orson is as he goes from an idealist to where he ends up. But I think that would be the job for another actor.
Ben Mendelsohn is up for seeing a young Orson Krennic, who would presumably be portrayed by another actor capable of playing the character his 20s. Mendelsohn specifically mentioned the period as a time of transformation for Krennic, as he made the leap from brilliant Republic researcher and Separatist-opposing freedom fighter to one of the Empire's key figures in developing the Death Star.
If a Rogue One prequel would follow Krennic in his 20s, the would suggest the timeline is set years before the events of Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. Krennic would possibly be working for the Republic during the Clone Wars at this point, set to follow his quest to create a weapon similar to one being developed by Separatist forces. Krennic's initial intentions were to beat the Separatists in creating the weapon, but obviously, his mission continued evolving following the Clone Wars ending.
Ben Mendelsohn's idea for where to follow Orson Krennic is interesting, although it's unknown whether or not that character's journey is one the Rogue One prequel will cover. The original description indicated it will be centered around Cassian Andor and his work for the Rebellion before his heroic journey in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Krennic is listed as being 51 when he died in the film, so jumping back 20-30 years may be a little more than what this show intends to cover.
It's a tempting story to follow however. Orson Krennic maintained a good friendship with the unwilling Death Star architect Galen Erso from a young age. Bringing him into the prequel fold would find the two men together in happier times. It would also likely present Krennic in a much different light than what was shown in the films. Who wouldn't want to see Krennic before he gained an affection for white capes, and before he developed the attitude that gets him choked out by Darth Vader?
Ben Mendelsohn's quote seems to imply he wasn't aware of the series' goings-on, and that he has not been approached about appearing in the Disney+ Rogue One prequel project. This could certainly be his creative way of straightforwardly teasing what's in store for his character when the series airs, although again, the new show's proposed direction and general plot description look to be set during a later time. Disney likely won't confirm things one way or the other until production moves along a bit further.
The Rogue One prequel series is in development and scheduled to arrive on Disney+ upon its completion. For a look at all things coming to cable television in the meantime, be sure to visit our fall and midseason premiere guides.
