The expanding slate of Star Wars series will revisit the Rogue One era thanks to Diego Luna reprising his role as Cassian Andor, for a show fittingly called Andor. The film unfortunately ends with Luna's Cassian and the rest of the Rogue One stars dying heroic but definitive deaths, but Andor will take the action back to before the mission to retrieve the Death Star plans. With Andor currently in production, Luna compared working on the film to working on the series.
Diego Luna spoke with THR about the upcoming Andor series, saying:
I think the format of a series is amazing because we have a lot of time to explore all those layers. What happens in Rogue One is something we can actually reflect on, and what’s behind something like [sacrificing an informant]. The way we’re shooting this reminds me of how we shot the film, and the amount of work behind this TV series reminds me of the work you do for a film. It feels like we’re doing a very long movie.
The Andor series will be able to show what made the Rebellion what it was by the time of Rogue One, but also why Cassian was the way he was, and Diego Luna considers the work for the show similar to the work for the movie. Cassian Andor debuted in Rogue One in 2016 as a spy rather than the hero that Star Wars fans had come to expect from films to that point, killing an informant and then going on to seriously consider assassinating Galen Erso.
It was all in the name of the Rebellion, but it wasn't pleasant work. The weight of everything he had gone through off-screen drove Cassian's decisions in Rogue One, and now Andor will give viewers the chance to see more of his story even knowing the tragic way it will end. Diego Luna went on to share how it feels to revisit the character that he brought to life in Rogue One:
So I’m really excited to go back to that character because I really enjoyed playing him, and I was really happy with what the film represents. Rogue One was a story of regular people. It was regular people doing incredible things, and in a way, it’s a film that reminds us of the power we all have if we have a conviction. So, yeah, I feel blessed to have the chance to revisit this role.
Despite setbacks due to the pandemic that shut down many TV shows and movies throughout the entertainment industry in 2020, Andor is back in production, with a target premiere date in 2022. The show will be a spy thriller, which is not something that the Star Wars saga has done before, and he won't be the only Star Wars movie actor reprising a role for the show. Genevieve O'Reilly will be back as Mon Mothma.
Also appearing in Andor are Stellan Skarsgard, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller. Jimmy Smits, who played Bail Organa in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and then again in Rogue One, was rumored earlier this year to appear in Andor as well. Given the timeline of Andor set shortly before the events of the original trilogy, there are plenty of other existing Star Wars characters who could appear, including most of the surviving leads from Star Wars Rebels.
Unfortunately, the 2022 premiere date means that fans have at least a little over a year before Andor launches, and possibly considerably longer. The good news is that there will be plenty of Star Wars content on the way to Disney+ in 2021 for fans to look forward to. The Bad Batch, centering on clones introduced in The Clone Wars, is expected as the next animated Star Wars series in the new year. Also expected in 2021 is The Book of Boba Fett as the first Mandalorian spinoff, with The Mandalorian Season 3 to follow.
For now, you can watch and rewatch Diego Luna's debut as Cassian Andor with Rogue One, available streaming on Disney+. For some viewing options not set in the galaxy far, far away, check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.
