Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy says viewers shouldn’t expect to see Star Wars fan service in the new series.
Next month, Disney Plus will be dropping Lucasfilm’s newest original Star Wars series, Andor. The series, which will be a prequel to Rogue One, will explore Diego Luna’s Rebel warrior in the years leading up to his involvement in the mission to retrieve the Death Star plans.
Ever since the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, perhaps one of the most-criticized aspectsof the new era of the franchise is its use of fan-service. Callbacks to beloved characters have had its share of praise from viewers, but some felt that the franchise was relying too much on that, but Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy claims that the new series will not feature any fan-service in the conventional sense.
Andor is Star Wars for non-hardcore fans.
Tony Gilroy spoke with Variety about how Andor sheds a spotlight on the everyday working people in the Star Wars universe:
“I wanted to do it about real people. They’ve made all this IP about the royal family, in essence. It’s been great. But there’s a billion, billion, billion other beings in the galaxy. There’s plumbers and cosmeticians. Journalists! What are their lives like? The revolution is affecting them just as much as anybody else. Why not use the ‘Star Wars’ canon as a host organism for absolutely realistic, passionate, dramatic storytelling?”
In regards to the addition of legacy characters such as Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and Saw Gerrerra (Forest Whitaker), the Andor showrunner expressed that this is for specific narrative reasons, and not for cheap fan-service:
“It’s never cynical. It’s always meant to be there. It’s always protein; it’s never icing.”
Here is the synopsis for Andor:
“The ‘Andor’ series will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.”
Andor stars Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Genevieve O’Reilly. Tony Gilroy, Dan Gilroy, Stephen Schiff, and Beau Willimon served as the writers of the Star Wars series while Toby Haynes, Susanna White, and Benjamin Caron directed the episodes.
Andor will premiere Disney Plus on September 21, 2022, with three episodes. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the series, and subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more great video content!
Source: Variety
