The next Disney+Star Warsseries,Andor,will tell an original story about the titularRogue Onecharacter, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a thief turned rebel spy.Andoris billed as a spy thriller, a first for a live-actionStar Warsshow, and will take inspiration from one of the best thrillers of the century, theBourneseries.
Andorisn’t like otherStar Warsseries. It is more grounded, features original characters, and deals with spies, espionage, and politics. All of that required a different approach, and creatorTony Gilroy, who also wrote the similarly grittyRogue One: A Star Wars Story, turned to theBournemovies for inspiration. Here’s what he toldTotal Filmrecently:
“[With Bourne] I had been trying to get people to make an acoustic action movie, because action movies had gotten so bombastic in the ’80s, they were just enormous. So when Bourne came along, we went way down to nothing.
It was about making it real. Keeping someone you really understand and really care about in a place that you understand the geography of, with stakes, is much more involving than a guy on a train with 15 machine guns and a helicopter coming down. That aesthetic, that idea, does carry over to Andor because we are on the ground with these people, so that everything that we do has an intimacy and an acoustic nature to it within the grandeur of Star Wars.”
Tony Gilroy is best known for penning theBournetrilogy and directing 2011’sThe Bourne Legacy. He also wroteState of Playand directed the critically acclaimedMichael Clayton, starring George Clooney and Tilda Swinton.Gilroy certainly doesn’t lack experience in the thriller genreand has craftedAndorin a similar vein.
Hopefully, the makers didn’t re-create the jarring shaky cam of theBourneseries inAndor, which was fun at the time but really got tedious with the ensuing movies. Gilroy knows that too and promises thatAndorwon’t skimp on the spectacle and adventureStar Warsis known for.
“It’s an adventure story. It’s one man’s odyssey through the center [of the story] and then all these peripheral characters surrounding him and spinning around. I mean, god, it’s looking to be entertaining. It’s heavy material, heavy things are happening, but it’s an adventure story, too.”
Related:Andor: What Star Wars Fans Can Expect from the Disney+ Series
Andor Promises A Breath Of Fresh Air For The Star Wars Franchise
Ever since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, theStar Warsworld has seen some remarkable andsome extremely divisive titles, but surprisingly, the stories focused on original characters have resonated the most with fans instead of the ones centered on beloved legacy characters like Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi.The MandalorianandRogue Onehave become fan favorites,andAndorhopes to repeat the feat.
Also starring Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Fiona Shaw, Forest Whitaker, and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma,Andorwill drop on Disney+ on September 21, with a three-episode premiere.
Check out the trailer and plot synopsis forAndorbelow:
“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.”
