The showrunner of Andor discusses his aims for the show and his desire to keep it down-to-earth.
With the first three episodes of Andor premiering today, showrunner Tony Gilroy has been talking about the show. He’s the show’s creator, executive producer and writer, and was heavily involved in the movie Rogue One, the events of which the show leads up to.
In an interview with Lauren Miles of Film Stories, Gilroy discusses how the show will explain the origins of the rebel pilot, as well as the wider seeds of rebellion:
“Our show is about ‘how did he get here?’ And how big a hole did he have to climb out of to get there, and how does somebody become that person? And at the same time, use that as the spine of a story that can also tell a whole bunch of other character’s stories about a revolution that’s coming. And about a war that’s coming.”
He also addresses the show’s timescale. It begins at five years prior to the events of Rogue One, as the Empire are tightening their grip:
“Those five years in Star Wars history are very important. They’re building the Death Star, and if they build the Death Star, they win.”
The interview goes on to cover the potential problem of viewers already knowing where the story ends. It also covers Gilroy’s desire to keep the series as down-to-earth as possible.
Future Plans?
When probed about future plans for the Star Wars universe however, he only says he’s focussed on delivering Andor’s second season:
“I would love to be able to deliver this and then have that conversation. I don’t really know. I know exactly what I’m doing for the next year and a half, so that’s enough for me!”
Andor launches today, 21st September, on Disney+ with a triple episode drop. The remaining nine episodes of the first series will land on subsequent Wednesdays.