Andorshowrunner Tony Gilroy has addressed one of the major changes that Season 2 of the Disney+Star Warsshow is implementing to tell the remainder of the story leading up to the events ofRogue One. Cassian Andor’s sophomore run on the small screen will feature time jumps that move the narrative forward a year every three episodes, propelling the protagonist to become the version of him we met in the 2016 movie. However, this fast-paced structure wasn’t always the case and Gilroy has revealed that the show’s shift in storytelling was “born out of desperation.”
Andorwas initially conceived as a five-season series, with each season tapping into a different year of Cassian’s life, but Lucasfilm later reduced the number of seasons to three before finally settling on just two to cover the events. Gilroy explained in an interview with SFX magazine (via Games Radar) that they realized while filming the first season that the scope of the story was too large, and it would be very time-consuming for everyone involved in the production to stick to the original plan, so the decision was made to restructure andcondense the narrative into two seasons.
‘Andor’ Is Only Getting 2 Seasons (and That’s a Good Thing)
It’s been decided that the ‘Star Wars’-Disney+ series ‘Andor’ will end with Season 2. However, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, and for good reason.
“We were halfway through shooting season 1, coming through Covid and the monumental size of the show, the effort, and everything else was just dawning on us. We realized that I didn’t have enough calories to do it, and Diego’s face couldn’t take the timing because it just takes too long to make it. We were saved by Disney saying, ‘Okay, if you guys can figure out a way to do it, we’re into it.'”
The ‘Star Wars’ Galaxy Is About to Host “A Fascinating Experiment”
Season 2 ofAndor, which premieres on Disney+ on Apr. 22 (in a very reasonable timeslot), will span a total of 12 episodes split into four chapters consisting of three episodes each, with a new chapter debuting weekly on the streaming service. Gilroy referred to the unusual structure and release schedule of the second season as “a fascinating experiment” in storytelling but promised that the breakdown of episodes and the way the narrative skips ahead will “work” in eventually leading viewers right to the doorstep ofRogue One.
“It’s a fascinating experiment, and I don’t know if anyone’s ever done it before. We’re going to jump a year between each block, and we’re going to use that negative space in a really interesting way, coming back for three days at a time, so it’s like a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. The challenge is, how do you come back [to start each chapter]? We wanted to have it be as elegant and seamless as possible and just hit the ground running. There was a lot of experimentation to make sure that would work.”
The latest trailer forAndorSeason 2 teased high-stakes missions, mayhem, and monsters while also sparking speculation aboutthe return of an iconicStar Warsvillain. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, thatAndorstar Diego Luna is happy that the show will end after only two seasons, as it looks like he will be carrying the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders during his next outing. The actor previously revealed that the compressed format of the saga allowed him to"enjoy it and get the best out of this experience.“Hopefully, audiences will feel the same when the final season debuts next month.
Source: SFX Magazine (viaGames Radar)
