‘Andor’ Showrunner Tony Gilroy Confirms Two Seasons for the Disney+ Series

Deadline and others reported the clarification earlier this week….

For those wondering how long this Star Wars prequel-to-a-prequel thing plays out, the official word is two seasons. According to Deadline’s Peter White, that’s what Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy told gathered reporters, virtually, when talking about the upcoming Disney+ series last week.

“We are covering one year in our first 12 episodes that we’ve completed; in fact, we’re finishing our final mix on [episode] 12 tomorrow,” said Gilroy to the press on August 3. “We are going to do another 12 episodes starting in November, and the organizing principle for shooting is that we do blocks of three.

“[W]e’re going to take our four blocks of three [episodes] in the second half of the show, and each block is going to represent another year closer,” continued the filmmaker. “We really get to take the formative forging of Cassian Andor in the first 12 episodes, and then we get to take that organism that we’ve built up and run it through the next four years in a really exciting narrative fashion.”

Completing the Narrative

“Exciting narrative fashion” was what Gilroy (reportedly) delivered to the muddled production of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – Lucasfilm’s first standalone film.

Now, with the prequel series for the prequel film, Gilroy can complete the story, no doubt rendering the sacrifice of the Rogue One crew even more poignant. Meanwhile, Gilroy noted that the final episode of the series, which premieres with three episodes on September 21, will “walk the audience directly into the first scenes of Rogue One.”

Moreover, the series boilerplate explains that Andor “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.”

A Journey

Finally, season one will play out as “the journey of a migrant,” said Diego Luna to Deadline’s Zac Ntim earlier this month. “That [journey] shapes you as a person.

“It defines you in many ways and what you are willing to do,” he said.

That line reminds me of Forrest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera (seen in the latest trailer for Andor) in the famous teaser for Rogue One:

What will you do when they catch you?

What will you do if they break you?

If you continue to fight, what will you become?

Saw Gerrera, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Teaser Trailer)

My the Force be with us all.