Andor’s creator Tony Gilroy reveals that Lucasfilm took “a huge gamble” on the show, which felt different from anything Star Wars had ever done. Andor season 1, starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, was released in September 2022, and it collected stellar reviews from critics, long-time Star Wars audiences, and general viewers. The Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel revisited a few familiar characters and locations, but it also brought exciting new elements into the saga.

During an interview with Deadline, Andor’s creator Tony Gilroy detailed just how much of a gamble the series was compared to other Star Wars releases, noting that Lucasfilm was willing to open “new lanes” for the franchise.

Yeah, they took a huge gamble on what we're doing. You know how these things go, on this scale... there's a long period of time of showing work and trying to make deals, and you go pretty far along the way, but they knew what we were gonna do, and I think they very wisely and very badly want to open new lanes for this franchise. Why should it just be this one thing? There's so many opportunities in the franchise. So our mandate was to make the new lane, try to bring in an audience that were maybe Star Wars reluctant or Star Wars resistant, do a really different kind of show... do a show Syou didn't have to watch Star Wars to ever really enjoy.

They made a huge gamble, they used the downpayment of the passionate fans that they know are gonna be there, and The Mandalorian helps us, that's what gave us the muscle to swing as far and as weird as we have, but it's still a huge gamble, and they just backed our play all the way through in the most extraordinary way."

According to the showrunner, the idea was to make “a really different kind of show”, and that audiences would not have to watch Star Wars, as in the entire saga, to really enjoy it. Gilroy also mentions the importance of The Mandalorian, Star Wars’ first live-action TV show, to the process of getting Andor made.

Andor Season 1’s Risky Approach Made Star Wars Better Than Ever

Cassian Andor and Kino Loy

Andor season 1 may have been a “huge gamble,” but it paid off. Not only is Andor arguably the best piece of Star Wars content released since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, but it is also one of the best Star Wars stories ever told. Andor never felt like it was not part of the Star Wars universe, yet it offered a level of character depth and rich storytelling that the saga was lacking. The Star Wars galaxy is large enough to fit all types of tones and narrative styles, and Andor proved it.

Not every Star Wars story has to be a spy thriller with no Jedi or Sith – that is not the point of Andor’s success. However, Andor did raise the bar for other Star Wars stories, especially the live-action Disney+ Star Wars shows. Star Wars works very well in a serialized format, which Andor masterfully proved it. Whereas The Mandalorian or The Book of Boba Fett can sometimes struggle with pacing problems, Andor season 1’s tone was consistent from the first episode to the last.

Andor season 2 is happening, and it will conclude the Rogue One prequel series. Cassian Andor’s story can only move so much forward, after all, as Cassian dies in Rogue One. Hopefully, Star Wars can continue to take huge creative risks, allowing other “Andors” to happen in film, television, and animation.

Source: Deadline