Diego Luna confirms the Rogue One prequel show has started filming. With the Star Wars movies on a self-imposed hiatus until 2023, live-action TV will be the franchise's main attraction for the foreseeable future. Lucasfilm is taking advantage of the Disney+ platform to produce a full slate of Star Wars series, with The Mandalorian becoming the streaming service's flagship program. Among the other shows Lucasfilm is working on is a Rogue One prequel centered around Cassian Andor, the hardened Rebel soldier Luna played in the 2016 spinoff movie.
Back in February, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic took a turn for the worse, Luna said the Rogue One show would start production this year. Despite the ongoing health crisis throwing the entertainment industry into a state of flux and forcing numerous delays, the Rogue One show was able to stay on track and was gearing up to begin filming this fall. From the sound of things, the cameras are already rolling.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live, Luna revealed he's currently in London. When asked what he was shooting, Luna tried to play it coy by saying he was making "a short film with some friends." However, Kimmel let the cat out of the bag by stating the project was "for Disney+ with Lucasfilm involved." That is clearly in reference to the Rogue One show.
It's encouraging to hear work has begun on the show. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said back in 2019 the Rogue One prequel would premiere in 2021, and this development keeps it on pace for that. Hopefully, principal photography goes smoothly. A number of movies and TV shows have resumed production amidst the pandemic, but a few have encountered setbacks and needed to postpone filming due to positive tests. Ideally, the Rogue One show won't endure any delays of its own and be able to wrap on schedule so it can provide a much-needed boost to Disney+'s original program lineup. The Mandalorian is a massive hit, but the streaming service needs more than that - especially with Warner Bros. releasing all of their 2021 movies on HBO Max.
There was a point in time the Rogue One show was in danger of being cancelled as Lucasfilm struggled to crack the story, so the series has obviously come a long way since then. Whatever changes were made, the studio is now confident in the project's direction, and it will be interesting to see how it fleshes out franchise canon. The Galactic Civil War is an era Star Wars has mined for a plethora of stories, which means there may not be much material left to cover. That said, the Rogue One prequel is poised to be an espionage drama with a Star Wars twist, giving it the potential to be captivating and entertaining. Cassian and his droid companion K-2SO were two of the more beloved characters in Rogue One, so hopefully their show finds success.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live