A number of Rogue One stars turned down the prospect to make a temporary look in Andor, in accordance to the present’s creator. In a latest interview, Tony Gilroy revealed that sure actors from the 2016 Star Wars story declined cameo roles within the Disney+ prequel sequence as a result of they had been pissed off about not being provided extra substantial components.
Throughout a latest interview with Vulture, Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy was requested about aligning the Star Wars canon between the newest season and Rogue One, when Diego Luna’s Cassian was initially launched. The author talked about that earlier scripts of Andor Season 2 included “not essential” individuals on Yavin 4 who appeared in Rogue One. The supposed reasoning was that these requested “did not need to come again as a result of they had been sad they didn’t have extra of a half or had been unavailable:”
“There are individuals — not essential individuals, however you understand, faces and presences in Yavin 4 from ‘Rogue’ — who both didn’t need to come again as a result of they had been sad they didn’t have extra of a half or had been unavailable. We introduced everyone again we might.”
On the flip facet, Andor Season 2 featured a handful of returning characters from Rogue One, together with Forest Whitaker’s Noticed Gerrera, the Tognath brothers Benthic and Edrio, and even Moroff in a minor background position. One of probably the most notable appearances got here from Bail Organa, who was recast with Benjamin Bratt as a substitute of authentic actor Jimmy Smits. Gilroy beforehand defined that bringing again legacy characters was “actually difficult,” citing comparable points like excessive prices and scheduling conflicts.
In the latest interview, Gilroy admitted that staying true to Star Wars canon is a sophisticated job, “I’ve, like, 4 ranges of canon I’ve to listen to, and 19 I can ignore at my will:”
“To be clear, I personally want it when canon is a good factor that everybody ignores each time they really feel prefer it, however that is Star Wars. I’ve, like, 4 ranges of canon I’ve to listen to, and 19 I can ignore at my will. I’m exaggerating barely however not an excessive amount of.”
He teased the thought of utilizing characters like Noticed Gerrera or Orson Krennic extra in Andor, however on the finish of the day, he had to get the viewers “to the primary scene of Rogue One:”
And I imply, who wouldn’t need Forest Whitaker, proper? And Ben Mendelsohn, my God. However I’ve my sensible story issues I’ve to ship. I’ve to get you to the primary scene of ‘Rogue One.'”
Gilroy even talked about that Mendelsohn was at one level going to be arduous to get, inflicting him to “invent a surrogate character and make investments a lot of actual property in them,” which he did not need to do because the effectively-recognized Krennic character received him to the identical area within the story:
“At one level, when it was troublesome to get Ben for no matter causes, I used to be going to have to invent a surrogate character and make investments a lot of actual property in them. That was a ache within the ass. Ben will get me there straight away.”
Gilroy additionally revealed that he briefly thought of bringing again Danny Mays as Tivik to assist bridge Andor to the opening of Rogue One. Whereas Mays wasn’t finally within the sequence, Cassian’s setup with Tivik was simple within the closing moments of Season 2.
For a second, it appeared like a needed step, till the story discovered its personal means ahead, “As soon as we had Lonni Jung steal the recordsdata in regards to the Demise Star, and as soon as we began on the dialogue, it simply snapped into place in a means that I didn’t want him.”
“I believed for certain that I might have to carry again Danny Mays, who performs Tivik in ‘Rogue One,’ the man Cassian kills within the opening scene. I even went so far as to ask [casting director] Nina Gold. I mentioned, ‘Perhaps we should always run down what Danny Mays appears to be like like proper now. Are we gonna have to de-age him? Is he out there?’ Providentially, as soon as we had Lonni Jung steal the recordsdata in regards to the Demise Star, and as soon as we began on the dialogue, it simply snapped into place in a means that I didn’t want him.”
With its second season now absolutely streaming on Disney+, Andor has formally accomplished its arc, seamlessly connecting the again story of Cassian into the occasions of Rogue One and, finally, Star Wars: A New Hope. The sequence has been praised for its grounded, character-pushed tackle the Galaxy Far, Far Away, however its conclusion might mark the top of the highway for a number of of its key contributors. As of now, it is unclear whether or not Gilroy or Luna will ever return to the franchise, with each having handled Andor as a definitive finish to this arc.
The Energy of Cameos in Star Wars
A few of the most iconic Star Wars moments in latest reminiscence have been jaw-dropping cameos: Darth Vader’s terrifying hallway bloodbath in Rogue One, Luke Skywalker’s shock rescue in The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka Tano’s stay-motion debut in that very same sequence. Whereas undeniably thrilling, these appearances are sometimes emotional excessive factors quite than narrative foundations.
As Ahsoka Season 2, The Mandalorian & Grogu, and Star Wars: Starfighter loom on the horizon, the franchise will want to tread rigorously. Cameos ought to improve a story, not prop it up. Marvel (Disney’s different mega-franchise) is a higher match for a cameo-pushed spectacle, as seen within the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which is able to function the return of basic X-Males characters. In Star Wars, much less is usually extra when it comes to legacy characters, and Andor proved that restraint may be much more highly effective than nostalgia overload.
