When Disney announced the upcoming series Star Wars: Andor, based on Diego Luna's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story character Cassian Andor, fans didn't know what to expect. How much more story is there to tell for a character who never really got his moment to shine until that particular movie? Well, it turns out there's more to it than just Andor himself, and Stellan Skarsgård, another star who's joined the series, has high hopes for what lies ahead.
Skarsgård recently spoke about what drove him to join Star Wars: Andor. While some might jump at the chance to be part of the Star Wars universe, others focus more on the talent behind the scenes, and Skarsgård is definitely the latter. It's not as if he hasn't seen the movies (he has kids, of course he's seen them), and his viewpoint doesn't come from a lack of respect from the source material. Plus, if the set photos from Andor are any indication, it's looking to be an all-in production. But when he saw Rogue One, something clicked.
"I’ve had children in five decades, which means you’ve seen all the Star Wars films—and seen all the toys as well," Skarsgård said when speaking with The Daily Beast. "But when I saw Rogue One, it had much more atmosphere and seemed a little more mature—and that was Tony Gilroy, who’s the showrunner on this one. So, hopefully this one will be a little more than little plastic people falling over." Gilroy wrote the screenplay for Rogue One and since he's set as executive producer for Andor, that apparently caught Skarsgård's interest far more than the franchise itself.
Marvel fans will already be familiar with Skarsgård's work, having played Dr. Erik Selvig in a number of the Thor and Avengers films. The astrophysicist hasn't appeared much in the Marvel Cinematic Universe lately, so it's perhaps not too surprising to see the actor shopping around for other heavy-hitting roles. He's also attached to the upcoming (hopefully in 2021) Dune reboot, now giving him a foothold in several high-profile franchises. Hey, Star Wars can always use some more seasoned professionals like Skarsgård.
Skarsgård's assessment of what kind of show he expects Andor to be will likely perk up the ears of a few curious fans. Star Wars is still most well known as that massive franchise about lasers and space wizards, and even its more gritty iterations like The Mandalorian keep up that vibe to an extent (hard to look all tough and mean all while carrying a cute little baby alien eating cookies). It's still not entirely clear exactly what kind of show Star Wars: Andor will be, but the talent it has behind it certainly seems like enough to keep people interested in the lead up to its release.
There's still plenty of time for speculation before Star Wars: Andor premieres sometime in 2022, so Skarsgård's endorsement may be all there is to go on for the time being. But however it turns out, there's sure to be plenty of drama and explosions, and in the end, isn't that what it's really all about?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: The Daily Beast