Diego Luna, star of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, has revealed that the upcoming Disney+ show starring his character Cassian Andor has actually been in the works for awhile. Rogue One is a standalone offshoot of the Star Wars Skywalker saga. Released in 2016, it focused on the characters who stole the plans for the Death Star and takes place prior to all three main trilogies. In addition to Luna, the movie starred Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso and Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic. Rogue One is notable for sacrificing all of its main characters in the end, though a happier alternate ending was also considered.
Disney first announced the Cassian Andor spinoff series in late 2018, explaining that it would be a prequel due to Cassian’s death in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Since then, details about the show have slowly trickled out, with the reshoot director on Rogue One coming on board to write and direct. Earlier this month, Luna revealed that the Cassian Andor series would film at some point this year. However, soon after it came out that the show would need rewrites before filming could begin.
In an interview with IMDb, Luna discussed when he found out about the Cassian Andor spinoff show. Luna explained, “We said it as a joke many times, then it wasn’t a joke anymore. I think when we were close to releasing the film the idea came up.” He also expressed his doubt at the story actually coming to fruition, saying, “But I thought this is never gonna happen. I really prepared myself to enjoy the ride and then get off and become part of the audience again.”
The Cassian Andor show is one of the many original series in the works for Disney+. On the Star Wars side, the new streamer found massive success with The Mandalorian, which introduced the world to Baby Yoda. They’re hoping to replicate that with Luna’s show, as well as one featuring Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, like with the Cassian Andor show, that series has also undergone rewrites. It’s not necessarily a bad sign for either show, but rather an indicator that Disney wants to do both stories justice.
Luna’s remarks may be surprising to some, as it shows just how far ahead the studio was planning the launch of Disney+. Since the new streamer just debuted in November 2019, this means Disney was thinking of show ideas three years in advance. However, considering the sheer number of studios Disney now owns, it makes sense that planning has to be done so far ahead of time. In addition to its Star Wars series, Disney+ is also launching several shows set in the MCU. The release of the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spinoff is likely awhile away, but at least now fans know just how long Disney and Lucasfilm have been working on it.
More: Every Star Wars TV Show Coming To Disney+ After Mandalorian
Source: IMDb
