Actor Diego Luna is heading back to a galaxy far, far away.
He has been tapped to reprise his role as Cassian Andor, who first appeared in the 2016 Star Wars movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Luna starred opposite Felicity Jones, who played rebel Jyn Erso. Although the two met their demise at the end of the film, a new prequel series is in the works over at Disney+ to explore the character’s origin story.
At one point in the film, Cassian tells Jyn that he has been battling the Empire since he was six years old. The prequel series will reveal the origins of Cassian’s involvement with the Rebellion long before his doomed mission on Scarif.
Diego Luna Stars In ‘Rogue One’ Prequel Disney+ Series ‘Andor’
In a conversation with Vanity Fair, “Andor” showrunner Tony Gilroy teased that the first season of “Andor” will explore how and why Cassian decided to give his life to retrieve the Death Star plans from Scarif to help the Rebellion take down the Empire in the ultimate sacrifice.
During the conversation, Gilroy described Luna’s character of Cassian Andor as someone who is “really revolution-averse, and cynical, and lost, and kind of a mess.”
Although the series focuses on Cassian’s life, Gilroy hinted that the show will start off with the destruction of Cassian’s homeworld before catching up with him as an adult.
“His adopted home will become the base of our whole first season, and we watch that place become radicalized,” Gilroy told the publication. “Then we see another planet that’s completely taken apart in a colonial kind of way. The Empire is expanding rapidly. They’re wiping out anybody who’s in their way.”
Vanity Fair also took a look at Genevieve O’Reilly’s character, who will reprise her role as Mon Mothma, head of the Rebellion, for “Andor.” Her story is reported to run “parallel” to Cassian’s story, which will touch on how Cassian ultimately became one of her key agents. Gilroy teased, “It is a huge, orchestral, Dickensian ensemble cast.”
Vanity Fair Sheds New Light On ‘The Acolyte’ Star Wars Series
In addition to the upcoming “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Ahsoka” series, there is also a new series called “The Acolyte” that Vanity Fair dropped some more information about. The series will be helmed by “Russian Doll” co-creator Leslye Headland. The series is described as a mystery thriller that will take place during the High Republic age, which means that it took place almost one hundred years before the events of 1991’s “The Phantom Menace,” when Qui-Gon Jinn discovers a young Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine.
“My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it?” Headland asked. “Like, what went wrong? What are the scenarios that led us to this moment?”
At the time, Jedis were much more like peacekeepers. Instead of getting into bloody battles like they did in the prequel series, Jedis wore white and gold uniforms because they rarely got their clothes dirty by fighting.
“We’re taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about,” Headland teased of the new series.
Fans can look forward to getting more information about “Andor,” “The Acolyte” and “Ahsoka” in the coming months.
