Showrunner Tony Gilroy will cease working on the “Star Wars” series “Andor” after he received backlash for performing non-writing duties during the writer’s strike that is shutting down Hollywood.
Although the scripts for season two have already been completed, “The Bourne Identity” filmmaker has been accused of continuing to contribute producing services on the series, such as casting and music-related duties, ahead of its 2024 release date.
Tony Gilroy To Stop Work On ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘Andor’ Following Writer’s Strike Backlash
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On May 8, writer Abdullah Saeed, who has created the comedy “Deli Boys” for Hulu, put Tony Gilroy on blast for continuing to work on “Andor” through the writer’s strike, even if it wasn’t in a writing capacity.
“This is scabbing. There’s no way a writer/producer can ‘finish’ writing and begin solely producing. And if the scripts truly are finished, let’s see em. If there’s one word different in the finished product, kick Tony Gilroy out of the WGA,” Saeed wrote. “One of the biggest writers in Hollywood could stand with his union and halt production on his hit show, thereby by forcing a major studio to consider WGA demands a little harder.”
“Instead, he has chosen to be a SCAB! We all want Andor s2, but not at the cost of fairness to writers,” he continued, finishing off the post with the hashtag #wgastrong. Many fans and followers were quick to agree that Gilroy was overstepping his boundaries by continuing to work on the show.
“As an editor I can tell you that I’ve never cut an episode of television without ADR written in the cutting room. Never,” another follower chimed in. “It’s pretty presumptuous to think his scripts are so perfect on paper that they’ll be shot, cut and make it through the notes process without requiring ADR.”
Gilroy Will Now Stop Performing Non-Writing Duties For ‘Andor’
The following day, Tony Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter that he would stop performing any non-writing duties for “Andor” to stand in solidarity for the WGA writer’s strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents both studios and streamers.
Although the script for the second and final season of the live-action “Star Wars” series is completed, Gilroy was reportedly still serving in a producing capacity on the show and continuing to carry out music-related and casting duties. That being said, Gilroy insisted that he has not stepped foot onto the show’s set since the strike began on May 2.
“I discontinued all writing and writing-related work on Andor prior to midnight, May 1. After being briefed on the Saturday showrunner meeting, I informed Chris Keyser at the WGA on Sunday morning that I would also be ceasing all non-writing producing functions,” Gilroy said in a statement following Saeed’s Instagram post.
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Chris Keyser, the co-chair of the WGA’s negotiating committee, who confirmed that he had the conversation with Gilroy. Lucasfilm had no comment on the impact that the writer’s strike could have on the release date of “Andor.”
Disney Wants Showrunners To Continue Non-Writing Duties During The Strike
Although Saeed put Tony Gilroy on blast for continuing to serve in a producing capacity during the writer’s strike, last Friday, Disney sent letters out to showrunners of various shows insisting that they continue to perform non-writing duties during the strike. Franchises like Lucasfilm and Marvel now fall under the Disney banner.
The WGA called Disney’s letter “union-busting tactics” and said that services like “changes in technical or stage directions” are duties that guild members are not allowed to do during the strike. It’s worth noting that Gilroy had not participated in any of these said duties.
Unfortunately, Tony Gilroy isn’t the only showrunner who has spoken out about struggling to draw the line between writing and producing. “The Night Agent” producer Shawn Ryan said that he had to step away from his role as a producer during the 2007-2008 writer’s strike because it presented a “never-ending series of ethical dilemmas that could never be resolved before stating that it was cleaner to step away from producing.”
At this time, it is unclear if the writer’s strike will delay the release date for season 2 of “Andor.”
