After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Star Wars Celebration is back in full swing and bringing Star Wars fans news about all of their most highly anticipated series. In addition to a trailer, which provided us with a more in-depth look at Diego Luna's return to the franchise in his upcoming Rogue One prequel series Andor, we also got the release date for the series. The 12-episode series will arrive later this summer.
Andor stars Luna as this roguish rebel Cassian Andor, who met a tragic fate alongside Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) in 2016's Rogue One. The series is expected to provide fans with a look at the early days of the rebellion, as well as fill in the blanks about what drew Cassian into the galactic rebellion and how his viewpoint changed from a jaded, self-serving nihilist into a selfless martyr willing to die for the cause. Rogue One may have premiered six years ago, but Luna has easily slipped into the younger version of his character.
In addition to Luna, Rogue One fans can expect to see Genevieve O'Reilly return as Mon Mothma, as well as Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera, which Stellan Skarsgård confirmed in a Swedish interview. Skarsgård isn't the only newcomer to the series, as Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, and Robert Emms have been confirmed in currently unknown roles.
Andor's showrunner, Tony Gilroy, was brought onto the project after Stephen Schiff departed the series prior to production beginning. Following in the footsteps of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett's showrunners, Gilroy is tasked with several roles on the project, including writing the series with his brother Dan Gilroy and Beau Willimon. Toby Haynes, known for directing Black Mirror, reportedly directed the pilot episode and two other episodes, along with Ben Caron and Susanna White who were announced as directors for the 12-episode season. Nicholas Britell, the composer of HBO Max's critically acclaimed drama series Succession, has been tapped to compose for the series.
Earlier this year, Skarsgård confirmed that Andor will be at least a two-season series and that filming would resume on Season 2 later this fall. Season 1 will premiere on Disney + on August 31.