On Friday, Star Wars officially announced some casting for the upcoming Cassian Andor series for Disney+!
Obviously Diego Luna is starring as he returns to the role of Cassian Andor, but he will be joined by newcomers Stellan Skarsgard, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller, while Genevieve O’Reilly will reprise her role as Mon Mothma!
Previously, Lucasfilm President Kathy Kennedy revealed that Alan Tudyk would reprise his role as K-2SO for the series. Though he’s not included in this official casting release, there’s also nothing to suggest that has changed.
That’s really exciting news to add O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, who is the leader of the Rebellion and is an obvious inclusion to a story told in this era. After Caroline Blakiston played the role in Return of the Jedi (1983), O’Reilly was cast to bring her to life again for Revenge of the Sith (2005). Her role was significantly cut from the film and her lines eliminated, but she reprised the role in Rogue One (2016) and voiced the character in Star Wars Rebels.
Additionally, they officially announced that Tony Gilroy is the showrunner for the series and will also write and direct, writing with dan Gilroy, Beau Willimon, and Stephen Schiff. Schiff had previously reportedly been hired as the showrunner, but whether or not that was ever the case, he’s now serving as a writer while Gilroy oversees things. Gilroy has plenty of experience working with Cassian Andor, as he was brought in to oversee the extensive re-shoots for Rogue One. By all indications, Gilroy helped change a ton about the film, and I was thrilled by how it turned out.
The Star Wars release explains that the show will take place five years before the events of Rogue One, and that a release date has not yet been announced. As previously announced, it will focus on Cassian Andor’s days as a Rebel spy, showing a darker side to the Rebellion.
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