Luscasfilm unveiled its first look at Season 2 of its Disney+ series “Andor” on Friday as part of the Star Wars Celebration fan convention in London.
The 12-episode first season of “Andor,” created and executive produced by “Rogue One” co-writer Tony Gilroy, debuted in September to wide acclaim for its sprawling, ground-level depiction of the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Set five years before the events of “Rogue One,” the first season tracks a year in the life of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as he transforms from a cynical, small-time criminal into a man ready to join the fight against the Galactic Empire.
Gilroy explained on Friday that the team is working as quickly as possible to get Season 2 done. Shooting began in November and is expected to wrap in August. The creator predicted the show will hit Disney+ in August 2024.
“If you know your ending, it really helps,” said Gilroy. “We know exactly where we’re going. You know what you have to deliver emotionally and what the story has to do. It’s a decision borne of survival, but it’s good for us creatively.”
Season 2 footage revealed at the event showed Mon Mothma trying to rally a rebellion. Villain Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) also seems to have a bigger role in the show. Meanwhile, Luna’s Cassian Andor was shown with a new hairdo. Season 2 introduces a number of new characters.
The next season of “Andor” is expected to unfold in a much different format from Season 1. Luna is returning, along with Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay and Varada Sethu. But rather than take place over a year, the 12-episode season will take place over four years leading up to right before the events of “Rogue One,” in three-episode pods written and directed by the same team. Each of those pods will encapsulate a successive number of days within one of those years.
Fans have long anticipated that Season 2 will depict how Cassian found and reprogramed the Imperial droid K-2SO, voiced by Alan Tudyk in “Rogue One.”