It’s a good day for Andor fans. After Disney+ unveiled a new image through Empire, series creator Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) revealed to the magazine that not only is Season 2 a go, but also that all episodes are already mapped out. The series centers around fan-favorite character Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), serves as a prequel to hit spin-off Rogue One and is set five years before the events of the movie. It premieres in late August on Disney+.
Aside from being set in a grim period in which the Empire ruled the galaxy, one of the key elements from Andor will be the title character’s transformation from selfish to selfless — and if you’ve watched Rogue One (also penned by Gilroy) you know how his story ends — and initially, this would span of one year of his life. Gilroy revealed that this is the timeline for Season 1’s twelve episodes, but he also commented that the way Season 1 was developed gave the production team an idea for Season 2.
In the interview, Gilroy revealed that in Season 1 directors worked “in blocks of three episodes”, which means the freshman season of the series can be perceived as a story with four parts. For Season 2, however, Gilroy decided that they’ll repeat that structure, but each block will chronicle a year in the life of Andor — the remaining four years that tie in with Rogue One.
This could mean that, given the typical runtime of a drama series, Season 2 will essentially be four movies, each chronicling a year in the life of Andor and his transformation. At the same time, it heavily indicates that there will be no Season 3 for the series. The decision to fast-track Season 2 is probably a wise one since a five-season plan depends entirely on a show’s popularity through the years. A two-season arc (with Season 2 already in production) guarantees that we’ll get to see the full story unfold without the fear of it being canceled halfway through.
In addition to Luna, Andor will also see the return of Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma and Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera. Newcomers to the series include Stellan Skårsgard, Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, and Robert Emms. Gilroy was brought on as showrunner following Stephen Schiff‘s (The Americans) departure prior to the production beginning. Black Mirror director Toby Haynes reportedly directs the first three episodes, along with Ben Caron and Susanna White, who were also announced as directors for the upcoming first season.
Disney+ premieres Andor on August 31, you can watch the teaser trailer for Season 1 down below.