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Disney has had an up and down time with theStar Warsfranchise since they purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. Things started incredibly well with The Force Awakens, which made over $2 billion at the worldwide box office and sits at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The next two sequel trilogy films proved to be divisive. The Last Jedi remains one of the most debated and controversial films ever made, and The Rise of Skywalker followed suit with a conclusion that many audience members found to be disappointing. As a result, Disney has moved away from the sequel trilogy in recent years (for now at least).
One film that the studio have leaned on since moving in a different direction is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The love for that film led to Disney commissioning Andor, a prequel series that follows Diego Luna’s character’s rise from petty thief to Rebel hero.
The critically acclaimed Andor has now concluded after two seasons, but there’s still plenty of new content related to the show for fans to chew on. One is The Art of Andor, a new book which reveals tons of new behind-the-scenes information on the show, including original showrunner Jared Bush’s pitch, what Andor was originally titled, and more.
Andor Was Nearly Named Something Else
Disney has gotten into a habit of naming projects after the main characters (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, The Mandalorian and Grogu, etc.). However, Andor was nearly called something else entirely. The book reveals that the early members of the creative team pitched two alternative titles: Star Wars: Andor Five and Star Wars: Alliance.
Andor’s Original Story Involved Accusations Of Cassian Being An Imperial Spy
Zootopia Director Jared Bush was originally brought in to develop a Cassian Andor series, and his pitch for the show was vastly different than the final product. Bush’s idea included Imperial spies decimating the Rebel Alliance, with Cassian falsely accused of being one. From there, he would set out on a quest to find the true spies and clear his name.
Orson Welles Inspired The Ending Of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The ending of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was considerably dark, but writer Tony Gilroy cited Orson Welles as an inspiration for the conclusion. As the art book notes, Welles once said: “If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” Rogue One stops with the deaths of its heroes, but the journeys of the original trilogy heroes were just beginning.
Tony Gilroy Came In And Set The Bar High
Tony Gilroy, who was brought on when Andor was experiencing issues in its writing phase, created a manifesto for what he wanted the show to be. The opening paragraph Gilroy’s manifesto for Andor reads: “The design must crush. Must be fresh and forward. Highest bar. Take the visual SW’s canon and pervert it into something real. That’s the goal here: Mad but real.”
Gilroy Says “Mania” Is The Show’s Secret Weapon
In the book’s foreward, Gilroy describes what the show’s “secret weapon” is — mania. Gilroy writes: “Mania plus time and resources. Targeted mania. Hive-mind mania. Mania with a deadline that required focused decisions.”
Star Wars Rebels Inspired The Logo For Andor
The original Andor logo was anti-Imperila graffiti painted on the iconic brick walls of Ferrix, according to Gilroy. However, the logo was changed when artist Baz Gingell created a visual akin to that of Sabine Wren’s symbol from Star Wars Rebels. Gingell acknowledges the similarities between the two in the new book.
The First Season Was Labeled As “The Education Of Cassian Andor”
Tony Gilroy states that he envisioned the first season of the show as “the education of Cassian Andor.” He notes that Andor is “a nobody…a disillusioned, very unhappy nobody. [But] there’s a knock at the door. The consequences just keep coming. And the revolution, and the machine, and the Empire – there’s just no escape.”
Young Cassian Was Inspired By Mowgli In The Jungle Book
Gilroy also describes the younger version of Cassian Andor, seen via flashbacks in season one, as “Mowgli-esque,” noting the similarities between him and the lead hero of the iconic story The Jungle Book.
Andor Originally Planned To Shoot On Location
Andor’s first season filmed in 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. This ended up affecting the production of the series greatly, as Gilroy and co. originally planned to shoot on location in either French Guiana or Thailand. However, they ended up filming in Black Park, right behind Pinewood Studios, which is where several other Disney Star Wars projects were also filmed.
Artist Baz Gingell Plays Anto Kreegyr
Anto Kreegyr plays a big role in the first season of Andor, even as he doesn’t appear in the flesh. He’s an important cog in the story of the growing Rebellion, and is ultimately sacrificed in order to protect Luthen and his band of Rebels. The aforementioned artist Baz Gingell, who designed the show’s logo, played the character in the hologram image of him that’s used frequently.
