Andor showrunner says season 2’s more rapid-paced structure is a “charming experiment” that is “born out of desperation”: “I own no belief if anybody’s ever executed it sooner than”

Initially envisioned as a 5-season narrative, Andor is now poised to culminate with an intense and swift second season.

Instead of a slower-paced approach, the upcoming season of the Star Wars series adopts a distinctive episodic format that divides it into four sets of three ‘chapters’, with each chapter advancing a year ahead.

In the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Black Mirror season 7 on the cover and is currently available on shelves, Gilroy states that the unexpected shift in storytelling was “born out of desperation.”

“We were in the middle of filming season 1, emerging from Covid, and the immense scope of the production, the challenges, and everything else was just becoming apparent,” Gilroy reflects. “We realized I did not possess sufficient energy to finish it, and Diego’s expressions couldn’t capture the timing, as it simply takes too long to produce. We were rescued by Disney saying, ‘Alright, if you can devise a way to make it work, we’re on board.’”

Regarding the transition that brings Andor in alignment with the events of Rogue One, Gilroy explains, “It’s an intriguing experiment and I’m unsure if anyone has attempted this before. We’re going to leap a year between each segment, and we plan to utilize that negative space in a truly captivating manner, returning for three days at a time, similar to Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. The challenge is, how do you re-enter [to commence each chapter]? We aimed for it to be as graceful and coherent as possible, hitting the ground running. There was substantial experimentation to ensure that this would be feasible.”

A year is a long period in a galaxy far, far away. Andor is striving to accelerate even further with its years-in-the-making storyline. It’s no surprise, then, that prominent actor Diego Luna, who portrays Cassian Andor, claims they’ve essentially filmed “four movies” for a second season that dares to be different.

Not subscribed to SFX? Then click here to receive the latest issues delivered straight to your location/device!

The second season of Andor premieres on Disney Plus starting April 22. Discover more in the latest edition of SFX magazine, which highlights Black Mirror season 7 on the cover and is now available. Check out what to keep an eye out for on newsstands below…