While we’re still waiting to find out who’s behind the helmet for The Mandalorian, Diego Luna has been confirmed as the lead in a second live-action show for Disney’s newly named streaming service Disney+, with the actor set to reprise his role as Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Luna expressed his excitement about returning to the franchise in a recent statement to StarWars.com, saying:
“Going back to the Star Wars universe is very special for me. I have so many memories of the great work we did together and the relationships I made throughout the journey. We have a fantastic adventure ahead of us, and this new exciting format will give us the chance to explore this character more deeply.”
It was a common criticism directed towards Gareth Edwards’ spinoff flick that it lacked memorable characters, but if Lucasfilm has enough faith in Cassian to give the Rebel spy his own show, then perhaps the extra breathing space allowed by the small screen format will result in an intriguing and well-developed lead.
For those who don’t recall, Cassian was a Rebel Alliance Captain and Intelligence Officer in the 2016 film, and while the character experienced much the same heroic death as his colleagues, it’s clear that this is a man with a past, giving the prequel show the opportunity to fill in the backstory with some espionage adventures. Of course, this setup could also allow for the return of a few more familiar faces, including some fellow Rogue One rebels, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.
In light of the recently announced cancellation of the Boba Fett movie, it’s interesting to see that Lucasfilm are still very much set on making the jump to television, suggesting that after Solo: A Star Wars Story gave the franchise its first real flop, the company may be especially keen to start putting its eggs in more than one basket, medium-wise. In any case, while there’s still a lot to be learned about this Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spinoff, it’s said that production will begin next year, so stay tuned for further details.