The second season of Andor is still a fair way off, but thanks to the series creator Tony Gilroy we now have an idea of what to expect (at least thematically) when we finally get there. More importantly, now we have a clearer picture as to how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) will be ushered to the fateful moment we met him in 2016’s Rogue One.
Indeed, Gilroy has been transparent from the get-go as to how Andor will finish. When all is said and done, Andor will wind up on the planet Scarif where he and fellow freedom fighter Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) will wrap their arms around each other as the explosive blast from Death Star consumes them. With that said, Andor’s first season spanned a single year, meaning there are still four more years between the start of season two and Rogue One.
According to Gilroy, the show will master the lengthy timeline by skipping a year every few episodes. According to his interview with Empire Magazine, he confirmed that the last three episodes will cover “the last three days before Rogue One,” effectively closing the gap between Andor and Rogue One.
The slow burn fans came to appreciate in season one will come to a head in season two — according to Luna — who said this next season will take “very different” risks than the first. When asked “in what way?” Gilroy said matter of factly, “In every way.”
“Look, man, I’m not trying to make a career here,” said Gilroy, who, indeed, has already made a name for himself as the master of espionage thrillers. “If anything I’m on the downhill side of a long career. But this is an opportunity. This is 1,500 pages of the most dynamic material in these people’s lives to deal with. We got it right the first time, and you don’t want to let your foot off the gas.”
Fans can expect a lot more from Dedro Meero (Denise Gough) in season two, as well as Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). Both characters’ fates are not written in the stars like Andor’s. Meaning Gilroy has room to play with their influence on the events that lead us to Rogue One.
“Some of its core ingredients are secrecy and paranoia and lack of trust and betrayal,” said Gilroy of season two. “So, how difficult is it to build a revolution? And what happens to the original gangsters, as other people get involved?”
According to Gilroy, season two of Andor is scheduled to release in August 2024. However, the recent writers’ guild strike puts that optimistic deadline in a tricky spot.