(courtesy IMP Awards)
While Season 1 followed Cassian’s reluctant journey from cynical nobody to revolutionary volunteer, the long-awaited conclusion in Andor Season 2 will see the characters and their relationships intensify as the horizon of war draws near and Cassian becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound. Rife with political intrigue, danger, tension, and high stakes, the thriller is a prequel to Rogue One, about a heroic band of rebels who steal the plans to the Empire’s weapon of mass destruction — the Death Star — setting the stage for the original 1977 film, A New Hope. Andor is created by Tony Gilroy (writer of The Devil’s Advocate, Armageddon, Bait, Proof of Life, The Bourne Series, Michael Clayton, Duplicity, State of Play, The Great Wall, Rogue One, Beirut). Season 2 is written by Tony Gilroy, Beau Willimon, Dan Gilroy, Tom Bissell. With episodes directed by Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, Alonso Ruizpalacios. Executive produced by Tony Gilroy, Kathleen Kennedy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Diego Luna, Luke Hull, and John Gilroy. (courtesy First Showing)
I have long loved Star Wars.
It started way back in 1977 with what was then just Star Wars but which is now known as A New Hope, a film which kicked off the franchise’s meteorically successful run, and which introduced us to the Rebel Alliance who struck a pivotal blow against the evil Empire by blowing their monstrous master weapon, the Death Star.
We knew vague sketchy details about how that audacious mission came to be, but it wasn’t until Rogue One, and now Andor, that we came to fully appreciate just what was at stake and how impressively brave the rebels were in doing what they needed to do to succeed so brilliantly against a substantially stronger foe.
Excitingly the second half of the prequel to the prequel – the order is, chronologically, Andor, Rogue One, A New Hope – is back with us in just under two months’ time and we get to see what Cassian Andor and his compatriots had to do to strike such a mortal blow.
The first three episodes of Andor season 2 debut 22 April with the remaining nine episodes releasing weekly until 13 May.