Latest news with #K-2SO
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Andor's' Diego Luna on changing the landscape of ‘Star Wars': Now ‘that universe represents me too'
For Diego Luna, getting to the finish line of Andor's second season wasn't merely the completion of his own years-long trek to tell a story of how Rogue One's Cassian Andor became a hero of the Rebellion. It was part of a greater, game-changing transformation of the overall Star Wars universe, one that allowed room not only for richer, more complex, and vitally relevant storytelling in a territory better known for its more mythic connotations, but also space for an array of multicultural faces that looked a lot more like his own. Speaking with Gold Derby at an FYC event for the Disney+ series at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills amid the whirlwind of critical and audience adoration for the Andor's epic conclusion, Luna took a beat to reflect on the overall achievement and what it all means to him after nearly a decade of carrying Cassian with him. That, and his somewhat curtailed reunion with K-2SO. More from GoldDerby Jane Lynch on her 'funny and touching' final scene with Steve Martin on 'Only Murders in the Building' 'Only Murders in the Building' Emmy odds for Selena Gomez, the Martins, and all those guest stars 'Dune: Prophecy' showrunner teases the Fremen and which books Season 2 could cover Lucasfilm/Disney Gold Derby: You knew from the jump what a huge undertaking this was going to be, and now you've been absorbing the reaction. How did you feel now that people have gotten to see in its entirety? Diego Luna: I'm very pleased. This has been a very long journey for us, but I wouldn't change anything. I think the challenges we went through, the complexity of the production and the executing of this — we went through COVID, we went through strikes, shooting far away from home — all of that paid off because this is a show that represents me as an artist, and as audience too. It's something I would like to see as audience, and I am proud to be part of something that is connecting like the show is connecting with audiences. The beauty of these long-format pieces and the streaming services is that it's there now for audiences to go to whenever they're ready. It was quite fascinating to realize how many people went to Season 1 because of the success of Season 2, because they read about it, because they saw the reaction of audiences, because of all the reviews. And then people said, like, "OK, let's go see the first season." That didn't happen with film. Yes, it stays there, but it doesn't really. You have a short window, and here we don't. My daughter is going to grow a few years and she's going to find these and connect with it whenever she's ready. And that is beautiful because of the work of all these amazing people, not just the crew and cast, but really everyone working in the show, and I'm talking about thousands of people, you know? Everyone working in the show gave everything and came back for the second season, and it's paying off. has been largely set in more of a mythic, fairytale realm, and you guys have moved it nicely into an allegorical way of telling the stories, using as that kind of vehicle. What did that mean to you to shift the paradigm on how to tell a story and see it hit with the audience the way it has? Well, it's just that the audience keeps changing, keeps growing and keeps growing in diversity. It's interesting that today there's room to do things in the Star Wars universe that probably 20 years ago were not even possible. I mean, having a character like Cassian, for myself as an actor, to be involved in a Star Wars show, I grew up watching Star Wars and no one looked like me. There was no way I could picture myself as part of that universe. And today it's different. If you are young and you have a Latino background, you see Star Wars and you go like, "Wow, that universe represents me too." And that's kind of cool. And again, the complexity of this show, the tone of this show is very specific, and I'm pleased I'm living this time when we can do something like this. I think about what Rogue One represented for the films. We were meant to be different. We were given the freedom to do something different, and the audience reacted. We owe Rogue One a lot. We are here because of Rogue One, because of how Rogue One played. And I think it's because a big chunk of the Star Wars audience, it's been part of these for decades and there's room today for this complexity, for this more politically charged and complex story for these characters that are full of contrast for a show that lives so much in the gray areas. And I am pleased I can be part. If there was I would've wanted more from , one little thing, it was more Cassian and K-2SO. Were you hoping you get some more time with your droid sidekick? [Laughs] I mean, when we planned this at the very beginning, there was going to be five seasons. So that thing that happens in that last block was going to be a full season. Every year of these four years before Rogue One was going to be a full season, but then that was impossible. Impossible to execute the way we execute this show. Each season has two years and a half of work behind, so it would've been impossible. But again, yes, of course I'm always going to want to be around Alan [Tudyk]. He's such a wonderful collaborator, and it's so fun and our connection and our chemistry. It's so special that I'm always going to want to be working with him. But I'm glad it was this way. I'm glad also because we paid to every detail. We worked in this show with so much rigor and we paid so attention to specificity and detail just in a very special way, I would say. And I wouldn't change that at all. So no, I'm pleased, I'm pleased. I mean, But I'm going to miss Alan and I'm going to miss Genevieve [O'Reilly] and I'm going to miss Adria [Arjona]. I'm going to miss working with material as complex as this one, but that's the way to end, right? You want to end it on the peak. You want to end enjoying every step. You want to be sad at the end, and not just pleased you got there. Best of GoldDerby 'I'm very happy to be busy': O-T Fagbenle on his trio of Emmy-eligible performances Everything to know about 'Alien: Earth' as trailer drops: Timeline, cast, premiere date Jane Lynch on her 'funny and touching' final scene with Steve Martin on 'Only Murders in the Building' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tony Gilroy on Giving ‘Andor' a ‘Hopeful' End, Bringing Back K-2SO, and Episode 10's Revealing Backstory
On Tuesday, Disney+ dropped the last three episodes of 'Andor,' wrapping up the series and directly setting up 'Rogue One.' It's not typical that a television show needs to pass its baton to a film made almost a decade earlier, and 'Andor' creator Tony Gilroy did not want to approach the show's final episode in a typical way, either. While on this week's episode of the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, Gilroy talked about fighting against the need to incorporate one final big decision or turning point in wrapping up the series heading into 'Rogue One.' More from IndieWire 'Murderbot' Review: Alexander Skarsgård's Goofy-Great Apple Series Wants Us to Watch TV, Together How 'Love, Death and Robots' Season 4 Made the Ultimate Cute Little Guy 'Episode 12 is really its own thing where we didn't put a lot of pressure to jack anything up,' said Gilroy on the podcast. 'This is kind of a 'deliver the pizza' episode, and the pizza is emotional, and everybody settled into it, and we took the pressure off ourselves.' Gilroy specifically wanted to go out on a hopeful note. 'Andor' Season 2 was about the personal sacrifices and impossible choices characters faced in taking on the cause of the nascent rebellion, and the series creator felt as if 'Andor' had earned the right to end with a measured note of optimism. 'We're really putting the audience through some amazingly difficult journeys [of] what time does to people that hopefully you care about, and [what] time, under these really extreme circumstances and these extreme adventures that they're on, does to them,' said Gilroy. 'So there's a lot of attrition at the end. There's a lot of sadness at the end. But really, in the end, this is the beginning of 'A New Hope.' What's going to come out of this is the phoenix of the Rebellion.' The last three-episode cycle 'Andor' also saw K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) back into the fold, returning to the prominent supporting role that the modified KX-series security droid plays in 'Rogue One.' It's a move Gilroy purposefully delayed and left to the series end. As Gilroy explained on the podcast, his initial involvement with 'Andor' was as a friend to the franchise, giving notes to Lucasfilm on its initial plans for a 'Rogue One' prequel series. In addition to his advice to take a 'back-to-the-studs' approach to Cassian Andor's (Diego Luna) arc, which would become the basis of his own series, he highly recommended they abandon their ambitious plans for K-2SO. 'I was saying, I don't think you can have K-2 all the way through this show, which they kept wanting to try to do because that was the, 'Let's have a Butch and Sundance' show,' said Gilroy of the initial plans to have Cassian and the droid go on 40-episodes worth of missions together — a proposal that reminded the 'Rogue One' writer of his own story struggles with K-2. 'He's the worst piece of luggage in the world. He's not a spy, you can't take him undercover, he's seven feet tall. KX units are so inhibiting. If you watch 'Rogue' with that in mind, how many times is he is not allowed to get out of the ship, or 'I have to wait here and do something.'' In a series which, at its core, is about supplying an emotional understanding of what brings characters of all stripes to fight a fascist Empire, Episode 10 is arguably the holy grail of 'Why We Fight' Rebellion backstories: Luthen (Stellan Skarsgård) and Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau). Gilroy said very early on he knew he would explore Luthen's backstory, and was saving it for a key storyline of the stealthy underground leader for near the end of 'Andor.' 'I had a variety of backstories that Stellan and I spoke about early in the first season,' said Gilory. 'The one thing he didn't want was he didn't want revenge. He said, 'I don't want it to be a revenge story. I see that in some of the other characters, and I think that's the one I don't want.' The ultimate Episode 210 storyline, and the incorporation of Kleya, as an almost adopted daughter, into Luthen's backstory, was motivated and inspired by the talents of Dulau. Gilroy and Skarsgård had both been impressed by the previously unknown actress's talents, and wanted to give her and the character the opportunity to spread their wings before saying goodbye. 'Elizabeth Dulau, who plays Kleya, was such an incredible surprise. It's her first job. She came right out of RADA, and we had a couple of actresses who were signed up for that part, who got offered other things along the way, and we let them go. And suddenly we have this young actress [who we don't really know,' said Gilroy. '[Her] audition's very good, and her scenes are very good, but how good is she? And oh my God, you start to realize what someone can do. She's a Meryl Streep. I mean, she's just astonishing.' To hear Tony Gilroy's full interview, subscribe to the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. You can also watch the full interview at the top of the page or on IndieWire's YouTube page. Best of IndieWire The 19 Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in May, from 'Fair Play' to 'Emily the Criminal' Martin Scorsese's Favorite Movies: 86 Films the Director Wants You to See Christopher Nolan's Favorite Movies: 44 Films the Director Wants You to See
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How ‘The Day of the Jackal' producers unlocked their contemporary adaptation of the spy thriller
Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant had long wanted to adapt Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel The Day of the Jackal, which had already been turned into a 1973 film directed by Fred Zinneman and starring Edward Fox. But they had always tabled the discussion because "I don't think think the film can be bettered," Neame tells Gold Derby. "Several rounds we just said, 'No, we're not gonna do anything with this. We're not gonna pursue it,'" he continues. More from GoldDerby 'Andor' creator Tony Gilroy on the show's greater impact on the 'Star Wars' universe and how much K-2SO is enough That shocking 'The Last of Us' death, final seasons for 'The Boys' and 'Cobra Kai,' and more from Sony TV actors and showrunners 'I know this dude!': David Alan Grier explains why he leapt at the chance to play a 'burned-out' doctor on 'St. Denis Medical' But the producing duo could never forget about it and eventually found a way to put their own spin on the spy thriller: by bringing the cat-and-mouse chase into the 21st century as a 10-episode TV series to delve deeper into the psyche of the titular assassin. And it worked. The Day of the Jackal has been a hit for Peacock and Sky and was renewed for a second season before the first one ended. Eddie Redmayne stars as the Jackal, who's being pursued by MI6 agent Bianca Lawson (Lashana Lynch). As part of their update, the show flips the ending of the film, in which the Jackal is killed. Redmayne's Jackal survives, kills Bianca, and the season ends with him in pursuit of an unpaid debt for his last kill, and his wife Nuria (Úrsula Corberó) and their son, who had just left him. Below, Neame and Marchant explain their creative breakthrough, casting Redmayne, and if there was ever a thought of having a new Jackal every season. Gold Derby: I know you guys have wanted to adapt the book for a while and you finally landed on this iteration, which includes changing parts of the ending. How did you guys get to this place? Gareth Neame: We were aware that we had access to this property because we're Universal and they made the Zinneman movie, but we weren't really very interested in a remake because I don't think the film can be bettered. We loved the the original. We also really admired the Frederick Forsyth novel. So we did spend quite a lot of time thinking about it actually. Several rounds we just said, "No, we're not gonna do anything with this. We're not gonna pursue it." But we couldn't stop thinking about it. And then we thought, "Well, OK, we're not gonna remake it, but why don't let's contemporize it." Then we thought about the dramatic differences between a book and a standalone movie, and of course all the strengths of episodic television and how that is such a different dramatic form, and it would allow us to tell actually quite a different story, but using the major kind of foundations of it. So the English assassin, the cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, the high-profile target, and a lot of other sort of specific elements within the book which we were able to take. But of course, a huge amount of it was new invention by our writer Ronan Bennett, and there's a whole swath of of new material in, in our version. And then things like the ending we wanted to change obviously. We're making an episodic show here, so that that dictated for practical reasons a different ending, but also we just wanted to do something differently. We changed the gender of the of the pursuer, which makes the makes the show feel much more balanced and more contemporary. Was your your intention when you decided to turn it into a show to always have it run multiple seasons because it could have been a limited series, just one and done? Nigel Marchant: Yeah, we could have done it that way, but I think again, leaning into long-form television and the opportunity that that presents itself, is really painting a story on a bigger canvas. The Jackal couldn't be a ghost over long-form. In a two-hour movie, he can be. So we had to show another side to him, and that's why we brought out his family and his home life and the balancing acts he tries to do. So I think it's really just leaning into long-form television that that makes it an exciting proposition to us and to an audience hopefully. I love that he survived because I think over the course of the season, everyone just kind of fell in love with him, even though they shouldn't. Neame: That just the appeal, isn't it, of storytelling when you have these antiheroes that you don't quite understand what it is about their makeup that that you actually find attractive. And it's a really curious thing what this kind of storytelling can do with our own moral compass. Marchant: I think that's the joy of the the original movie and book that you're sat there rooting for the Jackal. And then it's a slap in the face every now and then when you you realize he is an assassin, or what he does and, and it brings you up with a short jolt that you're, in effect, rooting for the wrong person. SEE How Eddie Redmayne crafted his 'deeply unflappable' assassin on The Day of the Jackal Was there a thought of killing him and but just having a new Jackal in Season 2? The renewal was announced before the finale aired, and I think some people's thinking was like, "Oh, they'll kill off the Jackal and there'll be a new Jackal in Season 2." Neame: It would have been a way to go, but I think what we're trying to do is to say, "This really is the best person in the world of what he does." And so the idea that somebody else would be introduced who would be as good, I think, as Nigel says, with series television that you want to root for that actor in that role. The ending in the movie is a full closure. It's a movie, and we're making series television. The appeal of series television is more and more episodes, and ideally, I think character is actually more important than plot. So knowing that character and the actor who plays him, I think, is an important thing to take us forward into the next season. Marchant: Yeah, and Eddie being so good in that role as well. Why would you not carry on? And there felt plenty more we could explore with that character and his journey. Eddie is incredible in this, and I think his performance has surprised a lot of people, even though we've been watching him for so long. I think people are not used to seeing this play this cool, steely assassin. Neame: He was, a couple years ago, in The Good Nurse, where he played a very sinister character, and we were definitely watching that at the around the time that we offered him this part. It wasn't really that [film], but the reason why we were interested in him is we definitely wanted to lean into the Englishness. We wanted to honor the original Edward Fox performance in the original movie, and kind of think, "Who is this subsequent generation that people who revere the original film would sort of feel that our Jackal was a sort of descendant of the original?" So we wanted a very English actor, but obviously we wanted a star who had very big profile. And Eddie does that. He's also wears the clothes well, which is what Edward Fox did as well at that time, very suave, very Savile Row, public school English. We didn't know Eddie, but obviously we've seen all his performances, and the thing that they all seem to have in common is this kind of meticulous preparation physicality. You know, they're all all the roles look like. They're very chewy, roles that he's that he's attracted to, do things that he has to prepare for. And we knew that was the case here because it involved all the prosthetic work, the disguises, the new languages, he had to learn the action movement, you know, we thought, and and, of course, learning all the trade craft with the guns and this kind of we thought we didn't know him, but we, you know, he thought, I suspect he's going to find this really intriguing. And he responded to us very, very quickly when we sent the script. So we have a hunch he was probably been contemplating, because he obviously hasn't been in a TV series. And he responded to us very, very quickly when we sent the script. So we have a hunch he was probably been contemplating — because he obviously hasn't been in a TV series. He did some limited series kind of near the start of his career, but he's been otherwise exclusively a features actor. So I think, like many film actors in the last decade, they're increasingly thinking about television, and I think he probably has been looking for the right project. And then he read this, and thought, "This could be it." We discovered was a big fan of the original film. Yeah, and it's his dad's favorite. So much of his performance and the show is about stillness and patience. I talked to Eddie and he said you all really wanted the show to be about the craft work and weren't worried about drawing out long scenes. What were those discussions like? Neame: Yeah, absolutely right. Because the book, it's very technical. They're a whole chapter. They're not very long chapters. But there's a whole chapter about forging a passport, and there's a whole chapter about him saying what sort of gun he needs. We couldn't do a hit of the week. There's a target right at the beginning, which is kind of the old job that he doesn't get paid for. And then there's a new job, and that's got to span the 10 hours. We did not want to do [a hit] every week. That sound that feels a bit kind of 1980s, you need it needed to have a certain kind of rhythm if there was going to just be this one hit across the [season]. I mean, obviously there's a lot of collateral damage in the show beyond the the target, but you're right about that stillness. That's why Ronan introduced — not in the book — the idea of the birdwatcher, and that somebody who was able to and enjoyed sitting there for five hours waiting to find this one bird that he's looking for would have that sense of patience. Speaking of collateral damage, in the finale, he kills this elderly couple, Trevor (Philip Jackson) and Liz (Michelle Newell), and I feel like he regrets that kill the most. He had promised them he wasn't going to kill them, and he also said they remind him of his parents. Between this and the Nuria plotline, do you think the Jackal is just a family guy at heart, or at least is envious of a normal life? Neame: I think what you see is his meticulous planning in the early episodes starts to become, obviously, more and more frayed. I think it's only when he kills this old couple that, you know, he says, before he kills them, "Why?" When she stabs him, he says, "Why did you have to do that? The two of you were going to walk away from here with your lives." I think he kind of breaks down at that moment because he realizes he's a professional, and he kills people, but he does not want to randomly kill innocent people. And although there is collateral damage, there are other moments where, across the show, you see where he avoids killing people. Marchant: I think also there's that kind of misconception at the beginning with the Jackal that he thinks he can keep these two different parts of his life completely separate. And I think throughout the show, we see how they merge on each other. So by the end, the wheels have really come off, as Gareth said. It's just he's having to do things he wouldn't want to do in a normal world. The meticulous planning that has gone on before, now he can't do, and he just needs to escape. [With Nuria] I think we kind of wanted, always, for the audience to be on the fence, "Was this just a cover for him? Does he really love her?" And that's part of the journey that we go on in that first season. And then at the end of the season, we're left asking the question, "Would she ever go back to him, even if he found her and and again? That's what we can look to explore in future seasons. Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited She doesn't leave him until the very end, and it feels like she she only made the decision to leave him because she felt like she and their kid were in danger. Marchant: I think that's absolutely right. I love the shot of the Jackal and Bianca in the two-way mirror in the finale. They are the mirror image of each other. How did that come about? Marchant: That really Anu [Menon], who was our director on that last block and wanted that shot. And I think again, we kind of tempted the audience for such a while of these two different characters coming together and the near-misses. And so finally, when we get there, they are two faces of the same coin. They've got so much more in common than you think. And both have done some terrible things along our journey of the first season, sometimes in the pursuit of good, but they are that kind of mirror image of each other. And she brought that visual visually alive for us. At the end, we learn that Bianca had texted Halcrow (Chukwudi Iwuji) that Isabel (Lia Williams) had sent her after the Jackal. What do you think it says about her that she's willing to go even when she suspects something might be amiss with Isabel? Neame: She knows she's been on this pursuit, but she cannot stop herself from trying to her target. It's beautifully, sort of morally complex that she's been sent there by Isabel and given the OK to go ahead with that mission that she knows she's in danger. But I think she feels that they are equally matched, and that she will get him. Marchant: I absolutely think [Bianca suspects Isabel], and that's why she sends the text that there's a kind of level of insurance there, or certainly lead somebody else to look at what had gone on. What can you share about Season 2? Marchant: We leave [Season 1] with two big kind of questions in terms of tracking Nuria and seeking revenge. So that's the starting point, I would say, of the next season. Neame: He's lost everything. He's lost her, but he's also lost not only a home, but in his home, he's got a whole kind of headquarters of his tools of his trade. He's lost everything, so we're going to have to think see him kind of rebuild from where we left him. In Season 1, we got the Afghanistan flashback. Will you tease out more of his backstory in Season 2? Neame: It's a very incomplete story. What we do know is how he moved from serving as military soldier in the armed forces with a particular expertise [and] got drawn into this kind of starting to become commercial assassins and not just military snipers. But that's really the only bit, and I suppose a bit of the backstory of how he and Nuria get together, but I think there's still a lot more pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to reveal. Season 1 of The Day of the Jackal is streaming on Peacock. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Best of GoldDerby Kaitlyn Dever on playing 'horrible' characters in 'Last of Us', 'Apple Cider Vinegar': 'I just don't see any other option but to give 100 percent' The Making of 'Out of My Mind': Inside the groundbreaking Disney+ film redefining disability representation on screen Jacob Elordi reveals personal reason for joining 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North': 'It was something important to me' Click here to read the full article.
The Star
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Murderbot' review: Paranoid androids are comedy gold
If that snarky, cynical fan-favourite K-2SO from Rogue One and Andor had a human face, it could very well belong to Alexander Skarsgard. One thing, though: this is not exactly the droid you're looking for. And all his snark is internalised, not spewed. Also, this isn't anywhere near the Star Wars universe but in a ruthlessly capitalist section of a (presumably) vast galactic realm more directly "descended" from our own society. Welcome to the universe of Murderbot, the new Apple TV+ sci-fi comedy based on the well-regarded The Murderbot Diaries series of novels by Martha Wells. This initial season is based on the first instalment All Systems Red, and covers how the titular entity a) gains independent thought; and b) hides it from everyone so he doesn't get melted down for scrap. Initially designated a SecUnit (short for Security Unit, duh), he hacks his "governor module" (think "restraining bolt" in Star Wars parlance, only built-in) and christens himself Murderbot, not because he wants to be a killing machine – it just sounds cool. 'If that stinking, two-faced ugly bug monster shows its face again, I'll just – er wait, it's behind me, isn't it?' After finishing his assignment on a mining colony, Sec... Murderbot suddenly finds himself in the "employ" of a motley group of scientists exploring a distant planet. While he belongs to the Corporate Rim, the above-mentioned ruthlessly capitalist faction, his new hirers are regarded as hippies, forced to take him along for insurance (as in policy, premiums, etc) purposes. Led by the empathetic Mensah (Noma Dumezweni), this egalitarian (I hesitate to use the "w" word) bunch is initially reluctant to have Murderbot around. As for our favourite newly-independent entity, let's say he is conflicted, to put it mildly. Murderbot would like nothing better than to spend his days inactive, bingeing on the thousands of hours of soap operas he has squirrelled away in his memory banks. (Yes, the future has no shortage of those, with some hilarious series-within-a-series cameos that I just refuse to spoil here.) But duty calls, and it's not easy saving his clueless clients from themselves and the perils of a hostile world where giant sand centipedes with mouths at both ends appear to be the least of their troubles. The first two sitcom-size episodes (of 10) just dropped last week, and offered some pretty hilarious moments mixed in with alien planet peril. A lot of the mirth stems from Murderbot's internalised issues as he struggles to mask his contempt for his companions – all of it compounded when they order him to remove his helmet, leaving him quite literally unmasked in an already awkward situation. Skarsgard handles this aspect of the character's struggles as though he were truly a recently liberated automaton, keeping his frame stock-still while conveying his inner turmoil through his eyes, the tilt of his head, and the near-panic in his internal voice. At this point, my unfamiliarity with Wells' books made me wonder why his Corporate makers went to all the bother of giving SecUnits organic parts, including a face. So that they could tell by a robot's expressions if it/they/pronoun of choice had hacked their governor module and gained (gasp) emotions? Whatever the reason, it gives showrunners Paul and Chris Weitz (the American Pie and About A Boy colla-bro-rators) a chance to mine the situation for comedy gold. Possibly the most well-orchestrated nugget is unearthed in the second episode, Eye Contact, when the group's resident "human computer" Gurathin (the wonderful David Dastmalchian, playing a mentat-of-sorts again?) conducts a weird interrogation/bonding session with Murderbot. It's a magnetic scene that crackles with the uncertainty of what might happen next, and delivers high hopes for the rest of this adaptation. New episodes of Murderbot arrive every Friday on Apple TV+.
Geek Vibes Nation
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'ANDOR' Showrunner Tony Gilroy Does Not Think Much of Marvel's Playbook
Let's be real: Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are two of the biggest entertainment juggernauts out there, both sitting comfortably under Disney's massive umbrella. But beyond their shared corporate parent, they've got something else in common—a knack for kicking off production with half-baked scripts or shaky plans. Think of the MCU's Captain America: Brave New World, which reportedly scrambled to find its footing, or Star Wars, which hasn't graced theaters since the polarizing Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. Both franchises have stumbled, but one Star Wars series managed to rise above the chaos: Andor. The second season of Andor has fans and critics raving, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. In a candid Zoom chat with /Film's Ben Pearson, showrunner Tony Gilroy spilled the tea on how Andor dodged a bullet by avoiding the same storytelling traps that have tripped up Marvel. An Early Misstep Almost Derailed Andor Picture this: Andor was originally pitched as a buddy-cop romp featuring Diego Luna's Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk's snarky droid K-2SO. Think Star Wars meets Bad Boys—all action, quips, and maybe a few explosions. It could've been a blast, but Gilroy wasn't sold. 'In the show, it's perfect. [K-2SO's late introduction was] something I always intended. The versions that they had of the show prior, they were slick and they were interesting. They were not bad, but they had a fatal flaw, it seemed to me, which is if that's your show, that we're going to storm the Citadel in the pilot, what are you going to do in episode 9? What do you do? You're just going to keep getting the disc?' Gilroy, who's penned gritty hits like Michael Clayton and the Bourne trilogy, knew better. He scrapped the buddy-cop vibe and turned Andor into a tense, character-driven spy thriller. K-2SO's big entrance got pushed back, letting Cassian's journey from petty crook to rebel hero take center stage. The result feels less like a popcorn flick and more like a novel you can't put down. Marvel's Tesseract Trouble Gilroy didn't just critique Andor's early drafts—he took a swing at the MCU's playbook, too. He zeroed in on what he calls 'Tesseract-chasing.' Remember 2012's The Avengers? The whole plot revolves around the Tesseract, a glowing cube everyone's fighting over. 'Trying to get the, what do they call it? I can't remember the name of the box. What the f*** is the name of the box in 'The Avengers'? What the f*** are they going for? […] The Tesseract! That's why all those Marvel movies are all — that's why they fail. You're just constantly … if that's all you're doing, then all you're doing is just trying to get the Tesseract.' He's got a point. The MCU built its empire on MacGuffins—those plot-driving objects like the Tesseract (later revealed as an Infinity Stone), the Orb in Guardians of the Galaxy, or the Time Stone in Doctor Strange. The formula was gold for a while: heroes chase the shiny thing, bad guys get in the way, cue the epic battle. But as the MCU ballooned, this rinse-and-repeat approach started to feel stale. Vanity Fair has pointed out how Marvel's obsession with interconnected plots and spectacle has left its stories feeling hollow. How Andor Got It Right Andor could've gone the same route, churning out forgettable heist-of-the-week episodes. Instead, Gilroy bet on substance over flash. He wove a story rich with political intrigue and moral gray areas, making Cassian's transformation feel real and earned. The show's been compared to The Wire for its depth, a far cry from the MCU's splashy CGI slugfests. Gilroy's no rookie when it comes to fixing messes. He helped turn Rogue One from a troubled production into a fan favorite, and Andor proves he's still got the magic touch. Meanwhile, Marvel's recent flops, like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Rotten Tomatoes), show what happens when you lean too hard on formula over heart. What Blockbusters Can Learn Gilroy's take boils down to a simple truth: MacGuffins like the Tesseract or the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark can kickstart a story, but they can't carry it. When franchises like the MCU—or Andor's early drafts—bank everything on chasing the next big plot device, they lose what makes stories stick: characters we root for and stakes that hit home. Andor proves you can tell bold, meaningful stories within a giant franchise. As Star Wars gears up for new films like James Mangold's project ( and the MCU aims to bounce back with Avengers: Secret Wars, they'd be smart to take notes from Gilroy. Forget the Tesseract. Tell a story that matters.
