‘Andor’ Finale: Creator Tony Gilroy Breaks Down the ‘Star Wars’ Spy Saga’s Gut-Wrenching Ending

Is there a second within the display that for you was once the coldest, the iciest? You discussed being fascinated about being too sentimental or being too comfortable every now and then. But had been there moments the place you had been like, “I don’t know…this might be too dark”?

Too darkish… Bringing the ones uncooked recruits into Ghorman as cannon fodder, I take note Danny [Gilroy, his brother and fellow writer on Andor] referred to as me up with that concept. [The Empire] provides them up as goal observe to get started the bloodbath. It’s a sexy unhappy thought.

They are simply younger boys, almost. Clearly, they don’t know they’re being marched to their deaths for a exposure stunt. It demanding situations the viewer to really feel sympathy for any individual within the Empire.

Hell yeah.

In that collection, the Empire necessarily stokes a violent response from the Ghorman other people to justify crushing them and seizing the planet. That’s every other vital thought for the rebellion-minded: When you consider strongly in one thing, it’s simple to be led right into a lure via that keenness. You need to be good and step moderately when you find yourself enticing in resistance.

That’s came about so repeatedly earlier than. “We need rebels that you can count on to do the wrong thing when you want it.” I imply, that’s came about. It is going again earlier than Caesar. It almost definitely is going again to the primary friggin’ campfire. That’s a tried-and-true method.

Even earlier than she was once Lucasfilm’s president, you labored with Kathleen Kennedy for years at the Bourne motion pictures. Everybody is looking Andor essentially the most grown-up Star Wars tale informed to this point. Can you describe her function on this?

Well, she roughly snuck me into this factor.

She trapped you?

[Laughs] Yeah, she roughly seduced me into it. There was once a time frame the place I truly sought after the display to die and I sought after to get out of it. When COVID got here, I assumed, Oh, thank God. COVID will kill the display, and I gained’t must do it. So there was once a protracted time frame the place I used to be like, I will’t consider she were given me into this.

Why did you need it to die?

Because we had scripts going, and I used to be going to direct a number of episodes, and we had been in London—we had been casting—and I used to be simply completely naive about what it could take to make the display. I truly didn’t know what I used to be doing in any respect, relating to the scope of labor. So when COVID got here, it was once like, Oh, you understand what? That’s an indication from God, no display. But the irony is that right through that spell, we truly discovered how to make it. We discovered a device to do it and were given sufficient of a reset and a deep breath.

How did Kennedy assist with that?

She has safe the display and safe me and wrangled a workforce in combination. When we began difficult Kathy, Kathy simply saved pronouncing sure. “Oh, I’m going to put the first scene in a brothel.” “Okay.” “I’m going to have them kill two cops.” “Okay.” “We want the production designer from Chernobyl.” “Okay, good idea.” She subsidized our play and were given the entirety that we had been doing. We’ve been via the entirety, she and I, in this—all of the excellent and all of the dangerous. There’s no display with out her. For all of the shit that she takes on-line, it’s simply insane. This display exists as a result of she compelled it to occur. What a difficult task she has, guy.

Has George Lucas observed Andor?

I don’t know. Not even rumorwise. I’ve simplest spoken to him as soon as, after Rogue One. I spoke to him at the telephone. He was once congratulating us. But no, I’ve by no means met him, and I’ve by no means talked to him about it. I don’t know.

You’ve mentioned your excursion in Star Wars is over for now. What’s subsequent for you?

I’m seeking to get a film off with Oscar Isaac, a film about film track. It’s set in LA, so I’m following the tax credit score factor very moderately. Money’s tight. But it’s a film that I truly need to make. A truly attention-grabbing, cool thought. And I might be directing. We have the entirety in a position to head. We’re simply seeking to get to the quantity, you understand?

This interview has been edited and condensed, with some additions for context and readability.