Before Andor, the Star Wars universe didn't really understand how and why the Rebellion came about. Disney+ has injected the franchise with complex, heady themes that have astounded and made Andor can't-miss. With that in mind, io9 talked to writer Beau Willimon and producer Sanne Wohlenberg about how they came up with the idea for Andor. What did you think stood out to both of you about Andor?
Beau Willimon was chatting with Tony about the beginning of the story. He called me one day and asked if I would join him and my brother in helping out. Write a few episodes and break a story. I felt overwhelmed because of this huge franchise. I am very fond of it, I was born in the year it came out. Many fans know more about the canon than I do
I like Star Wars on the same page. I would like to know all the small things. There are so many things.
Willimon was afraid that he couldn't name every ship. I don't know what types of blasters are used. I don't know a lot of planets. He said, "We have Lucasfilm for that, you don't need that." If we need to come up with very specific and obscure ideas about this, we have a team that will make sure that we stay true to the canon. I would like to tell a story about people. I want to tell a story about people trying to pull a rebellion together. What does that say about the human heart? That excited me, that you could apply that approach to ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and apply it to this huge, beloved, vast franchise. That drew me in and made me excited. I enjoy working with Tony as an artist. I knew it would be unique and special because he is a friend. Nothing Tony was going to do was going to be like what he had done before. It's a privilege to be a part of that.
Sanne is very excited. He has such a particular voice to be able to go back to a character and really tell the origin story in how he became the man. To work in a format where you suddenly have screen time, you have enough time to dig into the humanity and the character-driven storylines of who is at these formative years of the Rebellion. It was exciting to be going on this journey with Tony and his team. You have a second one, and then you have a third one. It is a proposition that doesn't happen a lot. It was easy to say yes. I would like to see that. I would like to thank you.
Beau, this is for you because I have been stressed out watching every episode for the past few weeks. The show picks up on Andor at a point in his life where he is running away but he chooses to run towards the cause. Do you find it hard to write these episodes?
There was a lot for us to figure out when we broke the story like the prison sequence. We were moving very quickly. We had to develop the stuff because this was pre-pandemic. The room was moving quickly. We were moving fast, we had one another, and so I think some of the pulse-racing was related to the prison sequence. You have to work out all of the layers in a way that stops when you start to build the architecture of the story. I am not anxious while I work on that. It's almost like you're working like a surgeon step by step in a slow, thoughtful, intentional way.
You are trying to put yourself in the shoes of the characters when you are writing the scenes yourself. It takes a long time to get to those. It is crazy that you watch these episodes again many months later. I had sent Tony a text saying that my pulse was racing. I'm moved. It was a gut punch even though I knew everything would happen. Wow! It almost feels like I have the same experience as the audience when I watch it. I did it even if I knew it was coming.
You know exactly where everyone is looking by the end of it. As you put it together, we were all engaged and moving again. It's not something that happens often. You start to feel like you did something right.
Diego Luna is on the show and it is amazing to see him in the show. He was inspired by the migrant story and he was right about it. I would like to know more about his input on the process. Is it something that he is heavily involved in before the page is written, or is it something that he doesn't give notes after reading the script?
Most of the time. It all begins with Tony sitting in a room and creating the overall story and really bringing a load of gold nuggets to the table and fleshing them out with his trusted partners. Diego tends to give Tony the chance to deliver something which is a true vision and focus because he is very much part of us. He starts collaborating after he gets involved. The beauty of Andor is that it has a voice. Everybody, from Disney to Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy, appreciates that it's important to have a say in something. Tony and Luna are very close, the minute the process starts he is incredibly involved and has huge instincts of who his character is. It is a fruitful collaboration.
Willimon said that even though he wasn't in the room, his presence was felt large. At that time, he was one of the few givens. The characters hadn't been cast. There was a lot to add on to, but you were aware that there were people like Mon Mothma. You could picture Diego Luna every time we broke the story. Diego knew the framework of what we were discussing because Tony shared the Andor story bible with him. Tony is incredibly collaborative. He doesn't keep the secrets from the cast as to what's going to happen in the next episode He walks them through the entire story for the character, wants their input, will maintain his vision, but also realizes that they are the people that have to embody these characters and that their input is valuable. It's great that they trust him. Diego knew what was going to happen and Tony came back with a plate of food and asked how it tasted to him. There would be a bit of this added there. You have an amazing performance at the center of the show.
Eedy Karn is a character that I like. She is so amazing with her presence. What is it like to write that kind of line?
Willimon said that Eedy was formed to Tony when he came into the room. He had already written a lot of scenes. We are reading this to Eedy. Oh wow. This is what he has to deal with. From the start, it was there. Whenever you tackle an Eedy scene, you are just trying to channel what Tony had already created, and he will come in and swoop in. You just kind of hold onto it and go for the ride when you see that venom and love in him. He gives you a character that you almost have to sit back and listen to, and she will write herself.
The person who does a great job delivering those killer lines isKathryn Hunter.
She is more powerful than the Empire. You know when the Bureau of Standards is your place of refuge.
I wonder if it was intentional to have her mirror in a way. It's possible that Karn is into that kind of treatment.
Willimon: From my point of view, it is not necessarily because I have never thought of them doing that. There is something there if you look at it. That is an intriguing thing to think about.
I should think about that observation.
Willimon thinks there are some tough women around this guy.
What do you mean by that? It's a big deal. Tony wrote strong and complex female parts. That is a wonderful thing and always a joy.
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