Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the first of Lucasfilm's spinoff movies, and it arguably remains the best (Lucasfilm abandoned the idea after Solo disappointed, so it admittedly doesn't have much competition). Telling the story of the spies who stole the Death Star plans,it was an action-packed, emotional ride that explored a different side of this Galaxy Far, Far Away.
By the time all was said and done, each of the movie's heroes sacrificed themselves to complete their mission, including Diego Luna's Cassian Andor.
Now, though, the character is getting a second chance at life in an upcoming Disney+ prequel series that explores his origin and the five-year period before he was recruited to join that band of Rebels. Talking to Games Radar (via SFFGazette.com), Luna said the Cassian we find at the start of this series is "as far you can imagine away" from being a hero.
"I had already answered many of the questions that the show answers myself, for my process as an actor for Rogue One," the actor explains. "Now, I had the chance to explore that with [showrunner] Tony [Gilroy], who’s an amazing collaborator and beautiful writer."
Recalling a moment in Rogue One when Cassian tells Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso that he's been fighting this war since he was a child, the actor adds, "That talks about a wounded man. We find him in a place where he’s not aware of how capable he is of transforming or being part of change or executing such a sacrifice, but he is the man that comes out from fighting since he was six years old."
"He's a very interesting, dark, wounded person," Luca continues. "You’re not going to believe that he's capable of what he does in Rogue One."
These comments are accompanied by a new still from the series showing Cassian having what looks like a tense exchange with a barkeeper. We can't wait to get better acquainted with the character next month, and everything we've seen from the series thus far points to it being unlike anything we've seen from Star Wars before.
The first episode of Andor is set to premiere on Disney+ on August 31.