Disney+ Rogue One Series Was Almost Cancelled Before Tony Gilroy Joined

Disney+ is finally launching next month, and will eventually see a handful of exciting Star Wars series on the line-up. While The Mandalorian is debuting the day the streaming service launches, there are more exciting things to come. Another Star Wars show on the roster is a Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel series, which is set to follow Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and see the return of Alan Tudyk as K-2SO. Earlier this week, it was announced that Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote Rogue One, had been tapped to write the pilot and direct multiple episodes. However, according to a couple of tweets floating around, the series was almost shut down before Gilroy signed on.

“I’d heard the Cassian Andor series was shut down a few weeks ago & everyone working on it was sent home. Heard the story/scripts weren’t good enough. Was getting ready to write a story about what I’d been hearing & the news about Tony Gilroy hit. Wonder what day he was hired,” @colliderfrosty tweeted.

“Why was the story originally titled ‘Cassian Andor Series Not Going Forward at Disney Plus’?,” @slashfilm asked Joe Otterson, who broke the Gilroy story with Variety.

“That was the original tip I got. I prepped the story but then it turned out to not be the case. I rewrote accordingly but an old version of the headline got saved by mistake. It has been fixed,” @JoeOtterson replied.

You can read the series description below:

“The rousing spy thriller will explore tales filled with espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire. A release date for the series has not yet been announced.”

In addition to The Mandalorian and the Cassian Andor prequel series, Lucasfilm has also confirmed it will deliver a TV series focusing on Obi-Wan Kenobi, with Ewan McGregor reprising the role of the Jedi master.

Stay tuned for details on the Star Wars saga. Star Wars: The Mandalorian premieres on November 12th.