This Breaking Bad Alum Almost Played Cassian Andor

Though Diego Luna didn’t even get top billing for his first Cassian Andor appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this acclaimed performer has become quite synonymous with his morally gray Star Wars character. Even in a prolific career rife with famous characters, Luna’s Andor stands as one of his most beloved roles. That stature’s only been exacerbated by Luna reprising the role for two seasons of the Disney+ show Star Wars: Andor, which only brought further depth to this core part of the Rebellion.

Just like with past Star Wars characters like Han Solo or the prequel trilogy’s take on Anakin Skywalker, though, the final casting choice for Cassian Andor wasn’t the only actor considered for the part. In fact, before Diego Luna signed on to the role, a beloved Breaking Bad alum was connected to one of Rogue One’s most essential characters.

Aaron Paul Nearly Went to a Galaxy Far, Far Away?

Once Felicity Jones was selected as the finalist for Jyn Erso, media outlets began reporting on who could be playing the male lead of the then-untitled Rogue One. In early 2015, two names became attached to the then-unknown part of Cassian Andor that were hot on Hollywood’s radar in the mid-2010s. The first was Édgar Ramírez and the second was Jesse Pinkman himself, Aaron Paul. One of the big stars of Breaking Bad was being looked at as a candidate to help headline a Star Wars feature.

In 2013, Breaking Bad‘s final episode aired, bringing an end to the role that catapulted Paul to stardom. With his schedule now freed up, Paul began taking on major film roles in titles like Need for Speed, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Eye in the Sky. These projects, largely shot in 2013 and 2014, demonstrated Hollywood’s interest in exploiting Breaking Bad veterans now that Walter White’s reign had concluded. This passion even resulted in Paul dropping one of his famous Jesse Pinkman catchphrases in his Central Intelligence appearance.

Rogue One began casting non-Erso parts in early 2015, right as Paul was taking on tons of film roles. It’s no surprise the production would’ve been interested in him, especially since Paul’s experience with playing shady characters could’ve benefited Cassian Andor immensely. Plus, the role could’ve appealed to Paul since Andor’s ultimately heroic nature sharply contrasted with the grim characters he’d been inhabiting. Still, the casting was never meant to be. Paul’s name was never attached to Rogue One again and, by that May, Luna was firmly attached to play Andor.

[RELATED: Star Wars Should And Needs to Abandon Television After Andor]

Cassian Andor Now Belongs to Diego Luna

Cassian Andor’s personality certainly could’ve lent itself well to Aaron Paul’s aura as a performer. Meanwhile, Paul’s experience headlining multi-season TV dramas like Breaking Bad and The Path means he could’ve had the experience and gumption necessary to anchor two Andor seasons. However, this casting simply wasn’t meant to be. Aaron Paul is part of a long list of actors who nearly got cast in Disney’s initial batch of Star Wars movies. It’s no reflection on him or his talent, it’s just how the business works. Some roles just don’t work out.

Plus, missing out on Rogue One opened up exciting alternate doors for Paul. This included headlining three seasons of The Path, a show whose first season coincided with Rogue One’s principal photography. It’s also hard to imagine that Paul would’ve had time to headline 2020s indie movies like Dual and Ash if he was committed to doing those time-consuming Andor seasons at the start of this decade. Aaron Paul’s done just fine for himself as an artist in the last decade (including his acclaimed reprisal of Pinkman in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie in October 2019) even without Cassian Andor.

The most useful part of Paul’s potential presence in Rogue One is how much it signifies that this movie’s casting was informed by mid-2010s pop culture phenomena. After all, Jyn Erso was inhabited by a then-recent Oscar nominee. Ben Mendelsohn was fresh off his beloved work in the Netflix show Bloodline, while supporting actor Riz Ahmed had just shown up in acclaimed 2014 features like Nightcrawler. Considering how many notable performers from 2013-2014 media were connected to or outright cast in Rogue One, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Aaron Paul, fresh off 2013’s Breaking Bad finale, nearly got a chance to rebel as Cassian Andor.

Rogue One is now streaming on Disney. New episodes of Andor season two drop Tuesdays on Disney+.