Star Wars: Cassian Andor Series Completed 6 Weeks of Pre-Production Before Shutdown

Lucasfilm intended to begin production on its next Star Wars television series later this year. The series sees Diego Luna returning to the role of Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But the coronavirus pandemic has put the series on hold. The team behind the series did get some work done before the spread of COVID-19 brought things to a halt. Neal Scanlan is an Academy Award-winning special effects artist who worked on the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He says that six weeks’ worth of pre-production work went into the Rogue One prequel series before the pandemic shut them down.

“Originally, we were hoping to move into a few TV series, The Mandalorian had obviously already started and has done incredibly well, it’s a brilliant piece of work,” Scanlan told ComicBookMovie of his post-Rise of Skywalker Star Wars plans. “We were here in the U.K. about to start on a couple of shows ourselves, but they all, unfortunately, got bumped. We just literally started about six weeks ago on the Cassian story until unfortunately the virus hit and we’re now all on lockdown. So, we’re trying to do the best we can from home.”

Disney announced that the new series is in development in 2018. Jared Bush developed the series, establishing its series bible and writing a draft of the pilot episode. Stephen Schiff will serve as showrunner and executive producer of the series. Tony Gilroy, who worked on Rogue One, will script the show’s pilot and direct two episodes of its first season.

Luna again plays Rebel spy Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk reprises his role as the droid K-2SO from Rogue One. According to one description, the series, “Follows the adventures of Rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion and prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Diego Luna will reprise the role of Andor, which he originated in the 2016 film. 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.”

In an interview in February, Luna expressed his excitement about returning to the Star Wars universe. “To have more time to develop the character, and to pilot a little longer, you know?” he said. “It’s amazing. When you’re piloting, the thing actually moves, you know? It’s fantastic. I just wanted to do more and more and more. But to be honest, it was something I really wanted to happen and I’m glad it’s happening.”

Reports suggest filming was going to begin in October. Disney has not confirmed the show’s premiere date, but reports suggest it intends for the show to debut on the Disney+ streaming service in 2021.