Andor Showrunner Tony Gilroy Stops Working on Star Wars Series Amid Writers' Strike
Days after it was reported Tony Gilroy was still fulfilling his production obligations on Star Wars: Andor in the midst of the going Writers Guild of America strike, the showrunner has released a statement shutting down any such notion. Though Lucasfilm is said to be continuing the production of the show's second season given Gilroy's scripts have all been turned in, the writer says he hasn't been on the show's set since the strike began contrary to other reporting.
"I discontinued all writing and writing-related work on Andor prior to midnight, May 1. After being briefed on the Saturday showrunner meeting, I informed Chris Keyser at the WGA on Sunday morning that I would also be ceasing all non-writing producing functions," Gilroy said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Report. The trade says it also confirmed with Keyser, WGA negotiating co-chair, that the two spoke on May 7th.
Gilroy found himself embroiled in controversy after Deli Boys writer Abdullah Saeed called the writer a "scab" in an Instagram post on May 8th, telling the writer he needed to release the scripts to the show to prove he's done with the project.
"This is scabbing. There's no way a writer/producer can 'finish' writing and begin solely producing. And if the scripts truly are finished, let's see 'em," Saeed said in a post on Instagram. "If there's one word different in the finished product, kick Tony Gilroy out of the WGA. One of the biggest writers in Hollywood could stand with his union and halt production on his hit show, thereby by forcing a major studio to consider WGA demands a little harder. Instead, he has chosen to be a SCAB! We all want Andor s2, but not at the cost of fairness to writers. #wgastrong"
Both Saeed's post and Gilroy's statement comes after news broke that Disney told showrunners they were still required to complete the non-writing aspects of their contracts.
"We want specifically to reiterate to you as a showrunner or other writer-producer that you are not excused from performing your duties as a showrunner and/or producer on your series as a result of the WGA strike," an email from Disney to showrunners dated May 3rd reads.
Star Wars: Andor season 2 is slated to premiere August 2024 on Disney+. The first season is now streaming on the service.