Andor Creator Calls Star Wars Show “The Most Important Thing I’ll Ever Get To Do”

Tony Gilroy has worked on several high-profile projects and earned numerous accolades throughout his career, but he believes Andor is the most important thing he will do. While promoting the Star Wars show’s upcoming second season, Gilroy spoke with The Playlist and reflected on his time in the franchise. Recognizing how much of an achievement Andor is on multiple levels, the showrunner expressed admiration for all of the hard work that went into putting the series together and recalled how the show helped him grow creatively. The way he sees it, this experience will be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for him.

“I don’t think I’ll ever have a chance to work on anything as important as this,” Gilroy said. “This has been the most important thing I’ll ever get to do in terms of how much imagination went into it, how much work went into it, how much of a better writer I became doing it, how much I learned doing it, and how important the subject matter was and the scale of it. It’s hard to imagine that a situation like this would ever come around again.”

Andor Season 1 premiered back in 2022 and immediately became one of the most acclaimed Star Wars titles. Critics and fans alike were impressed by the show’s mature tone and subject matter. Andor received several accolades, including an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.

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Andor‘s second and final season is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in April. The unique release schedule sees three episodes released at a time over a period of four weeks. Gilroy has confirmed that he is stepping away from the Star Wars franchise after Andor is done so he can pursue other opportunities.

Gilroy has had a hand in writing multiple Jason Bourne films and helmed Best Picture nominee Michael Clayton, but those projects — while very successful in their own right — are nowhere near the magnitude of an addition to the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars has been one of the most popular Hollywood properties for nearly 50 years, and the passionate, global fan base is extremely interested in seeing how each movie and show takes shape. Just in terms of general outreach, Andor (along with Rogue One) is the biggest thing Gilroy has worked on. From a storytelling perspective, Andor has resonated with audiences due to its serious handling of timely themes. The show’s overall narrative is very different from what Star Wars fans are used to, transcending franchise tropes to become something powerful and unique. It’s impressive to see what Gilroy has been able to accomplish within the framework of the IP.

For those reasons, it’s sad that Gilroy’s time in the galaxy far, far away is ending once Andor has finished its run. He found a way to weave a compelling tale that isn’t overly reliant on nostalgic callbacks and fan service to make an impact. That approach is something Star Wars needs as it transitions to a new era, and it’ll be interesting to see how future projects take shape without Gilroy’s involvement. As for Gilroy, while he may not work on something with the scale of Star Wars again, he hopefully has several more interesting titles on the horizon, perhaps one that will earn him some awards consideration.