Lucasfilm is currently going through a transitional period, as Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan have replaced Kathleen Kennedy as studio co-presidents. While it made sense for Filoni, who was George Lucas’ protege, to rise to the position, some Star Wars fans are concerned about what this means for the future of the franchise and which projects will receive the green light. One sticking point of contention was a report stating that Filoni did not like Andor, the critically acclaimed series that many fans consider to be the best of the Disney era. The fear is that Filoni’s sensibilities mean a show like Andor will never be made again, but those concerns might be unwarranted.
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In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy addressed the aforementioned report about Filoni and shed light on their relationship. “No. We’ve only met a couple times, and we’ve only had a half-a-dozen conversations over the last ten years,” he said. “Seriously. I saw Jon Favreau at a scoring session once. We’ve always gotten along with those guys, and we’ve never had anything but high praise for everything that they’ve done. We only have our show because of them, and we’ve always said that was true. There’s no Andor without The Mandalorian. It would not exist. So it has never been anything but cordial and pleasant, ever, ever, ever, ever. I don’t know anything that you don’t know. I really don’t.”
Could Dave Filoni Green Light the Next Andor?
When asking Gilroy the question about Filoni, THR‘s Brian Davids made a point to say Filoni used words such as “brilliant,” “fantastic,” and “great” when describing Andor. So, publicly at least, Filoni has nothing but high praise for the work Gilroy and Co. did on the show. While that might be enough to put some fans’ minds at ease, others won’t be convinced until Filoni gives something like Andor the green light and puts his money where his mouth is. However, it may not be that simple given Lucasfilm and Disney’s shifting priorities.
Disney told none other than Gilroy that “streaming is dead,” a viewpoint reflected in the studio’s list of upcoming projects. While Lucasfilm continues to produce new content for Disney+, theatrical feature films seem to be the bigger priority now, with The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter due out the next two summers. Ahsoka Season 2 is on track to premiere this year, but after that, there aren’t any new live-action Star Wars TV shows in the works. During Star Wars Celebration Japan last year, Kennedy detailed several Star Wars movies that are in development, but didn’t hint at any new series.
If the peak streaming era truly is over, it’s hard to see Disney signing off on something like Andor (reported $650 million production budget for the two seasons) again — even if Filoni is passionately championing the project. As illustrated by the curious case of The Hunt for Ben Solo, Disney has final say on Star Wars projects and can reject something even when Lucasfilm is excited about it. Of course, the concerns about Filoni and Andor 2.0 are rooted more in Filoni’s creative sensibilities, with some believing he won’t be as willing to push Star Wars in such an adult direction. Andor stood out from the pack because Gilroy wasn’t afraid to embrace darker, more mature subject matter.
Filoni learned under Lucas, who always maintained that Star Wars’ target audience was children. Obviously, the franchise is going to remain family friendly under the new leadership, but there’s no rule that dictates every project needs to be geared to a younger demographic. Lucasfilm has a handful of films in development — including James Mangold’s biblical epic Dawn of the Jedi — that could push the IP in exciting new directions. While we may never see something exactly like Andor again, something like Dawn of the Jedi could be a way for Lucasfilm to capture the same kind of spirit, telling a Star Wars story that’s a bit more complex thematically and sports a fresh style. Star Wars needs to keep evolving if it’s to remain a viable franchise for years to come, and Filoni (who knows the value of being collaborative in a creative environment) likely understands that and will be open to hearing any pitches filmmakers might have.
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