With the coronavirus pandemic set to enter a second spike, throwing society once again into lockdown and turmoil, it’s little surprise that would affect the entertainment industry with creatives living around the globe. Tony Gilroy, executive producer, showrunner and director of the Cassian Andor series has opted to step down from his directing chair, instead staying in New York while Black Mirror’s Toby Haynes steps in to direct the first three episodes.
Sources say Gilroy dropped off as director for COVID-19-related travel reasons. Gilroy lives in New York and had to make a decision quickly on whether he would head over to the UK for the shoot; in the end, he thought it would be best that he stay in New York and have Haynes take over his directing duties.
Haynes already was high on the list of directors who would helm future episodes and since he also already was in the UK, all parties thought this would make the most sense. Gilroy will stay very much involved with the series as exec producer and showrunner.
Haynes has been on a roll as of late, which started with directing the Emmy-winning Black Mirror episode “U.S.S. Callister,” starring Jesse Plemons. The special had a Star Trek-meets-Twilight Zone feel and is a fan favorite. He followed that up by directing the HBO movie Brexit starring Benedict Cumberbatch and also has the highly anticipated Amazon series Utopia, which premieres this Friday.
