Tony Gilroy on what kind of man Cassian Andor is: “The kind who understands that the cause is more important than anything”

Speaking with Empire Magazine, Andor writer and showrunner Tony Gilroy digs into the show, revealing just how dark and gritty this show is potentially going to be, very much in line with prior films he’s written including Michael Clayton, The Devil’s Advocate and the Bourne films. In addition, he looks at the primary character Cassian Andor, and what kind of man he is.

“The kind who understands that the cause is more important than anything! This is a complex man, who has done nasty stuff for the cause. He has no commitments except to the Rebellion. What needs to happen to someone, what do they have to have witnessed, to be willing to sacrifice everything the way he does?”

Much of that can be ascertained from Rogue One, but what was the inception point of Andor as a series?

“Even while we were making Rogue One, I remember Kathy Kennedy saying ‘what else could we do with these characters?’ Kathy asked for my take too, and I had an idea…but it was pretty radical and insane.”

We start the series with a character who we know can morally manoeuvre across difficult terrain, but how did he evolve to that point?

“Cassian’s very first moment is morally compromised. That’s what makes him fascinating. He’s a killer. He’s fluid, he’s seductive, he’s manipulative. How did he get [like that]? That was the interesting thing with going back five years before the film. How big of a hole can we put this guy in – and what would he have to do to crawl out?”

Stay tuned as we’ll be delving deep into Andor and everything around it here on the site, our socials and on Fantha Tracks Radio and TV.