Diego Luna teases how different his character will be from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in Andor, the prequel series to coming to Disney Plus on August 31.
In an interview with ComicBook, Luna discusses the major transformation Cassian will undergo, and what fans can expect from the series.
“The only thing I can say is you’re going to see where he was five years before Rogue One, and you’re not going to believe Rogue One was possible. That’s the idea, to see a transformation and an awakening. I can’t tell you how that will be represented, you’ll have to wait until the 31st of August. But it is about that, and it’s about how much we’re all capable of changing and transforming, and that’s the beauty of storytelling.”
Luna has previously referred to Andor as the journey of a migrant who becomes radicalized because of the actions of the Empire. In Rogue One, Cassian is a Rebel Leader who recruits resistance fighters to steal the plans of the Death Star, but when his solo show starts, he’s more of a cynic and a bit of a mess.
“Not many times you start knowing the end, here you know what happens. It’s not about, like, ‘Oh this happened!’ No, no, it’s how it happened that matters. It’s about the little details and what’s in between lines and every layer of the character. Even though we are on a very epic kind of show and a huge spy adventure show, we’re going to have time for intimacy.”
The Andor teaser trailer was presented during the 2022 Star Wars Celebration, showing the growing Empire taking over Cassian’s adopted planet. It also offered a first look at Stellan Skarsgård’s rebel leader Luthen, who ominously says, “Soon enough, these days will end,” and Genevieve O’Reilly as the politician Mon Mothma. There’s a distinct heaviness to the mood of the trailer that Luna believes will set it apart from the other episodic Star Wars projects.
“You’re going to go deep into the character and the people around him. It’s going to be interesting, I think, and it’s going to be dark and fun and different from what you see out there now.”
A second run of Andor has already been announced, with shooting set to kick off in November, and it will lead directly to the events of Rogue One.