‘Andor' creator Tony Gilroy on the show's greater impact on the ‘Star Wars' universe and how much K-2SO is enough
Fresh off writing and producing the critically acclaimed Disney+ series Andor, Tony Gilroy has earned a well-deserved victory lap. He managed to create a Star Wars project that delivers a darker, more mature, and grounded look at the Rebellion — something deeper than anything previously seen in the franchise — while also winning over the notoriously divided fan base.
Now that he's finally stepping away from the Star Wars universe — a journey that began when he reworked Rogue One into a fan-favorite — Gilroy is making the FYC rounds, celebrating Andor's critical success and saying goodbye to the galaxy far, far away … at least for now. While attending an awards event at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, he spoke with Gold Derby about Andor's influence on the franchise's future, how a dream project nearly turned into a nightmare, and why just a little K-2SO can go a long way.
More from GoldDerby
How Seth Meyers is still laughing after 11 years: 'We've taken advantage of bad things'
Chloë Sevigny on Kitty Menendez and 'Monsters' fascination: 'People are endlessly curious about those who have privilege and abuse it'
'Snow White' sets Disney+ premiere date, 'Eurovision' heads to Broadway, and the rest of today's top stories
Lucasfilm/Disney+
Gold Derby: Are you sure you're going to set down? Have you been thinking about it with all the accolades and the wildly enthusiastic response?
Tony Gilroy: It's six intense years, and 10, sorta, years in total. It's 26 hours of Star Wars. Leave the campsite cleaner than you found it I mean, really. I think I'd never say never, but I'm not doing that next.
has long lived in the fairy-tale realm, but shifts it toward allegory — something George Lucas hinted at with the original film's commentary on Vietnam. What's exciting about making that kind of paradigm shift, and do you see it influencing future stories beyond ?"
The mandate was to open a new land, right? The mandate was to try to do something really different with a different grammar and different vocabulary and a different ethic and really go for it. And we showed a lot of work before we started and they were like, 'OK, we're eager for that.' It was never meant to turn an entire continent around or change everything. It was never meant to be in contrast with anything else. It was meant to be its own thing and to open the possibilities for all kinds of other things. I'd get very disappointed when people try to benchmark it against the other shows that they have and try to make a conflict. That's always annoying, and sometimes more than annoying.
It's a losing game, too.
Yeah, and it's just really annoying. But the other thing is, the lesson that I wouldn't want people to slavishly say, 'Oh, well this is what we have to do now. No, if there's any lesson, it's like swing away and see what you can get away with.
In receiving the response to the show now that it's all out there, is there something that's been a favorite aspect of yours or a surprise element that you've enjoyed in the audience reaction?
The scale of the show and the scale of the reaction is so huge. I think the best answer to your question is that I think if you're a creator and you're honest enough — and people say they don't read reviews and other things, but I always liked test screenings, but I hated focus groups. Test screens were always valuable, but focus groups, there was always somebody who thought they didn't have an audience and they took over. I find social media commentary to be so vast and the things that are wrong with it are actually good for you to listen to. And to watch people — you can ignore the ones you think are useless and you can focus on [the constructive] but so many people, all of us, our community on the show, we're all in awe of the level and depth of conversation about things that we thought no one would ever get, or things that we didn't even really fully realize we were putting in there. The depth of interest and comprehension and the depth of analysis, politically, artistically, it's staggering to us. It's weird that it's very weird, that. It's a new development, it's a new thing
At the tail end of the second season you have so much fun with security droid K-2SO. Did you ultimately wish you had more room to explore the Cassian-K-2 two relationship?
No. I think I was a stern taskmaster about that, and I'm sure … I mean, the audience was impatient for it and Alan [Tudyk] was impatient for it and Lucasfilm was impatient for it. Everyone was impatient for it. I knew from the very first day I started the show when he would be coming in, and I knew it could be great if he came in the right way and we could really do it. I also worked on Rogue [One] enough to know how difficult the character he is to carry around, as a plot. As much as people love him, he's very difficult to tell a story with. It's a very big piece of luggage to carry around into a story, so it's very problematic. So I just kept telling people, 'Please wait. Please wait.'
What was that day that you were working and you thought 'We're making what I wanted to make, I'm making ?'
Honestly? I mean, I was hoping all through COVID that the show would go away. I was terrified of the show, when I finally realized what we were into. Still during COVID, my brother John moved to New York and we set up a cutting room, a COVID cutting room on 86th Street. It's a couple blocks from my house. We had an assistant that I never even saw! He was in the basement, no one could talk to anybody. He was like Igor in the basement. And Johnny and I tested four times a week and the dailies started to come in that Toby was shooting after we started. And I think it was about week three or four when — my brother's a pretty hardcore coconspirator, and he finally just said, 'Dude, give up. This is happening. It's great. It's going to be great, and start to enjoy yourself.' And I turned around when the dailies really started coming in and I started seeing what the actors could do. I was like, 'Oh my God! Well, I'm on this ship and it's launched and it can be really cool.' But I think you go back and forth between confidence and fear all the time.
Best of GoldDerby
Chloë Sevigny on Kitty Menendez and 'Monsters' fascination: 'People are endlessly curious about those who have privilege and abuse it'
Jason Isaacs relives filming 'The White Lotus' piña colada scene: 'It was one of the reasons I was worried about taking the job'
Kaitlyn Dever on playing 'horrible' characters in 'Last of Us', 'Apple Cider Vinegar': 'I just don't see any other option but to give 100 percent'
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
5 Marvel movies worth watching again before 'Ironheart' comes out next week
For anyone who knows the name Ryan Coogler, "Ironheart" on Disney Plus is a show you're going to want to watch. Debuting next week, it looks like a light-hearted origin story for the character first introduced in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," named Riri Williams. But Executive Producer Coogler has been on a roll lately. He not only directed that 2022 film but also the well-received "Sinners," which already has Oscar buzz. Plus, he directed the original "Black Panther" as it can be hard to keep all of these Disney shows straight if you haven't watched the recent Marvel films since they came out a few years ago. To help, here's a homework assignment. These five movies will serve as a refresher for the Black Panther superhero and help prepare you for going back to Wakanda when "Ironheart" comes out June 24. Each movie is also available to watch on Disney Plus making this assignment super easy. (Note: These movies are presented in the order of which ones are worth watching first, starting with the two main "Black Panther" films, but you can watch them in any order.) The film that started it all, "Black Panther" from 2018, starred the late Chadwick Boseman as a superhero gifted with super strength and even more super technology. He wore the Vibranium Panther Suit and had claws that could rip through just about anything. The most interesting character trait with Black Panther, though, was that he was also the King of Wakanda. That means there are elements of a monarchy to the series and a deep family dynamic. It's not quite clear how Riri Williams, as Ironheart, will factor into that equation. Once you are done watching "Black Panther," the next best option is to (re)watch "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" because it introduces the Ironheart character. We first meet Riri Williams as an MIT genius experimenting with vibranium technology. The film, released in 2022, was partly an origin story for Ironheart — even if the main story arc was more about the character Shuri becoming a new iteration of Black Panther. We also first meet the villain, Namor. Released way back in 2016, but still one of the best Marvel movies to date, "Captain America: Civil War" introduced Black Panther with a compelling backstory. Chadwick Boseman's character T'Challa is introduced in Civil War as the Prince of Wakanda. His father, King T'Chaka, is part of a delegation intending to sign the Sokovia Accords to put restrictions on the Avengers. He is killed when a bomb explodes, setting the stage for T'Challa to become not only King of Wakanda but also the Black Panther to honor his late father. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Marvel knows how to build momentum for their characters — at least, that was true back in 2018. After Black Panther came out in February 2019, the superhero emerged as a key player in "Avengers: Infinity War" that April. (It's hard to remember both films were released only months apart.) Fortunately, that meant it was also easy to remember Black Panther — who ends up leading a massive battle against Thanos and his army. In case any of us need a reminder (and this is a major spoiler alert): Black Panther was part of the blip in "Infinity War." His character is restored in "Avengers: Endgame," but due to the real-life passing of Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther mantle is passed to his on-screen sister Shuri in "Wakanda Forever. "That's a good backstory to keep in mind. "Ironheart" doesn't focus on Shuri, but we're sure there are flashbacks or references throughout the show. That's because Black Panther is a protector of sorts for Ironheart as Riri Williams learns the ropes.
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Multiple theater fans ‘fall ill' waiting in heat to watch Rachel Zegler perform ‘Evita' balcony scene amid backlash: report
Multiple theater fans received medical help after they 'fell ill' while standing in sweltering temperatures to see Rachel Zegler perform from an outdoor balcony during the hit West End production of 'Evita.' Over 200 excited fans waited outside the London Palladium for hours in nearly 90-degree heat on Thursday to see Zegler, known for starring in Disney's live-action flop 'Snow White,' sing 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' for free as part of the musical, according to The Sun. But not everyone made it to the show's most famous number, which served as the Act II opener. 5 Rachel Zegler performed 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' from the balcony of the London Palladium.'We were called at 8:16 p.m. (sic) yesterday to reports of a person unwell in Argyll Street, central London,' a London Ambulance Service told the outlet. Two ambulance crews responded to the theater, where Zegler made her West End debut in the Jamie Lloyd's production just days earlier. 'While treating the patient, our crews were called to help a second person who was unwell nearby,' the spokesperson added. 'One patient was taken to [the] hospital and the second was given medical advice and discharged at the scene.' Zegler reshared a series of Instagram posts from paid ticketholders who praised her performance on Thursday night — but has not publicly commented about the fans who got sick while waiting to see her sing outside. 'Crowd control is bad enough on the public street but with the heat it's becoming really dangerous,' a source told the outlet. The Post has reached out to the Zelger's team for comment. 5 Hundreds waited outside the venue to see Zegler perform the most popular song in 'Evita' on Thursday. Ian West/PA Images/INSTARimages 5 Two people fell ill while waiting to see the actress perform in sweltering temperatures. Invision The scare is just the latest controversy attached to the production. At the start of Act II, Zegler, playing Eva Perón, the former First Lady of Argentina, walks out on the balcony overlooking the street outside the venue and sings 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' to unpaid audiences outside the theater while ticketholders inside watch via live stream. The uncommon creative decision angered fans who paid hundreds of dollars to see Zegler in the show directed by Lloyd, who is known for his unconventional staging in shows like Broadway's 2023 revival of 'A Doll's House' and 2024 revival of 'Sunset Boulevard.' 5 The West End revival of 'Evita' opens July 1. Brett D. Cove / 5 The musical will have a 12-week limited engagement in London. Invision One fan called the livestream decision 'a bit of a rip off' to ticket holders inside. 'If I paid for a theater ticket, I wouldn't be so thrilled that I couldn't see all of the performance in person,' one person commented on X. But some theater fans promote the decision to have her sing on the balcony. 'The show is about Eva Peron giving power to the people,' a social media user on TikTok wrote. 'Singing this song on the balcony to the people who can't afford tickets makes so much sense.' The musical debuted on Broadway in 1979 with book and lyrics by Tim Rice and music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. London's revival of the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical officially opens July 1 and is scheduled for a 12-week limited engagement.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Danny Boyle admits he couldn't make 'Slumdog Millionaire' today because of cultural appropriation concerns
English director Danny Boyle said that he would not direct "Slumdog Millionaire" if it was made today due to "cultural appropriation" and would rather have a "young Indian filmmaker" make it instead. "We wouldn't be able to make that now. And that's how it should be. It's time to reflect on all that. We have to look at the cultural baggage we carry and the mark that we've left on the world... At the time it felt radical," Boyle told The Guardian. 'Snow White' Becomes Disney's Worst-performing Live-action Remake In Nearly 10 Years Set in India, the movie tells the story of Jamal, a young "slumdog" who's been selected to appear on the country's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", and hopes to also find his childhood lost love, Latika. Throughout his appearance, events from his tumultuous life are shown in flashback and help him answer the questions. Released in 2008, "Slumdog Millionaire" was a hit with audiences and critics, grossing nearly $380 million on a $15 million budget and winning eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Director for Boyle. Denzel Washington Shuts Down Reports He Bailed On Cannes Film Festival After Red Carpet Incident Read On The Fox News App However, despite its success, the movie was controversial for appearing to exploit Indian culture and portray stereotypes of India from a western perspective. Some Indian critics enjoyed the movie, but some Indian artists were underwhelmed, claiming it was "saturated with stereotyped images of India," TIME magazine reported. Boyle added that while the film was in production over 15 years ago, he was sensitive to the exploitative implications of making the movie as a foreigner then. "We made the decision that only a handful of us would go to Mumbai. We'd work with a big Indian crew and try to make a film within the culture. But you're still an outsider. It's still a flawed method. That kind of cultural appropriation might be sanctioned at certain times," Boyle told The Guardian. He went on to say, "But at other times it cannot be. I mean, I'm proud of the film, but you wouldn't even contemplate doing something like that today. It wouldn't even get financed. Even if I was involved, I'd be looking for a young Indian filmmaker to shoot it." Boyle's other notable movies include "Trainspotting," "Steve Jobs," "127 Hours" and the "28 Days Later" horror series. The latest, "28 Years Later", was released on Friday. Boyle nor his representatives immediately responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Click Here To Read More On Fox NewsOriginal article source: Danny Boyle admits he couldn't make 'Slumdog Millionaire' today because of cultural appropriation concerns
