Latest news with #GhormanMassacre
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The messier, the better': How ‘Andor' created the epic, heart-shattering Ghorman Massacre
For the heart-shattering episode of Andor titled 'Who Are You?,' which brings to screen the Rebellion-galvanizing Ghorman Massacre, editor Yan Miles' mantra was: 'The messier, the better.' What begins as a peaceful protest among the people of Ghorman turns into a slaughter incited by the Empire. Screams pierce through as flares, smoke, and death consume every chaotic, yet controlled frame. As roughly 350 extras fight for their freedom and lives, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) attempts to assassinate Imperial officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). 'The whole thing unravels in front of him,' Miles tells Gold Derby. 'He's not there to protest. He knows these people, he knows what happened before — but now he becomes the witness. He becomes us. The plaza is a circle. You could call it a clock face. People go around, people go in and out of buildings. Cadets come out. People sing. It was always moving, but Cassian stayed centered.' More from GoldDerby 'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst': 'Overcompensating' breakout Wally Baram on making her acting debut, defiling prop toilet The case of Leslie Abramson vs. Marcia Clark: Ari Graynor and Sarah Paulson on 'defending' their characters In Pixar's 'Elio,' Easter eggs are literally written in the stars - will you be able to spot them all? Lucasfilm In the chaos, Miles creates both emotional and visual clarity — often in a matter of seconds. 'There's a nice example of it where it's less messy,' the editor said. 'There's a [shot of a] group of Ghormans coming through with the flares, going underneath the colony now; we're sort of with them. And then we cut to the guy in the café, the waiter, seeing people walking past behind the glass, all moving in the same direction. Then a profile shot of an oblivious stormtrooper, turning his head and watching the Ghormans go by. It's three shots.' Lucasfilm Another impactful sequence concludes Imperial lackey Syril Karn's (Kyle Soller) arc — all without any lines of dialogue. Amid the mayhem, Miles shifts to slow-motion, an out-of-the-ordinary but fitting stylistic flourish in the otherwise grounded Tony Gilroy-created series. 'He's witnessing it — it's gone beyond the beyond,' Miles said. 'Lasers going past, people being shot, but he's just standing there like he's bulletproof. He's lost in it all. He doesn't care anymore. Everything's just gone.' Then the question becomes for Syril: 'Who are you?' It's posed during his hand-to-hand brawl with Cassian, the man he's spent years chasing. 'In the scene with 'who are you?,' there was a lot of debate on set,' Miles shared. 'Tony wrote it, 'Who are you?' Tony, [director] Janus Metz, Diego, and the people around asked, 'Are there any other versions where Cassian does remember Syril?' We did a cut where he does remember and says, 'It's you,' and then Syril lowers the gun.' Lucasfilm That debate was quickly resolved in post-production. 'I told Tony I have the other version,' Miles said. 'He went, 'No, no, no, no, it is, 'Who are you?' Andor doesn't know this guy. This guy's a nobody. It's the worst thing that could happen to any of us, isn't it? You could be doing something for years and years and one day you wake up and you're like, 'Who the hell am I? What am I doing?' That's life itself. Tony's words were, 'Who are you?'' Gilroy joked to Miles that if he didn't use that line, then he couldn't keep the slow-motion shot of Syril. 'Tony's genius is, if you're going to do something bold — like a slow spin shot or a poetic line — you have to earn it,' Miles added. 'Otherwise, it doesn't belong in this universe.' After Syril's death, his former partner, Dedra, displays startling vulnerability. She is alone and out of control — perhaps her greatest fear. 'Denise did lots of different stuff in that scene, which I was going to show all in one shot,' Miles explained. 'But then I gravitated toward three or four shots. It starts when she raises her head — just the vulnerability to it. In the next shot, she's focused on her neck — which is Syril, what he did to her earlier, the grappling. Then I jumped to where she goes to the wall and does that thing with her hand — there's fear in it, and then she stops it. She controls it. Then I hard cut to her straightening her jacket — imperial, composed. It's the beginning of her demise.' Lucasfilm Miles continued to tell the story of 'Who Are You?' even as the credits rolled. When the Ghorman anthem is first sung, it's like angels singing in the quiet before the storm. But in the aftermath, a lone voice remains. 'We were finishing the episode,' the editor recounted, 'and I had this solo recording from one of the assistants. She sang the anthem right there in the cutting room, on a USB mic. The most amazing voice. I thought, 'Why not put her voice over the credits [as temp music]?' A year later, I watched the episode on Disney+ and there it was. I'd forgotten I'd even left it in. Gave me goosebumps.' Best of GoldDerby Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') Click here to read the full article.
Geek Tyrant
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
ANDOR Creator Tony Gilroy Explains Why the Ghorman Massacre Had to Hit Hard — GeekTyrant
When Andor set its sights on the Ghorman Massacre in Season 2, the goal wasn't to check off a box in Star Wars lore. It was about making viewers sit in the fear, chaos, and brutality that fueled rebellion. In a recent scene breakdown for Variety, series creator Tony Gilroy explained that the Ghorman storyline wasn't treated as just another chapter in the rebellion, it was the centerpiece. 'We knew we were going to be investing very heavily in Ghorman to build a world, a planet, a city like that, at that scale, you have to really use it. We knew that it would be a centerpiece of the show. It's a centerpiece in canon. 'In the five years that I get to curate, it's a critical moment in the history of the rebellion. And yet it's very un-described. There was a mandate and a demand to do it, but there was no information about what it was, which is kind of the best thing for us.' The creative freedom allowed Gilroy and his team to imagine Ghorman as a fully realized society, with its own culture and infrastructure. The massacre unfolds in Palmo Square, a bustling, prosperous plaza built from the ground up by production designer Luke Hull. Everything here was made to serve the story. Gilroy said: 'It's not even just the architecture and the construction. It's designing a place for the story and for what the directors are going to be able to make... Luke Hull gives us this absolutely astonishing little stadium to play in. He fits it into the aesthetic of what we've already built... this is a year-long project.' The episode doesn't rely on spectacle. It's built for immersion. The camera doesn't flinch from the violence, there's no cutaway from the consequences, and it gives you someone to follow through the madness with Cassian. 'We knew that the massacre would be taking place in a town square. We also knew that we didn't want to do anything that looked or felt like anything that we had done before. We also wanted a prosperous planet. We wanted a place that was well off, politically connected, not an easy place for the Empire to take down.' For Diego Luna, that grounded brutality is part of what sets Andor apart from other Star Wars stories. The action has weight. The characters bleed sndf die, snd even something as intimate as a fistfight carries months of preparation. Luna explained: 'Just the fight with Syril was two days and a half. We worked on that fight for, I would say, months. There was many different choreographies we did before. We all agreed on one [version of the scene] that Tony was really happy about and that explained the whole story, that the fight has to tell.' And when it all comes together, Andor doesn't feel like a space opera. It feels like history, or, more accurately, like history repeating itself. 'The beauty of Andor is that you can get so deep that you might forget you're in this galaxy far, far away. You are just in a place that actually exists.' 'That's the strength of that episode, that it's a massacre that feels like personal, it's happening. You're looking at it, and you go like, 'Shit, those are people suffering. Those are people being hurt' You know, that destruction is actually happening.' Andor never wanted the Ghorman Massacre to be a reference, it wanted it to be a reckoning. One that doesn't just build the Rebellion's timeline, but earns it.
Gizmodo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Andor' Wanted Its Massacre to Do More Than Just Fill a ‘Star Wars' Lore Gap
The most impactful thing about the Ghorman Massacre in Andor season two is how it paints a true picture of what rebellion stood for by putting the audience in the shoes of the people assembled to defend their planet. In a grim yet hopeful episode, the Empire's control of the narrative begins to fall apart, showcasing the brutal violence meted out by Imperial forces against those who resist Palpatine's rule. Series creator Tony Gilroy and star Diego Luna gave more context about expounding on a key part of Star Wars history in a recent scene breakdown video for Variety. 'We knew we were going to be investing very heavily in Ghorman to build a world, a planet, a city like that, at that scale, you have to really use it. We knew that it would be a centerpiece of the show. It's a centerpiece in canon,' Gilroy stated. 'In the five years that I get to curate, it's a critical moment in the history of the rebellion. And yet it's very un-described. There was a mandate and a demand to do it, but there was no information about what it was, which is kind of the best thing for us.' He continued. 'The most challenging part for me was to try to calibrate the timing of everything and to try to calibrate where everybody is. When you do these kinds of scenes where you have lots of characters that you're trying to follow, trying to follow quite a few stories there, and this is almost real time what's happening.' Cassian is the audience's way in to witness how the Empire seizes a peaceful protest and incites the violence. 'We knew that the massacre would be taking place in a town square,' Gilroy explained. 'We also knew that we didn't want to do anything that looked or felt like anything that we had done before. We also wanted a prosperous planet. We wanted a place that was well off, politically connected, not an easy place for the empire to take down.' Production designer Luke Hull built a fully realized set for Palmo square, where the Ghor resisted the Empire's presence. 'It's not even just the architecture and the construction,' Gilroy shared about his collaboration with Hull. 'It's designing a place for the story and for what the directors are going to be able to make. Without really detailed instruction or mandate, Luke Hull gives us this absolutely astonishing little stadium to play in. He fits it into the aesthetic of what we've already built, and the cafe, and then the brocante shops that are around it, and the hotel. Before we ever got to the writer's room, we had a very good handle on Ghorman. The prep is three and a half, four months, and does not include the prep that Luke and I did before it even started the room. So I mean, this is a year-long project.' Even down to the anticipated face-off between Cassian and Syril, which unpacked the personal stakes between the show's diametrically opposed foes, Luna shared, 'Just the fight with Syril was two days and a half. We worked on that fight for, I would say, months. There was many different choreographies we did before. We all agreed on one [version of the scene] that Tony was really happy about and that explained the whole story, that the fight has to tell.' Luna continued. 'The beauty of Andor is that you can get so deep that you might forget you're in this galaxy far, far away. You are just in a place that actually exists.' Luna touched on the cyclical nature of how history mirrors art. 'That's the strength of that episode, that it's a massacre that feels like personal, it's happening. You're looking at it, and you go like, 'Shit, those are people suffering. Those are people being hurt' You know, that destruction is actually happening.'
Economic Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Andor Season 2 Episode 8: How the iconic line 'Rebellions are Built on Hope' found its way in
Andor Season 2 reveals the origin of a famous line from Rogue One. The line comes from Thela, a Ghorman hotel worker. Cassian Andor hears it during the Ghorman Massacre. The Empire uses propaganda against Ghorman. Cassian witnesses the tragic events. The experience deeply affects him. He carries the message of hope forward. Kyle Soller in London on April 11, 2025. They may not be Han and Leia, but the characters Syril Karn and Dedra Meero tell their own story -- about power within a relationship and outside it. (Max Miechowski/The New York Times) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads In Andor Season 2, Episode 8, the origin of Rogue One : A Star Wars Story's iconic line - "Rebellions are built on hope" - is revealed through a conversation between Cassian Andor and a Ghorman hotel worker named Thela. The scene is set against the backdrop of the Ghorman Massacre , an event that deeply impacts Cassian and the burgeoning line, initially spoken by Thela to Cassian, becomes a rallying cry for the Rebellion. The same is later echoed by Cassian himself and Jyn Erso, encapsulating the spirit of hope amidst the oppressive Galactic Empire. This origin adds layers to Cassian's character and underscores the grassroots nature of the Rebellion, highlighting the sacrifices and the unwavering belief in a better future that fuels the fight for prequel series Andor explores the infectious spread of ideas as the Rebellion takes shape. Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, is central to this Star Wars fans believed Cassian adopted the phrase from a mentor, and Andor Season 2 confirms this in a Season 2 focuses on the decline of the planet Ghorman with the Empire using propaganda to degrade the planet's Ghorman Front, a rising rebel cell, grows increasingly defiant. Episode 8 shows Imperial forces staging a massacre disguised as a Ghorman returns to Ghorman to assassinate ISB supervisor Dedra Meero. Luthen Rael and Wilmon Paak have tried to involve Cassian in the Ghorman struggle. Cassian supports the Ghorman's efforts to restore their freedom. He tells this to Thela, a Ghorman local and hotel checks into the same hotel under a different alias as the Empire has increased security in the Ghorman promises to keep Cassian's cover as long as possible. Cassian wishes him good luck.'I hope things work out for you,' he tells responds with a familiar phrase. 'Rebellions are built on hope.'Andor season 2 just showed the origins of one of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's best and most inspirational lines. Andor season 2, episodes 7, 8, and 9 finally showed the Ghorman Massacre and its fallout on Rebel Alliance leaders like Mon only three episodes left in Andor season 2, audiences can start expecting to see more direct connections to Rogue One. The episodes focusing on the Ghorman Massacre also gave more connections to the film, especially with the reprogramming of K-2SO.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
One of Andor season 2's most shocking moments has a haunting parallel with the final act of Rogue One
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Andor season 2 hasn't even reached its final act yet, but things are already at fever pitch. The latest batch of episodes saw the horrifying Ghorman Massacre, Mon Mothma's stirring speech to the senate, and a long-awaited confrontation. Well, for one party, anyway. In the midst of the violence that breaks out on Ghorman in episode 8, Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) still manages to spot Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) across Tarkin Square. He's waited a long time for this moment, and he instantly rushes over to confront him as years of obsession come to a head. Cassian, however, doesn't even recognize him and asks, "Who are you?" Before this has had the chance to sink in, Carro Rylanz shoots Syril in the head and he dies. It's a shocking moment, but one fan has spotted a neat parallel with Rogue One that adds another layer to the exchange. Towards the end of the 2016 prequel movie, Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) comes face-to-face with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and holds her at blaster-point, asking the same question that Cassian asked Syril. However, unlike Syril, Jyn actually gets a chance to reply. She identifies herself as Galen Erso's daughter and tells Krennic that he's lost because her father has put a flaw in the Death Star. It's a powerful moment, and a pretty moving callback. New episodes of Andor season 2 are hitting Disney Plus weekly. Catch up with our Andor season 2 release schedule, or get up to speed with our Andor season 2 review.
