Cassian Andor series to resurrect unused Star Wars characters and creators

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

With so many projects currently in flux due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's become difficult to keep tabs on what's still coming down the pike, given that so many productions have fallen prey to scheduling delays and things of the like. As luck would have it, a number of Star Wars-related projects are still being worked on behind quarantined doors, such as the Rogue One prequel series, which will center on Diego Luna's Alliance Intelligence officer, Cassian Andor.

Recently, the good folks over at Movieweb spoke with visual effects extraordinaire Neal Scanlan, who's contributed to several Star Wars features while the franchise has been  nestled under Disney's umbrella. At one point in their discussion, Scanlan revealed that he is currently working on the Cassian Andor series, which had been announced back in November of 2018. During their chin-wag, Scanlan stressed that the team is going to great lengths to make sure that the upcoming series feels right at home within the Star Wars Universe. He also noted that the show will make use of characters that've previously appeared, or were intended to be a part of, the Star Wars canon.

What is fun about this is, in many ways, I don't think it feels different than working on a movie. It certainly doesn't feel like we are making any compromises. It's the same creative conditions in every department to do what we can do. We also have this backlog of characters. A lot of the characters that we built for all of the films either didn't make it to the final cut, because that's just the way that the film process happens, or that they are seen so momentarily that there is this wonderful second opportunity to bring back some of the characters that we've made and bring them to this new storyline in a more, shall we say, integrated way. I think it's going to be tremendous. I find that it's a second opportunity for everything that we've made, plus the opportunity of moving TV along, in a sense, at what will not at all be diminished as far as the level of quality, the level of things that we are going to try and achieve.

Oh Scanlan, you had me at the mention of practical effects, and how you plan to use them whenever possible for the upcoming series. Granted practical effects cost more money than digital, but nothing beats the look and feel of a great puppet or meticulously sculpted body suit complete with anamatronic rigging. It warms my heart to know that Scanlan is quite interested in keeping true to the look and feel that's become synonymous with the Star Wars Universe, and I can't wait to see what he and his team have come up with.

In time, Movieweb's discussion with Scanlan turned toward the classic Star Wars bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Previously, Fett was expected to star in his own film, though the project eventually stalled once Disney got a look the underwhelming box office returns for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. When asked if he'd been involved with the failed Boba Fett project, Scanlan admitted that, "In a sense no, but in a sense yes. In a sense, dare I say, within the Star Wars family, or the Star Wars world, which is quite enormous, between Lucas[film] and Disney, etc. We are all aware of conversations that are being had and potential things. So much of this is in development, and parallel developments are taking place at all times. It's oftentimes very difficult to predict which particular project will gain momentum and move forward. So, not yet. Not yet. There's nothing positive I can give to you yet."

Whether or not we'll ever see Boba Fett appear on the big or small screen remains a mystery at this time. That said, perhaps Disney and Lucasfilm will one day announce a Mandalorian spinoff focusing on the fan-favorite character. Is that unlikely? Probably. Though I would say that stranger things have happened, and that you never really know what might be written among the stars, even in a galaxy far, far away.