Image Credit: House Productions
Like a rebel mission facing setbacks, the development of_Rogue One: A Star Wars Story_'s Disney+ TV spin-off focused on Cassian Andor has been a choppy one, withTony Gilroystepping in torun the showand direct the first few episodes. But while he's staying in overall charge behind the scenes, he's handing over the directing side of things to_Utopia_and_Black Mirror_veteran Toby Haynes for COVID safety reasons.
Gilroy had planned to kick off the series and set the tone, he's been in the States since the pandemic broke out and, since Disney and Lucasfilm want to shoot the show in the UK, a new surge in virus cases and attendant restrictions mean it doesn't make sense for him to fly over.
According to Deadline, Haynes had been on the list to direct episodes later in the order, but he'll now handle the first three, effectively crafting how the show will look and feel going forward. Haynes certainly has the credentials to make the show work – he's also directed episodes of series including Doctor Who, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and Sherlock.
The series, which doesn't have an official name right now, will chart the adventures of Diego Luna's Andor as he and sarcastic droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) fight the good (if sometimes morally conflicted) fight. Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller are all in the cast for the series, which should be shooting next month.