Andor: Release date, schedule, cast, trailer, news for Star Wars series
Diego Luna returned as Cassian Andor in the Disney Plus series.
Rogue One prequel Andor landed on Disney Plus last week, with its first three episodes arriving all at once before the series moves to a weekly release.
The latest entry to the sprawling Star Wars universe introduced viewers to Diego Luna's Cassian Andor before he became the committed Rebel we met in Rogue One. In order to tell his complex backstory, Luna is joined by a stellar cast that includes Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) as his adoptive mother Maarva and Stellan Skarsgård as mysterious buyer Luthien Rael. And, of course, there's a new droid to keep things cute.
Forest Whitaker is also set to return to the galaxy far, far away as Saw Gerrera, who he also voiced in Star Wars animations prior to Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm.
Ahead of the first three episodes landing, many critics took to social media to share their thoughts on the series, noting the way it was more grounded in everyday people rather than lightsabers. You can also read our Andor review here.
So, without further ado, keep scrolling for all your essential information on Disney Plus series Cassian Andor, including when the next episode will land and what could happen next.
Andor release date
Andor premiered on Disney Plus on Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am BST. Three episodes landed at the same time, with the remaining episodes releasing weekly every Wednesday.
Andor was previously set to premiere on 31st August but was pushed back. The series is following hot on the heels of Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Filming on the programme wrapped in September 2021 after kicking off in November 2020.
In December 2020, it was confirmed that Andor season 1 will consist of 12 episodes in total, making it substantially longer than a single season of The Mandalorian (eight episodes) or fellow Disney Plus original WandaVision (nine episodes).
"I think the format of a series is amazing because we have a lot of time to explore all those layers. What happens in Rogue One is something we can actually reflect on," Luna told The Hollywood Reporter.
A second season has already been commissioned and will also consist of 12 episodes and bring Cassian Andor's story back up to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
What is the Andor release schedule?
Disney Plus has confirmed that Andor will release episodes weekly following the first three episodes.
The release schedule is as follows.
- Episode 1 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 2 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 3 - Wednesday 21st September 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 4 - Wednesday 28th September 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 5 Wednesday 5th October 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 6 - Wednesday 12th October 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 7 - Wednesday 19th October 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 8 - Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 9 - Wednesday 2nd November 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 10 - Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 11 - Wednesday 16th November 2022 at 8am GMT.
- Episode 12 - Wednesday 23rd November 2022 at 8am GMT.
The length of each episode has yet to be confirmed.
The series will conclude in late November, and the second season's air dates have yet to be confirmed but will consist of another 12 episodes to conclude the story.
Andor trailer
In December, fans were treated to their first look at the new show, with the release of a sizzle reel – which you can watch in full below.
It includes clips from Rogue One, and interviews with those both behind-the-scenes and in front of the camera.
Another trailer dropped in May 2022, and it's every bit as dark as Rogue One.
The clip shows the might of the Empire at its height, as well as the beginnings of the Rebellion that altered the course of the Star Wars universe. The terror is palpable.
Watch below:
The latest and longest trailer was released on Monday 1st August 2022, when it was confirmed the series had been pushed back to September 2022.
The clip gave our best look at the series so far.
We can't wait to see what happens next!
Andor cast
The following cast members have been confirmed for Andor.
- Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
- Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael
- Adria Arjona as Kleya
- Fiona Shaw as Maarva
- Denise Gough as Dedra Meero
- Kyle Soller as Syril Karn
- Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma
- Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera
- Robert Emms
- David Hayman
- Anton Lesser
- Faye Marsay
Diego Luna returns as “charismatic Rebel leader” Cassian Andor, who played a central role in the plan to steal the Death Star schematics in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Stellan Skarsgard, Kyle Soller and Denise Gough have also joined the show's cast.
While Skarsgard is famous for his roles in Chernobyl and Marvel's Thor movies (as Dr Erik Selvig), here he appears to be portraying a revolutionary figure names Luther who draws Andor into the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire and he also appears to know both Saw Gerrera and Mon Mothma.
Meanwhile, Soller - who is best known for playing Francis in BBC period drama Poldark - and Gough - who appeared in ITV's 2021 drama Too Close - are playing two officers in the Imperial Amry.
Soller is portraying Sergeant Linus Mosk, while Gough is playing the higher-ranking Dedra Meero.
The most recent additions to the cast include Adria Arjona, known for her roles in BBC Two's Good Omens as well as Netflix action films 6 Underground and Triple Frontier, who will be portraying Cassian Andor's sister, Kleya.
Forest Whitaker and Genevieve O'Reilly will be returning in their rebel roles as Saw Gerrera and Mon Mothma respectively, but one major cast member from Rogue One will be notable only by his absence.
Elsewhere, Killing Eve star Fiona Shaw appears as the enigmatic figure known as Maarva.
In June 2021, Chernobyl and His Dark Materials star Robert Emms was announced to be joining the project (via Deadline) in a supporting role, but there's no word yet on exactly who he's playing.
Alan Tudyk has debunked theories that he will co-star in Andor opposite Luna, telling Collider in a recent interview that he will not feature in the first season - but could well crop up further down the line.
“They're shooting it right now, I'm not in it," Tudyk said. "But, if it stays on the air, stories keep getting told, I'll end up in there."
He continued: “I'm going to be in the show. It's just that the story that Tony [Gilroy] is telling doesn't involve K-2SO until later on... I can't be too specific, but I can definitely say that I'm not going to be in the first season.”
Robert Emms, David Hayman, and Game of Thrones actors Anton Lesser and Faye Marsay will also star in the series.
Gilroy – who directed reshoots and rewrote large parts of Rogue One ahead of its release in 2016 – is set to work as showrunner, replacing Stephen Schiff in the top job.
What is Andor about?
The official description reads: "The Andor series will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero."
LucasFilm previously described the new prequel as “a new spy series inspired by Rogue One”.
The casting of Adria Arjona as Andor's sister suggests we'll get a deeper insight into his family and upbringing over the course of the series.
However, it appears that we won't be seeing a return for the playful dynamic between Cassian and K-2SO, as actor Alan Tudyk has confirmed he will not appear in the first season - but could join the show at a later date.
He told Collider: "I do know this: I have to be on stilts for it, because the character is 7'1", and I'm not one of those guys that says, ‘somebody else do the motion capture, and I'll voice it later'.
"I'll have to do the motion capture, and I turn 50 in March. So I hope they get to it soon, because I'm not going to be on stilts in, like, five years. I'm not doing it!"
Luna has promised fans that the scale is just as epic as it would be in a big screen project and we have no reason to doubt him, given the blockbuster feel of fellow Disney Plus original The Mandalorian.
"The way we’re shooting this reminds me of how we shot the film, and the amount of work behind this TV series reminds me of the work you do for a film. It feels like we’re doing a very long movie," he added.
What happened in Rogue One?
In this 2016 prequel film, set shortly before the events of original 1977 Star Wars movie A New Hope, Andor and K-2SO team up with miscreant Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) for a covert mission, learning that her father Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) had designed a flaw into the Death Star space station that the Rebels could use to blow it up (which Luke Skywalker did in the original Star Wars film).
Picking up other team members from occupied planet Jedha (most of which was later destroyed by the nascent Death Star), the team eventually find themselves on an Imperial weapons development station on the planet Scarif, where Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO manage to steal the Death Star plans and transmit them to the Rebel fleet while their friends attack for a distraction.
Unfortunately, K-2SO and the other Rebels almost all die in battle, while Jyn and Cassian end up perishing when the Death Star destroys the Scarif base. In the film’s final moments, the plans are transferred to Princess Leia’s (Carrie Fisher) ship, tying the film into A New Hope’s opening moments.
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