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“Man, I’ve been here for five and a half years, and then Rogue before that,” Gilroy said. “24 episodes. I think I’ve taken care of my patch of the garden pretty well, I think I’d like to try something else for a while.”
Gilroy’s work on Rogue One is tricky to describe, as he came onto the project late but contributed quite a bit. The screenplay had already been written by Chris Weitz and filmed by Gareth Edwards when Gilroy joined as a writer for the reshoot process. Gilroy then “oversaw” reshoots, working under Edwards as a second-unit director. However, Gilroy was credited as a writer, not a director in the end. Reports often point out his substantial $5 million paycheck as better evidence of his contributions to the finished project.
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Gilroy also joined Andor when it was already underway. The show was already in pre-production when Gilroy learned about the direction it was going in and got his hands on a script. He told Deadline that he didn’t care for the characterization of Cassian Andor, and he reached out to Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy with his concerns. She eventually asked him to join the project, and he wound up taking over as showrunner.
The popularity of Rogue One and Andor is particularly remarkable considering they are both direct prequels to A New Hope — the original Star Wars movie and arguably most beloved. These two productions could easily have angered one sect of fans or another by “messing with” the canon in some way, yet Gilroy managed to thread the needle. That’s a feat worth celebrating in this often contentious franchise.
We may be seeing the grand finale of Gilroy’s career in Star Wars with Andor Season 2. The season kicks off on Tuesday, April 22nd with three episodes, and will premiere three episodes per week through Tuesday, May 13th on Disney+.
