Why won't there be an Andor season 3?

Lead character Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) originally appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, to which this series acts as a prequel explaining what motivated him to put his life on the line for the cause.

Despite generating major awards buzz and fan conversation, the show won't be continuing any further than its second outing on Disney+ – here's why there isn't an Andor season 3 to look forward to, according to the creatives behind it.

Why won't there be an Andor season 3?

There won't be a third season of Andor because showrunner Tony Gilroy found that the epic series is simply too large in scope for that to be a feasible idea.

When it was first announced, Andor was planned to run for a total of five seasons, each one chronicling a year in the life of the title character – but time constraints rendered that ambitious vision "physically" impossible.

Creator Gilroy noted that, given the time required, producing five seasons of Andor would be an enormous commitment, and the actors involved would age too much to be at all consistent with 2016's Rogue One.

As the screenwriter put it (via Variety): "Diego would be, like, 65. I'd be in a nursing home... We can't sign on to this forever."

Speaking to SFX, Gilroy elaborated on precisely when the decision was made to reduce the length of Andor, recalling that "we were halfway through shooting season 1 and the monumental size of the show, the effort, and everything else was just dawning on us".

Star Diego Luna had no objection to the decision, telling Variety that it was "important for my mental health" that the finish line remain in sight, amid a packed shooting schedule for the show – and only a short break between seasons 1 and 2.

To ensure that Andor and Rogue One feel like a complete package when watched together, Gilroy abbreviated his original story, shifting it forward by one year per three episodes in season 2.

Thus, the title character moves briskly to his ultimate fate in the blockbuster film where he originated, which itself leads directly into Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Andor is available to stream on Disney+.

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