Andor creator addresses Star Wars' lack of risks and reported rift from The Mandalorian boss

Andor creator Tony Gilroy has given a candid new interview, where he addressed recent criticism of the Star Wars franchise and rumours that new Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni didn't enjoy his series.

The screenwriter, previously known for the Bourne trilogy and legal drama Michael Clayton, first travelled to a galaxy far, far away for 2016's Rogue One, and went on to oversee Disney's acclaimed prequel series.

Despite a warm reception from critics and fans, Andor remains an outlier in the wider Star Wars canon, which is more focused on family-friendly fare such as The Mandalorian & Grogu and Skeleton Crew.

Indeed, some fans have questioned whether Disney is too risk-averse in its reliance on fan service and familiarity, particularly after the scrapping of an intriguing Ben Solo pitch by Adam Driver and prolific director Steven Soderbergh (Black Bag).

The Hollywood Reporter asked Gilroy if he was "disappointed" that the future of Star Wars may not capitalise on the promise of Andor's mature, gritty storytelling.

"Disappointed would be too strong a word," he responded. "What would I feel? I don't know. I'm not an investor. I don't have the responsibility. I don't have that portfolio on my desk.

"I don't know how I would behave if it was my ass on the line and there's 'X' amount of money [at stake]. The problem is there's no inexpensive way to do these shows [or movies]."

While sympathising with the predicament of worried executives, Gilroy did suggest that he would probably be more experimental with Star Wars, citing HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as a successful gamble with another top franchise.

He continued: "If I was going to do that [executive] job, I would rather go down swinging. I'd rather go down in flames. As low-risk as my life is, my creative life is pretty high-risk, so I'd like to swing away. Safety has never been one of my navigational principles."

Nevertheless, in-keeping with his earlier claims of not being a diehard Star Wars fan (via ComicBookMovie.com), Gilroy ultimately concluded "it doesn't matter to me what they do".

The screenwriter went on to address the rumours that Andor wasn't well-liked by The Mandalorian producer and recently promoted Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni (according to The Wrap) – a claim that left him puzzled.

"We've always gotten along with those guys, and we've never had anything but high praise for everything that they've done," said Gilroy. "We only have our show because of them, and we've always said that was true.

"There's no Andor without The Mandalorian. It would not exist. So it has never been anything but cordial and pleasant, ever... I don't know anything that you don't know."

Gilroy is now stepping away from the Star Wars universe, with his next project being a drama film about a composer, titled Behemoth!, starring Pedro Pascal (Fantastic Four: First Steps), Olivia Wilde (Don't Worry Darling) and Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby).

Andor is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign-up to Disney Plus from £5.99 a month.

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