Andor Showrunner says they had to resume the first episode because it was boring: “What the fuck is this?”

In a recent interview with Variety, Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy revealed that the Star Wars The acclaimed first episode of the series has not always been great as it was. In fact, during his first cut it was so boring that Gilroy had an immediate reaction: “What is the F*CK this?”

Gilroy recalled the moment, saying:

“Toby Haynes directed the first block [of episodes of Season 1]. I was in New York with my brother [executive producer] John [Gilroy]And we had a cutting room on the 86th road around the corner from my house.

“The first week, the first newspapers arrived, and they were terrible. I was like, ‘What is this? We are starting out of the show and it’s really boring. What is this?'”

Gilroy’s creative instinct entered and the result was a complete recovery of the opening episode. He continued to say:

“[Executive producer] Sanne [Wohlenberg] He recalled me that day and says: “Well, we’re taking this back”. And I’m like “can we do it the first week?” She says: ‘We have to. It sucks. And you have to tell him. ‘”

Gilroy had to roll his sleeves and put himself practical with the solution, and explained:

“I’ve never done it before or since then: I made a complete storyboard for like that [episode] He should go and has freed Toby. ‘We don’t want coverage. We want an intentional direction.

“He directs this as your life depends on this.” Subsequently, he had never needed anything to be said.

Andor He had already crossed a complicated development cycle before Gilroy entered. Originally announced in 2017 by Disney CEO Bob IgerThe show saw more creative leads to come and leave from Jared Bush (Zootopia), Then Stephen Schiff (Americans), before Gilroy, who has co-scored Rogue OneHe took the reins in 2020 after expressing concern for the first scripts.

Gilroy continued to write with co-writings several episodes of Andor Season 1 alongside Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Schiff e Beau Willimon (Card house). The result was one of the most acclaimed voices critical in the modern Star Wars narrative.

But if it weren’t for that first moment of Gutcheck, the series could have opened with a whining instead of a spark.