Andor Season 2 Might Be the Most Important Thing Tony Gilroy’s Ever Made

As much as Star Wars fans are looking forward to The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew, if we’re being honest, the crown jewel of the upcoming release calendar is Andor. The highly anticipated second season of the Emmy-nominated show has had a rough road amid all the strikes and, as a result, got pushed back into the next calendar year. All of which makes what showrunner Tony Gilroy said this week even more excruciating. In a good way.

Speaking at the recent Writer’s Guild Awards, Gilroy heaped a whole new level of praise on the upcoming second season of Andor. “I’ve been on Andor for five years now. We’re finishing the second half,” Gilroy said. “I’ve had a lot of fun over the years, but I don’t know whether I’ve ever done anything as important as these 24 hours of storytelling we’re doing now. I don’t know if it’s just because it’s the thing I’m on, but I don’t think so. I’ve never had a chance to work this big before so it’s a pretty big deal for me.”

Let’s put that statement in perspective. First of all, Gilroy was at the WGA event to accept the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement. It’s an award given to a WGA member “in honor of their body of work as a writer in motion pictures or television.” So he’s putting the second season of Andor over everything else he’s been awarded for and it’s quite the list. Michael Clayton and The Bourne Legacy as a writer-director. The first three Bourne movies, Devil’s Advocate, Proof of Life, and Rogue One as a writer. Those are just a few examples.

Though, there is one bit of odd phrasing here. Gilroy refers to “24 hours of storytelling” which isn’t immediately clear. In the past, he revealed that the 12-episode second season is broken into four three-episode chapters with about a year in between each. Could he be referring to one specific piece? No. He’s almost certainly referring to the 24 hours that encompass both of Andor’s 12-episode seasons. So while the quote is season two-centric, really, he’s referring to the whole show. And rightfully so. We’ll see him finish it out next year.

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