Andor Season 2 In Big Trouble Because Of Showrunner Tony Gilroy
Andor Season 2 showrunner Tony Gilroy says that he is in full support of the writers' strike.
With the Writers’ Guild strike in full swing, we’ve already seen productions like Saturday Night Live and a variety of late-night shows put on pause. While most of Hollywood is in full support of the folks that deliver their scripts, shame was cast on Andor creator Tony Gilroy as it was rumored that he was still hard at work on Season 2. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Gilroy himself has come forward to say that he has not only dropped his pen in the writer’s room but is also not carrying out any other services for the series at this time.
In fact, Gilroy completely slammed these accusations, claiming that he’s been removed from the production since May 2. The initial reports stated that the showrunner was aiding the creation of Andor Season 2 by helping the casting and music department. Although the scripts have already been penned for the follow-up season of the Disney+ series, this still crossed a line with the WGA, who believed Gilroy’s place was next to them on the picket lines.
In his pushback against those claiming that he was still involved with not only producing but also writing Andor Season 2, Gilroy insisted that he “discontinued all writing and writing-related work on Andor prior to midnight, May 1.” The showrunner went on to declare that, following a meeting on Sunday morning, he also stepped down from his duties outside of the writer’s room.
While those who attended the Andor Season 2 meeting with Gilroy vouched for his hiatus from the series, his peers in the WGA are less sure about the showrunner’s intentions. Fellow writer Abdullah Saeed (Deli Boys) pushed back against Gilroy’s claims saying that there was absolutely “no way a writer/producer can ‘finish’ writing and begin solely producing,” further challenging Gilroy to back up his words and put his money where his mouth is, Saeed added, “if the scripts are truly finished, let’s see ‘em.”
Things are continuing to get heated between the WGA and the studios, who are eager to union bust and get the writers back in action in any way possible. It was previously announced that Disney (the studio behind what will be Andor Season 2), sent out letters to showrunners that held their contracts over their heads and pushed them to return to their non-writing duties during the strike. Referring to these attempts as “union-busting tactics,” the WGA said that even a small edit to dialogue or narration or an edit in directions would count as going against the cause.
It’s important to note that Gilroy says that he was doing no such things following the beginning of the strike.
As for Andor, while it may be a while until we see Season 2, the series was a major hit for the streamer and the Star Wars extended universe as it served as a prequel to 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, the series follows the titular character’s rise to help the rebellion and the harrowing missions that he serves along the way. All episodes of the show’s first season are now available on Disney+ and include an ensemble cast with the likes of Kyle Soller, Fiona Shaw, Adira Arjona, Denise Gough, Andy Serkis, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Varada Sethu, and Faye Marsay.
