‘Andor’ Composer Nicholas Britell Breaks Down His Score and Why He Incorporated Rustling Leaves

‘The Rogue Ones: A Star Wars Andor Podcast’ returns with hosts Mike DeAngelo and The Playlist’s Editor-In-Chief, Rodrigo Perez. As with the previous episodes, each week, our hosts will recap and review the latest “Andor” episode and welcome cast members and creatives from the show to discuss all things “Andor” and all the intrigue and machination of the “Star Wars” galaxy.

Karen M. Peterson Production designer Luke Hull crafted a working city for “Andor,” the “Star Wars” series streaming Wednesdays on Disney+. The show, a prequel to the 2016 film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” follows eventual rebel hero Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and introduces audiences to new locations and planets. The most ambitious of these is Ferrix, a salvaging outpost on the edge of the galaxy that keeps itself free from the Empire’s interference. The planet Cassian calls home is an arid one, which presented Hull and showrunner Tony Gilroy with the challenge of designing an environment that felt different from Tatooine or Jakku, places “Star Wars” fans know well. Hull, who won an Emmy for his work on the limited series “Chernobyl,” says, “We didn’t want it to fall into the trap of being a town in a desert, or I was quite keen for it not to be a frontier town. Tony was keen that it had a very strong cultural heart. Like you really understood that the people came together, looked after each other there, they weren’t just part of the environment.”

Actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach is riding high at the moment. Known initially for his work in Lena Dunham’s “Girls,” his breakthrough appearance essentially, in the ensuing years, he’s put in the work and been in all kinds of indies, dramas, and varied film and TV works.

“Andor” Episode 4 just debuted on Disney+ in the “Star Wars” series’ second week of release (the first three episodes were dropped on premiere day), and more than anything, this installment of the series cements that the new show is a very different approach to a galaxy far, far away. And that, according to showrunner Tony Gilroy, was entirely by design.“Andor” follows the radicalization of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who we last saw giving his life for the nascent Rebellion in “Rogue One.” The show eschews the almost videogame-like plotting of Lucasfilm’s breakout series “The Mandalorian” for something grittier and earthier; textures feel tactile; characters feel troubled and broken, they look for their way and move in with their parents; dialogue is emphasized.

‘The Rogue Ones: A Star Wars Andor Podcast’ returns with hosts Mike DeAngelo and The Playlist’s Editor-In-Chief, Rodrigo Perez. As with the previous episodes, each week, our hosts will recap and review the latest “Andor” episode and welcome cast members and creatives from the show to discuss all things “Andor” and maybe a few other “Star Wars” properties.

It’s a more intricate and complex Star Wars than you’ve ever seen.

Star Wars character Darth Vader after 45 years in the role.As reported by Vanity Fair, the actor, 91, has signed off on archival voice recordings being used by young filmmakers, who plan to recreate Jones’ voice from his previous films for future Lucasfilm projects using artificial intelligence.“He had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character,” Matthew Wood, a veteran at Lucasfilm, said. “So how do we move forward?”Lucasfilm first partnered with Respeecher, a Ukrainian start-up that uses AI technology to create new dialogue from old voice recordings, on Disney+ series The Book Of Boba Fett to replicate the voice of young Luke Skywalker.Jones’ voice was artificially recreated for Darth Vader in recent series Obi Wan Kenobi, although Lucasfilm said the actor “guided” the performance.

Star Wars composer John Williams is reported to have been made one of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s very last knights, with the honour one of the final awards approved by the late monarch before her death a fortnight ago.

Clayton Davis Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday. LAST UPDATED: Sept. 22, 2022 CATEGORY COMMENTARY: Composer John Williams is a legend in every facet of the music world. Aside from winning 25 Grammys and five Oscars, he is undoubtedly the most important musical artist living today. Tapped for Steven Spielberg’s personal semi-autobiographical film “The Fabelmans,” he adds another great composition to his already impressive resume. If nominated, at 90 years old he would surpass costume designer Ann Roth and documentarian Agnes Varda as the oldest nominee, of any competitive Oscar category, in history.

Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Netflix, Peacock, Discovery+ and even more streaming services, there’s no shortage of options when choosing what to binge-watch this weekend. However, sometimes the amount of great film and television available to stream can be overwhelming and lead to scrolling aimlessly — hoping to land on that perfect piece of content.  Scroll no more! To help you out, ET has rounded up the best movies and TV shows to stream this weekend, including new arrivals, nostalgia-filled favorites and titles you may have missed the (well-deserved) hype on that are worth circling back for.From a new season of  to new episodes of The Handmaid's Tale and HBO's, we’ve got your content covered this week. For even more recommendations, make sure to check out our guide for everything new on Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Apple TV+ and more this month.

Luthen Rael, played by Stellan Skarsgård, has a terrific opening line in the third episode of the “Star Wars” spin-off prequel series “Andor.” “Cassian Andor,” he says with a dramatic pause, “the Empire is choking us so slowly, we’re starting not to notice. What I’m asking is this, wouldn’t you rather give it all to something real?” Rael’s talking about two things.

A new “Star Wars” show is upon us. That’s right, with the release of the first three episodes of Disney+’s “Andor,” Editor-In-Chief of The Playlist, Rodrigo Perez and Co-Host Mike DeAngelo dust off their blasters and launch into a galaxy far, far away with a brand-new podcast dedicated to what the hosts are calling “the evolution of Star Wars.” On what we’re officially called ‘The Rogue Ones: A Star Wars Andor Podcast,’ each week our hosts will recap and review the latest “Andor” episode and welcome cast members and creatives from the show to discuss all things “Andor” and maybe a few other “Star Wars” properties.

and, the universe continues to expand on TV with another new spinoff,. The latest Disney+ series created by Tony Gilroy and starring Diego Luna goes back in time before the film , to explore the political intrigue surrounding the dawn of the rebellion as everyday people push back on life under the Empire. For Gilroy, who co-wrote, the two-season series presented an opportunity to “go back and figure out how this person [Cassian Andor] ended up in, being the person that he is and doing what he does and giving his life for the galaxy,” he tells ET. Set five years before the events of the movie, which saw Luna’s titular character, Cassian Andor, sacrificing his life in order to execute the Rebel Alliance’s first effective blow against the Empire, an incident first referenced in the opening of, Andor’s ending may already be known but it’s the journey there that remains unknown.

The first three episodes of Tony Gilroy‘s “Star Wars” series “Andor” premiere on Disney+ today, to much anticipation. In the lead-up to the show, Gilroy “Andor” would be a creative pivot from earlier Disney+ “Star Wars” fare, and advance reviews of the series confirm that.

SYFY noted the historic mention of sex, which happens in the first 10 minutes of the show, “makes the show an absolute game-changer for the nearly 50-year-old franchise.”Creator Tony Gilroy told Rolling Stone magazine that the very first scene of the first episode opens with a trip to a brothel, which leaves viewers in no doubt about the show’s tone.“It sure is a good tell when you turn in that first episode for them to say, ‘Whoa! OK, this is what the show’s gonna be like,’”“It was a marker, but it’s also good for the story. It served double duty.”The series marks a transition for the sex-less franchise, which has always been geared to more family-friendly content.

Disney has a new television series for the "Star Wars" universe that is already getting thumbs up from fans and critics alike.  On Wednesday, the company released "Andor," a prequel show to the commercially successful 2016 film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," on the Disney+ streaming service.The story focus on the journey of Cassian Andor, portrayed by Diego Luna, who also executive produces the series.  Set five years before the events of "Rogue One," the show focuses on the transition of Cassian from petty thief to the rebel hero we see in the film.The actor believes the show will provide fans with an "intimate" perspective of what life was like under the rule of the Galactic Empire.  "There has to be action and adventure and that like big scope of science fiction that you expect from 'Star Wars,' but at the same time, we can allow ourselves to be different," Luna said in an interview with Reuters. Diego Luna reprised his role as Cassian Andor for the prequel series released Wednesday on Disney+.  (Getty Images for Disney)  "What was the life like for people to be willing to sacrifice everything for a cause, you know? I don't think we've seen that," He told the news service.  Luna noted, "I don't think we've been in the most intimate life of the people that were having to live under the control of the Empire.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Yet another “Star Wars” series arrives on Disney+ today, this time a “prequel of a prequel” that centers around Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor following his home planet’s destruction and the rise of the Rebel Alliance. “Andor,” whose first three episodes premiered on the streamer on Sept. 21, stars Luna as the eponymous Rebel leader. It’s mostly set five years before the events of “Rogue One” with the exception of some flashback scenes tracing Andor’s childhood. Written by “Rogue One” co-writer Tony Gilroy, the series serves as an enthralling set-up to the dramatic mission that takes place in the 2016 film, which sees Cassian’s “Star Wars” legacy solidified when he successfully steals the Death Star plans.

“You just walk in like you belong,” Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor impatiently explains in the impelling Rogue One: A Star Wars Story prequel series Andor that debuts Wednesday on Disney+ with three episodes and rolls out once a week thereafter.

“Andor” is the first Star Wars live-action show that does not star a Jedi or a bounty hunter. Instead, the series focuses on the beginning whispers of the Rebellion through the eyes of Cassian Andor, an assassin and a Rebel spy introduced during the last days of his life in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” And it’s all the better for it, resulting in one of the best “Star Wars” stories yet told.The series chronicles the five years leading up to the events of “Rogue One” and takes place just four years after “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the most recent Star Wars live-action series to debut on Disney+. In the four episodes released to the press, there are no Skywalkers or Sith yet, no light sabers or force users.