Star Wars: Rogue One's Ben Mendelsohn Returning For Andor Disney+ Series (Exclusive)
With filming well underway on the Disney+ series, excitement is mounting for the Rogue One prequel Star Wars: Andor.
The Disney+ series will follow Diego Luna's galactic hero in the early days of the Rebel Alliance, weaving his way through scum and villainy well before meeting his robotic companion K-2SO. Several set photos and videos have teased tidbits about Andor's mysterious narrative, including the return of the Shoretroopers from the planet Scarif and new spaceships that will debut in the show.
One set video, in particular, indicated that a minor Rogue One character would be joining Cassian Andor on his adventures. Another one of Luna's Rogue One co-stars is also set to make a return, with Forest Whitaker confirmed to be reprising his role as Saw Gerrera.
Now, yet another member of the Rogue One cast will be venturing back into the galaxy far, far away...
KRENNIC RETURNS TO THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE
According to The Direct's sources, Rogue One Ben Mendelsohn will reprise his role as Orson Krennic in Star Wars: Andor. Mendelsohn's rumored role in the series has yet to be confirmed by Disney and Lucasfilm.
The extent of Mendelsohn's role in the show is currently unknown.
BEN MENDELSOHN TAKES OVER DISNEY+
Andor's connection to Rogue One seems to grow by the day, adding another key character from the 2016 movie. Orson Krennic was a fun addition to the Star Wars universe, so it will be exciting to see how the show expands on his character prior to his initial appearance.
This will also be the second Disney+ series to star Ben Mendelsohn, with the actor also having a key role in Marvel Studios' Secret Invasion as the Skrull Talos. Disney is clearly happy to keep the actor around as long as they can, and his addition to the Star Wars show should draw a lot more attention for those only familiar with Rogue One.
Though it is unknown how involved Mendelsohn's Krennic will be in Andor's plot, the show being set during the Rebellion's relative infancy could indicate that the character will also be early on in his career. Perhaps the Imperial will be without his Director title, having to work his way up in the Empire to establish himself as a formidable tactician and leader.
Could Mendelsohn's return also warrant an appearance from Mads Mikkelsen's Galen Erso? The two have a history in the Empire together, with Krennic eventually getting his old friend to come aboard working on the Death Star. Perhaps the show could tackle the lead-up to this partnership, tracking the development process that went into the Empire's iconic space station.
Andor could also draw from Krennic's appearances in other Star Wars media, such as the novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. In the book, Krennic interrogates Poggle the Lesser and convinces him to use Geonosians as a workforce to construct the Death Star. This flashback wouldn't require the return of a previous actor, so this could be more feasible with the help of animatronics or CGI.
However he ends up factoring into the show, Orson Krennic's return to the Star Wars universe is sure to excite fans from all corners of the galaxy.
Andor is set to premiere on Disney+ at some point in 2022.
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