Summary
- Andor creator noticed flaws in the initial Marvel-esque pitch for the series.
- Tony Gilroy decided to focus on character arcs and avoid using MacGuffins like the MCU.
- Gilroy emphasized the importance of character development over external objectives in storytelling.
Tony Gilroy, the creative mind behind Andor, recounted the time the series was first pitched. According to him, he observed some flaws that he also noticed in Marvel movies.
Andor is a live-action series set in the Star Wars universe. It is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and focuses on Rogue One's Cassian Andor. The sci-fi drama series was created by Tony Gilroy and ran for two seasons. The show was critically acclaimed and praised for its mature, compelling storytelling, slow-burn tension, and grounded political themes. It was a massive success and is even considered one of the best Star Wars projects. Just recently, Gilroy spoke about the series and the films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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In an interview with SlashFilm, Gilroy recounted when Andor was pitched to him for the first time. According to him, the story was good, but it was flawed. He found some similarities between the first version of Andor and Marvel movies. The series was written like a buddy-cop adventure between Diego Luna's Andor and Alan Tudyk's droid K-2SO. He decided to take another path because he didn't think that plot was the best. Instead, he decided to only introduce the Imperial droid in the latter part of Season 2. Gilroy said:
They were not bad, but they had a fatal flaw. It seemed to me, which is, if that's your show, that we're going to storm the Citadel in the pilot, what are you going to do in episode 9? What do you do? You're just going to keep getting the disc?
According to Gilroy, he observed the same problem in the MCU movies and Andor's first pitch. SlashFilm noted that Gilroy was likely referring to the show's iteration, which was "initially more episodic and focused on MacGuffins." The mention of "the disc" was a reference to Avengers' Tesseract. In Marvel Comics, the Tesseract is a powerful and mysterious artifact. It's a cosmic container for the Space Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. In the comics, the Infinity Gems predate the Tesseract. However, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is shown as a small, blue cube housing the Space Stone, which gives its user power to control space, teleportation, and interdimensional travel. However, Gilroy doesn't think it is best for a movie to focus on a particular object or device.
The Tesseract! That's why all those Marvel movies are all — that's why they fail. You're just constantly... If that's all you're doing, then all you're doing is just trying to get the Tesseract.
Tony Gilroy Claims Marvel Studios Is Overreliant On MacGuffins, Which Hurts The Overall Product
Gilroy has a point when it comes to MacGuffins—a storytelling device that drives the plot—because while its purpose is to motivate the characters and set the story in motion, it is not important in itself. Yes, you read that right; its function is more significant than its actual nature. So, once it serves its purpose, the story may shift and depart from it. Several movies use MacGuffin, even popular franchises like the ring in The Lord of the Rings or the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.
Gilroy probably meant that focusing on external objectives can overshadow character development and thematic depth. So, instead of following that approach, he created Andor differently by focusing on character arcs, political intrigue, and moral ambiguity to deliver an emotionally resonant story. And it works. Marvel seems to have learned its lesson because its latest movie, Thunderbolts*, features a group of anti-heroes or redeemed villains, and it was written in such a way as to deepen the characters' humanity. Although the leads were flawed, the audience was drawn to them because it was so easy to relate to them. It clearly worked, because the movie is performing well at the box office.
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One of the Andor Season 2 stars said the conclusion to their character's story was a “brilliant ending.”
Source: SlashFilm