Credit: LucasfilmAs Lucasfilm and its mega-conglomerate parent company, Disney, continue to navigate turbulent waters, it looks like a fan-favorite actor from the Star Wars franchise has his sights set on a different, more R-rated sci-fi universe.
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Since the Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm from its original creator, George Lucas, back in 2012 for a record-breaking $4.05 billion, it’s been a rocky road for the beloved galaxy far, far away. Although Disney has found some success with Star Wars spinoffs such as The Mandalorian and, more recently, Ahsoka, its controversial Sequel Trilogy unquestionably divided the fanbase, tarnishing the franchise’s legacy forever.
Less-then-impressive Disney+ entries like The Book of Boba Fett and the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries, while not egregiously bad by any stretch, mostly failed to creative, compelling new narratives for these iconic legacy characters, with the TV shows feeling, to some, extremely rushed and half-finished. In regards to Disney’s handling of iconic heroes, Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) suffered a similar fate, with the Harrison Ford-less origin story failing to strike much of a chord with longtime fans.
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Still, as this new chapter of Star Wars gears up to return to theaters for the first time since Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), one movie from the Disney era is fondly remembered to this day: Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
Following the tragic journey of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the daughter of an Imperial scientist who leaves her checkered past behind her after the Rebel Alliance recruits her, Rogue One picks up roughly one week before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). After being rescued from prison, Jyn — reluctantly — finds herself in cahoots with Rebel spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who ultimately defies the Rebellion’s orders to help Jyn find the Death Star plans on the planet Scarif.
Even George Lucas, who rarely shares his opinions on modern-day Star Wars content, has praised Rogue One, aligning with the widespread belief that the first standalone Star Wars film is, perhaps, the best thing to come out of Lucasfilm’s Disney era yet.
In fact, Rogue One was such a success that Disney and Lucasfilm green-lit a prequel series for Disney+ titled Andor from showrunner Tony Gilroy, following the titular battle-hardened smuggler-turned-Rebel intelligence officer as he gradually decides to join the “cause,” leading up to his heroic sacrifice on Scarif.
Although the first season suffered from unusually low viewership, Andor remains the best-rated live-action Star Wars show to date and even won Lucasfilm its first prestigious Peabody Award back in May. Thanks to stellar writing, impressive practical sets, and an all-star cast from the likes of Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Andy Serkis, and Fiona Shaw, Andor caught the attention of disillusioned fans with a more tonally serious, grounded espionage thriller that signaled a much-needed turn for the franchise.
Andor Season 2 is currently in production, with filming taking place at the U.K.’s Pinewood Studios. Although the new episodes were forced to go on pause due to the now-resolved WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, things seem right on schedule, though an official release date has yet to be announced.
Until then, it seems like Andor‘s leading man, Diego Luna, has been keeping himself busy with other film and TV projects and not strictly in front of the camera. Per Deadline, another off-shoot of Prime Video’s smash hit superhero satire The Boys has officially been given the go-ahead and will see Luna executive producing alongside Werewolf by Night (2022) alum Gael García Bernal. According to the report, Luna and Bernal are also said to be considering taking on supporting roles in the show, though nothing remains confirmed.
The show, simply titled The Boys: Mexico, will presumably feature a new ensemble of dark-minded superheroes, perhaps in the aftermath of Homelander’s (Antony Starr) rumored presidential win in the upcoming fourth season of The Boys. While plot details are being kept under wraps, Blue Beetle (2023) scribe Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer has been tapped to write, while the search for a co-showrunner to join creator, writer and executive producer Dunnet-Alcocer is currently underway.
It’s widely believed that the spinoff will be filmed in Mexico, and casting is set to begin soon. The news comes amid a rapid expansion of The Boys franchise, with Gen V having just wrapped up its debut season on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month. With The Boys: Mexico beginning production in the near future, it’ll be interesting to see how this new story fits into the more expansive universe.
Luna certainly has a penchant for picking unique projects, and it’s not exactly surprising to learn he’s picked up executive producing duties for The Boys: Mexico, given that he also adopted the title for Andor. As for stepping in front of the camera, his speculated supporting role in the new spinoff of The Boys could come down to scheduling conflicts, as Andor Season 2 still has to complete principal photography and, likely, additional reshoots, which could span into next year.
For now, it seems like Diego Luna can’t get enough of his near-dystopian sci-fi adventure projects. His jump from Disney+ to Prime Video might not be much of a coincidence either, as Andor is set to conclude with its sophomore season, leading directly into the events of Rogue One. With not much of a future left at Star Wars and Lucasfilm, it’s unsurprising that the talented actor is looking to expand his portfolio — only time will tell if we’ll actually see him in front of the camera for his new gig with The Boys.
Are you looking forward to seeing Diego Luna hop from the family-friendly Star Wars franchise to The Boys? Let us know in the comments below!