While The Illuminerdi already hinted at the most explosive news about the upcoming Cassian Andor series for Disney+, we can now openly confirm that George Lucas is returning to the Star Wars universe as a writer and Executive Producer. But what does this mean for the future of the franchise?

WHO IS WRITING CASSIAN ANDOR?

The upcoming Cassian Andor series will explore the origins of Cassian (Diego Luna) before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It will track his earlier adventures through the galaxy as a spy for the growing Rebel Alliance. The Illuminerdi has already reported that Diego Luna is set to return to the title role and will be joined by two other series regulars: the sardonic droid K2SO (as played by Alan Tudyk) as well as the mysterious Luna, who has not yet been cast.

But the bigger news about the series might be about who’s working behind the camera on this series. Our sources have confirmed that none other than George Lucas is set to join the project, as both writer and Executive Producer. This is a major development for Lucas, who hasn’t been directly involved in the Star Wars universe for years. This will also be his first time as a writer for the franchise since the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Also working on the series will be Tony Gilroy, who wrote the screenplay for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and helped introduce Cassian and K2SO to the franchise in the first place. He was crucial to the rewrite process alongside director Gareth Edwards. This part of the news was first reported on by GeekTyrant, who also noted Lucas’ writing credit.

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WHY GEORGE LUCAS RETURNING TO STAR WARS IS BIG DEAL

Lucas has largely stepped back from the franchise he created. Following the mixed reception of the prequel trilogy (which Lucas both wrote and directed), the franchise incorporated more outside voices into other media like comics, video games, and television.

In 2012, Lucas ended up selling the Star Wars brand to Disney for a whopping $4.05 billion. Disney quickly went to work fully incorporating Star Wars as a part of its brand. It was a decision that ultimately paid off just six years later, according to CNBC.

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This lead to a number of new series, including The Mandalorian and the upcoming Cassian Andor series. It also resulted in the sequel trilogy, which just concluded this past year with Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Lucas provided an outline for his idea for the film and has been an executive producer in certain entries in the franchise.

However, Cassian Andor will be the first time in over a decade where Lucas has contributed his own writing to the franchise. It’s interesting that this character is the one that appeals to him, over Obi-Wan or The Mandalorian. Perhaps it’ll give Lucas the chance to return to the more gritty aspects of the franchise after the flashier elements of the prequel films.

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The fact that he’s also Executive Producing series implies that of all the Star Wars projects that are in the works at Disney, the one that appeals the most to Lucas is Cassian. Cassian isn’t one of the characters that was created by Lucas, so perhaps he’s interested in playing around with a character he never used before.

The Illuminerdi will keep our ears to the ground for any other further updates to the series, especially now that George Lucas is taking an active role in the franchise again. Until then, keep your eyes open.

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