Cassian Andor series secures The Americans writer as showrunner

The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that The Americans writer and producer Stephen Schiff has officially signed on as showrunner for the upcoming Star Wars series focusing on Cassian Andor. The series will premiere on Disney+, the Disney streaming service.

RELATED: Diego Luna Reprising Cassian Andor Role in Star Wars TV Series

The series will follow the adventures of rebel spy Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion and prior to the events of Rogue One. The project is scheduled to go into production next year.

“Going back to the Star Wars universe is very special for me. I have so many memories of the great work we did together and the relationships I made throughout the journey. We have a fantastic adventure ahead of us, and this new exciting format will give us the chance to explore this character more deeply,” Luna previously said.

The spy thriller series will explore tales of espionage and daring missions to restore hope to a galaxy in the grip of a ruthless Empire.

Schiff has two Emmy nominations for best drama series during his time on the six-season espionage thriller at FX and has been behind the box office hits Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and last year’s American Assassin.

The series is one of two spin-offs in development for the Disney+ streaming service, with The Mandalorian already in production and having just added Warrior‘s Nick Nolte to a cast that includes Kingsman: The Golden Circle‘s Pedro Pascal and Deadpool‘s Gina Carano.

RELATED: Boba Fett Movie Fails to Launch, Spin-Off No Longer in Development

In Rogue One, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

Felicity Jones stars alongside Mads Mikkelsen who plays her father, Galen Erso. Diego Luna (Milk) stars as Captain Cassian Andor with Donnie Yen (Ip Man, Blade II) as the blind spiritual warrior Chirrut Imwe, Jiang Wen (Let the Bullets Fly, Devils on the Doorstep) as his heavily armored best friend Baze Malbus, Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler, Four Lions) as the Rebel pilot Bodhi Rook, plus Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) as Saw Gerrera, a character first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline, Mississippi Grind) as the film’s main antagonist, Director Orson Krennic.