Diego Luna Subtly Trolls Rogue One, the Most Widely Celebrated Star Wars Movie from Sequel Trilogy: “I was ready to move on”

The best thing to happen to the Star Wars films was when a standalone spin-off and a Disney+ series decided to meet in the middle and trade Diego Luna’s contact. The actor’s presence in Rogue One was nothing short of a breath of fresh air and Luna, for all intents and purposes, brought a charm and magic to the Star Wars universe that remained adamantly elusive since the days of the original trilogy. 

In that, the audience became eternally grateful to the actor and him, in return, to the galaxy far, far away. However, nothing in the Star Wars universe ever comes easy to its partisans – including the valiant heroes who became martyrs moments after stepping into the story. 

Diego Luna Wanted To “Move On” From Star Wars

Despite a harsh run at the box office for nearly 20 years, Lucasfilm had held out hope for the Star Wars universe and a revival of the glory days of its past. In 2016, Rogue One did the impossible – both in the story and in reality with a film that gave hope to the survival of the galaxy far, far away. But, though the film was a brilliantly multilayered story about the events leading up to the original trilogy, the characters would never go on to participate in the battle which reshaped history.

And yet, one of Rogue One’s most adored characters, Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor was destined for far greater things than meeting Luke Skywalker – changing the course of history itself. To Diego Luna, however, all Rogue One meant to him was a one-movie deal. And given his limited time and role in that film, he was not exactly jumping at the opportunity to overstay his welcome in the Star Wars universe, considering his debut also ended with death.

Also read: “For me, this is it”: Andor Star Diego Luna Confirms It Will Be His Last Outing as Cassian Andor as Show Gets Called Star Wars Made by HBO

In good time, Luna did recognize, however, that Andor was a seed that fell very far from the tree, and for that, he was glad. So much so that reading the scripts of the series Season 2 made him feel like the “luckiest actor ever.” 

“Behind everyone that has brought change, there’s a story, there’s a reason. And I just love that now we have 12 episodes to tell you that story. I was ready to move on. And then I was invited to [return], and it made complete sense.  I had so much more to say and do with this role. I just wanted to explore many things that I thought about while I was shooting that a film would never allow you to explore.”

Despite the odds, Diego Luna made it through to the other end of the tunnel and Andor has been a source of joy for the fans for their collective fascination with the anti-hero. The Disney+ series tells the story of a community and an unlikely collection of places, experiences, and people that helped shape the hero that Cassian Andor would ultimately become. The series currently holds a rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Rogue One Brought Back Hope For the Rebellion

Shortly after the launch of the Prequel Trilogy, just when the audience believed the films couldn’t get any worse, the Sequels happened and crushed the remaining hope for the audience. Even though hope remained a constant source of light for the forces fighting against the darkness, for the fans, the situation was anything but. The standalone spin-off film that was then announced as the next stop in the journey across the galaxy was received with significantly less enthusiasm, considering the track record of the Lucasfilm business. 

Also read: Star Wars: Andor – Diego Luna Reportedly Refused To Do 5 Seasons As Per Original Plan, Said He Would Rather ‘Die’

However, as fate would have it, Rogue One, the prequel to the original trilogy was a stunning showstopper – good enough to break the chain of cursed flops that plagued the galaxy since the 90s. The film earned north of a billion dollars at the box office, speaking to its commercial success alongside a critical one.

And in light of such progress, one of the characters from Rogue One would go on to hold incredible promise and potential that demanded a more thorough exploration than only a Disney+ series could provide. Diego Luna’s 2-season deal for Andor was struck and the fans became aware of yet another lifetime’s worth of legend and legacy in the making. 

Rogue One and Andor are available for streaming on Disney+. 

Source: Entertainment Weekly