'Andor' Creator and Cast Tease Time Jumps and Big Transformations in Season 2 (Exclusive)

Andor creator/showrunner Tony Gilroy says he has ceased all non-writing producing duties on the Disney+ series amid the WGA strike.

As you have no doubt already heard, the WGA is on strike right now. Just over a week into it, this strike has already caused quite a few disruptions, with productions being halted and development coming to a standstill.

backed out due to the writers’ strike.

If Tony Gilroy’s “Andor” was to earn only one acting nomination this Emmy season, it would be extremely difficult to pick the recipient. Golden Globe nominee Diego Luna gives the title character, Cassian Andor, a depth barely hinted at in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Stellan Skarsgard gives an acting master class as Luthen Rael, a rebel organizler who puts on a charismatic face as a Coruscant antiques dealer.

series has a reputation for having some of the best needle drops in the MCU, and is no exception. From the very first moments of the first film in 2014, which featured Chris Pratt's Star-Lord bopping along to Redbone's «Come and Get Your Love» on his Walkman, director James Gunn has punctuated his fun-loving space adventure with a memorable collection of songs, immortalized on the film's aptly titled  soundtracks.So, what are some of the favorite needle drops of the Guardians themselves? ET's Ash Crossan sat down with some of the cast, ahead of the release of the third and final, to find out.«Lake Shore Drive» by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah«I think my favorite song of the entire trilogy is probably the opening song for the opening movie — it's probably 'Come and Get Your Love.'… I love that song, but I also got to say there's a really special place in my heart for 'Lake Shore Drive' in the second movie, which is from my past. James and I grew up in the Midwest, and that was kind of a local hit in the Midwest.

Denise Gough has done enough television to know that sometimes what you read in a script doesn’t always make it to the screen. And even after filming was completed, Gough thought that could be the case with the “Star Wars” prequel series, “Andor.” What the two-time Olivier Award winner wasn’t banking on was that Tony Gilroy was running the show.

Diego Luna hangs out with a pair of Stormtroppers at an Emmy FYC screening for Andor in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon (April 30).

Orlando Bloom will be cheering on his girl from afar!ET spoke with Bloom at Sony Pictures' presentation at CinemaCon 2023 in Las Vegas this week about his movie,  -- in theaters Aug. 11 — where he shared his excitement over fiancée Katy Perry performing at King Charles III's coronation concert in London on May 7.«My girl's gonna be singing, that's fun. I'm not gonna make it there, sadly, but she's representing which is cool,» the British-born actor told ET's Ash Crossan.

“Next Goal Wins.” The film, an adaptation of the sports documentary of the same name, is based on the true story of Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), the soccer coach tasked with turning around the American Samoa national soccer team, considered one of the weakest teams in international play, in their bid to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Waititi’s humor is on full display in the trailer, with Abba’s “Take a Chance on Me” playing throughout. As blonde Fassbender stars as Rongen, a down-on-his-luck coach engaging in the sports formula of traveling to a different country to turn a ragtag group of soccer players into champions.

The following contains spoilers from the season 3 finale of Disney+/Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian, episode Chapter 24, “The Return” written by Jon Favreau and directed by Rick Famuyiwa.

Malina Saval Associate Editor, Features Entertainment attorney Craig Emanuel, Variety’s 2023 Power of Law honoree, remembers the day he got a phone call asking if he would be interested in meeting with Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.  “I knew that they were meeting with a lot of lawyers around town, and I really didn’t think we were going to get selected,” says Emanuel. “A lot of the other law firms were boutique entertainment firms that had huge client lists.” “Months went by, and I thought, you know, nothing’s happening,” Emanuel continues. “And then Richard Lovett, president of CAA, who reps Tom and Rita, called me one evening on the phone. I was at dinner with my partners, and Richard said, ‘I’ve got some good news, you have a new client.’”

Hugh Jackman's anticipated return as the titular X-Men character in . «I'm thrilled for him to get a chance to play with it again,» he told ET's Ash Crossan during the Celebration 2023 in London, England. The 59-year-old filmmaker directed the final two installments in the trilogy, 2013's and in 2017. At the time, the latter was meant to be Jackman's final turn as the superhero after playing him for nearly 20 years across nine different franchise films. «Whether one way or another, I knew Logan wouldn't be the last time we see a movie,» Mangold said of the Oscar-nominated installment.

 and portraying Anne Boleyn on AMC+, Jodie Turner-Smith is the latest performer to join the universe as one of the ensemble cast members of the upcoming series, . «I'm like, 'I'm in f**king ,'» the 36-year-old British actress told ET's Ash Crossan during the Celebration 2023 in London, England, relieved that she can finally talk about being a part of the Disney+ show. «Like, people kept asking me about it before… I'm like, 'No, I'm doing this amazing project with really great artists and a director I love and actors I'm obsessed with.'»And all those amazing people include creator and executive producer Leslye Headland as well co-stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Carrie-Anne Moss, Margarita Levieva and Joonas Suotamo, all of whom are part of the new mystery-thriller set during the final days of the High Republic era.The series will follow a former Padawan as she reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes before discovering the forces they're confronting are more sinister than they anticipated. And after «operating in a little bubble,» Turner-Smith shared that she's so excited to be part of such a huge, lasting franchise.

Prior to this year’s Star Wars Celebration event, folks were anticipating quite a bit of TV news, as well as the possibility that Lucasfilm would announce one new film. Well, we definitely got that, but even more, as the studio unveiled details about not one, but three new “Star Wars” films from directors Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Dave Filoni, and James Mangold, respectively.

The ladies of Star Wars: Ahsoka gather up for a group shot following a special panel for the upcoming series in London over the weekend.

Taika Waititi  projects. Yes, they're still happening, though it's still very much unclear exactly as to .ET's Ash Crossan spoke to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at the event in London, and she essentially reminded fans that no project is ever completely dead in Hollywood. When asked about the Lando series and Waititi's project, Kennedy said they're undoubtedly still in the works.«Oh yeah, all that's underway,» she told ET.

Back in October, I was able to get reliable information that said Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen, brother of Mads Mikkelsen, was indeed set to reprise the role of Grand Admiral Thrawn in live-action for Dave Filoni’s “Star Wars” series, “Ahsoka.” And today during the show’s panel at Star Wars Celebration in London the studio made it official by having Mikkelsen appear on stage (see below).

Tales of the Jedi cocreator Dave Filoni is using the Force to bring us a second season.

Star Wars” villain on the upcoming Disney+ series “Ahsoka,” Lucasfilm announced on Saturday as part of the Star Wars Celebration fan convention in London. Mikkelsen also joined the cast of “Ahsoka” onstage at the end of the panel. Thrawn was originally created by author Timothy Zahn as part of a series of Star Wars novels released in the 1990s that covered the events following 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.” In those books, Thrawn was a cunning and ruthless Grand Admiral in the Empire who takes control of what’s left of the Imperial fleet and mounts a counter-offensive to take down the New Republic.

return to play Rey in a new, untitled movie. Although the flick will be about Rey, the badass orphan heroine of Episodes VII through IX, it likely won’t be a continuation of the studio’s tentpole Luke Skywalker-Darth Vader series.Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Vanity Fair in 2022, “We are moving on from the Skywalker saga. That’s what’s taking a lot of time, discussion, and thought right now.”Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy says the movie, set 15 years after 2019’s “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker,” will “tell the story of the rebuilding of a new Jedi order.”“My heart is pounding,” Ridley said on stage in London.