Announcement (Andor)

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in February 2018 that there were several Star Wars series in development,[1] and that November one was revealed as a prequel to the film Rogue One (2016). The series was described as a spy thriller show focused on the character Cassian Andor, with Diego Luna reprising his role from the film.[2] Jared Bush originally developed the series, writing a pilot script and series bible for the project.[3] By the end of November, Stephen Schiff was serving as showrunner and executive producer of the series.[3] Tony Gilroy, who was credited as a co-writer on Rogue One and oversaw extensive reshoots for the film,[4] joined the series by early 2019 when he discussed the first story details with Luna.[5] Gilroy's involvement was revealed that October, when he was set to write the first episode, direct multiple episodes, and work alongside Schiff;[4] Gilroy had officially replaced Schiff as showrunner by April 2020.[6] Six weeks of pre-production for the series had taken place in the United Kingdom by then, but this was halted and production on the series delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8] Pre-production had begun again by September ahead of a planned filming start the next month. At that time, Gilroy, who is based in New York, chose not to travel to the UK for production on the series due to the pandemic, and was therefore unable to direct the series' first episode. Instead, the UK-based Toby Haynes, who was already "high on the list" of potential directors for the series, was hired to direct the first three episodes. Gilroy would remain executive producer and showrunner.[9] In December 2020, Luna was revealed to be executive producing the series.[10]

The seventh episode, titled "Announcement", was written by Stephen Schiff.[11]

The previous episodes of Andor had generally followed a three-episode story arc. However, Gilroy had stated that "Announcement" would be the only standalone episode of Andor's first season.[12][13] He had enjoyed the episode's "announcement of all the ramifications of what happens".[12] The episode had also depicted Colonel Wulff Yularen, who had previously appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It was considered to be a "relatively rare direct pull from the Star Wars canon" by Zosha Millman from Polygon, as she noted that one of Gilroy's mandates was to refrain from fan service.[14]

The episode stars Diego Luna as Cassian Andor,[2][15] Kyle Soller as Syril Karn, Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, Joplin Sibtain as Brasso, James McArdle as Timm Karlo, and Rupert Vansittart as Chief Hyne.[15]

Filming began in London, England, at the end of November 2020,[16][17] with the production based at Pinewood Studios.[18][19] The series was filmed under the working title Pilgrim,[18] and was the first live-action Star Wars series to not make use of the StageCraft digital background technology.[20] Filming locations included Black Park in Buckinghamshire, England for the flashback scenes, as well as at Middle Peak Quarry in Derbyshire, England.[21] In May 2021, filming for the scenes in Niamos had occurred in Cleveleys, Lancashire, England. The local Facebook accounts had received information of filming occurring at the location the previous month, with residents then closing promenades and roads to accommodate for Andor's production. Location manager Jason Allen had chosen the location as he had also been a local resident of the region.[18]

Nicholas Britell composed the musical score for the episode.[22][23] The episode's soundtrack was released in November 2022 as part of the second volume for the series.[24]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 100% approval rating, based on 19 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Following the delirious highs of its action-packed preceding episode, "Announcement" is not so much a comedown as it is a clarifying breath, vividly setting the stakes for more peril to come."[26]

At the 2023 British Academy Television Craft Awards, Frances Parker's work on the episode was nominated for Best Editing: Fiction.[27]