Nearly three years after the show premiered on Disney+, Andor has concluded its two-season run. The magnificent series is now regarded as one of the best Star Wars projects ever created, bolstered by a standout cast led by Diego Luna. The show made waves in the galaxy far, far away by focusing primarily on new characters, but Andor still includes several legacy players from the franchise. One of which is Bail Organa, now played by Emmy-nominated actor Benjamin Bratt, who replaced Jimmy Smits. Will the new Star Wars star reprise the role in the future? The actor weighs in on the possibility.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Benjamin Bratt talked about potentially taking on the role of Bail Organa in future Star Wars projects. Although it is unclear if the character will appear anytime soon, the actor is more than willing to return, especially if Andor creator Tony Gilroy is involved. With Andor coming to a natural conclusion, it seems Bratt’s enthusiasm for the role comes from working with the talented cast and crew behind the Rogue One prequel. His words:

“Wide open. Listen, as long as there’s interest, I’d show up for Tony to do craft services on his next job. I just have such tremendous respect for him. And the shame of it was I didn’t really ever see him on set. He was stateside and then was locked down because of the writer’s strike. He put together a remarkable team of writers and directors and actors, and the whole thing works from top to bottom. This is television as good as it gets, as far as I’m concerned. And I’m just so grateful and immensely proud of the fact that I am in some small part of it.”

Related

Controversial AI ‘Star Wars’ Movie Released for Free by ILM

Industrial Light & Magic has created an AI concept ‘Star Wars’ movie, and fans hate it.

If Andor is the last time audiences see Benjamin Bratt as Bail Organa, it was well worth the hassle. His final scenes in the pensive series finale, which is dominating its streaming home, are more than enough to justify bringing back the legacy character. Andor is known for not indulging in nostalgia with Star Wars cameos and Easter eggs. However, with Bail Organa, it felt necessary to tell his brief story opposite Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly).
Why Was Jimmy Smits Replaced in ‘Andor’?

Lucasfilm

Jimmy Smits has been in numerous live-action Star Wars projects over the past 20 years as Bail Organa, including Rogue One. However, it seems the shooting schedule for Andor conflicted with his other work, making his guest role in the series a difficult task for all involved. Of course, there is also the money component, which certainly played a role. Even so, it was not for lack of trying, according to Andor creator Tony Gilroy.

“It’s really hard to bring legacy characters back for a whole variety of reasons. Money and scheduling and I mean, he [Jimmy Smitts] just wasn’t available. It didn’t work out. He was doing his other show and we were under the gun and they couldn’t work it out… They just couldn’t work it out. Believe me, we really tried, but it couldn’t happen.”

It was not long before Benjamin Bratt was chosen to replace Smits as Bail Organa in Andor. Curiously, it was Kathleen Kennedy who suggested the actor, as Gilroy previously told Entertainment Weekly. “Kathy had the idea for Benjamin. It was just a brilliant idea. He’s a wonderful human being and really eager and beloved on set and really happy about what he does,” Gilroy revealed. Smits made the role his own during his time in the iconic role, but Bratt also put his own stamp on it in Andor. Fortunately, Star Wars fans can now revel in two different but equally brilliant interpretations of the character.
Source: Entertainment Weekly

Andor

4.5
/5

Release Date

2022 – 2025-00-00

Network

Disney+

Directors

Susanna White

Writers

Dan Gilroy