How Star Wars: Andor Took A Page From James Bond In Creating Luthen's Ship
Emmys season might be in flux as Hollywood remains shut down amidst the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but there are still a whole host of great TV shows worth celebrating and unpacking. Case in point: "Andor" VFX supervisor Mohen Leo, who's nominated for his work on the "Star Wars" show, recently spoke to Variety about the dystopian drama's design, and dropped some behind-the-scenes details tying one massive franchise to another in an unexpected way.
According to the outlet, Leo and his team had access to a "digital backlot" where they could search through past designs for ships and sets. "We had 3D models of the spaceships, droids and structures. So, when we put something together, we could go through our toy box," Leo told Variety. He also revealed that one of the show's ships, the modified Haulcraft that Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael used to secretly plot a revolution, was inspired in part by another famous vehicle: James Bond's Aston Martin.
One character's ship has strong Aston Martin vibes
It's less the look of the Haulcraft that's meant to call to mind the British sports car that first zoomed onto the silver screen in 1964's "Goldfinger." Rather, Leo said the vessels are alike in that both are souped up with secret compartments and add-ons. "In talking with [series creator Tony Gilroy], one of the inspirations was that Luthen's ship is what the Aston Martin is to James Bond," Leo explained. "It has all these hidden weapons and gadgets so it can pass as a normal freight ship. That became the starting point." Plenty of famous cinematic vehicles have had lots of modifications over the years, from the Mystery Machine to the cars of Fast & The Furious, but the Aston Martin seems like a good comparison because both Bond and Luthen are spies whose lives could be in danger if they don't hide their weapons and tools.
Luthen's ship features a host of memorable additions, including an intelligent droid mod that helps him with tasks, serves as a copilot, and can even make up fake transponder signals to help the ship avoid detection. The Haulcraft also features plenty of secret compartments, an extra-strong engine, and small missile-shooting capabilities. By the end of "Andor" season 1, it still doesn't feel like we've seen everything the craft can do, but audiences were treated to one of the most unique secret weapons in "Star Wars" to date: massive, two-pronged red laser beams that come out of both sides and act like a double light saber, cutting entire enemy ships to shreds.
That's pretty much the only thing Bond and Andor have in common
Leo said he designed that escape sequence with an Arrestor Cruiser like the one in "Solo: A Star Wars Story," and the scene took a full six months to complete. According to Variety, Gilroy actually let Leo design the scene with composer Nicholas Britell, who's up for two Emmys for his work on the show (and a third for "Succession"). As Leo put it, the idea from Gilroy was that "Andor" should have a "space battle moment and inject classic 'Star Wars' into it."
The Imperial getaway scene turned out to be one of the only moments in "Andor" that felt like classic "Star Wars," but the show is better for it: in an era of forgettable spinoffs, the bleak, rebellion-centered political thriller stood out for its unique tone, strong performances, and gorgeous sci-fi design. Aside from the Aston Martin comparison, it's also hilariously opposite the lavish, glitzy James Bond series in almost every way; I'm pretty sure most iterations of Bond ("Skyfall"-era Craig as one exception) wouldn't be caught dead talking to these appropriately gloomy revolutionaries.
In addition to the nods recognizing Britell and Leo, the show's first season is currently up for five other Emmys, including for Outstanding Drama Series. You can stream "Andor" on Disney+, and see if the special effects team wins big when the Emmys air January 14, 2024 on FOX.