Disney's Cassian Andor 'Star Wars' Series Adds Stellan Skarsgard And Kyle Soller

Stellan Skarsgard is already playing the villain in one space opera — why not add another? The star of Denis Villeneuve's upcoming Dune adaptation is set to join the cast of the Disney+ Rogue One spin-off series centered around Diego Luna's Rebel agent Cassian Andor. Skarsgard is in talks to join the Cassian Andor series cast alongside Poldark's Kyle Soller.Variety broke the news that Stellan Skarsgard and Kyle Soller (Anna Karenina, The Titan) are set to star opposite Diego Luna in the Disney+ Cassian Andor series. Both are in final negotiations for their roles in the yet-untitled Star Wars spin-off series. There's no information yet on who either of them are playing.

But considering Skarsgard's penchant for playing cold, intimidating villains, and the Star Wars franchise's tendency to cast accented European character actors as villains, it's likely that the Swedish actor will play an agent of the Empire. The series takes place before the events of Rogue One in the early days of the Rebellion against the Empire, and follows Cassian Andor's adventures during those formative years of the Rebellion.

But this casting could yet surprise us — the German film director Werner Herzog played a mysterious "Client" who hires Pedro Pascal's bounty hunter in The Mandalorian, while legendary Swedish-French actor Max von Sydow played a wizened ally of the Resistance in The Force Awakens. Perhaps Skarsgard could buck expectations and play a good guy who crosses paths with Luna's Cassian Andor.

The series, which is described as a "spy thriller," will feature the return of Luna as Cassian Andor, along with Rogue One's Alan Tudyk who reprises his role as the snarky droid sidekick K-2SO. Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote Rogue One, is set to write the pilot of the series and direct multiple episodes. Stephen Schiff is set to serve as showrunner.

The Cassian Andor series was originally supposed to started shooting last year, but it's unclear if the industry-wide shutdown due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will alter plans. Disney has previously indicated the show will debut on Disney+ sometime in 2021.