Andor Drew Unlikely Inspiration From Young Joseph Stalin
Tony Gilroy sought to create a more mature, adult-oriented Star Wars story in 2022's surprise Disney+ hit Andor.
After the last two decades of Star Wars had marketing its toys as big of a priority as quality storytelling, the very grounded Andor has been something else.
Gilroy spoke to The Rolling Stone about his inspiration for the series and he mentioned a shocking muse: Joseph Stalin.
One element of the Rebellion that George Lucas and Star Wars haven't really touched on in its four-decade run was how the in-universe revolution was funded. Andor has been heavily driven by this subplot, partially leading to its distinction as a more mature show. It explains how the Rebels are able to live and breathe as soldiers without being backed by a government.
Gilroy said that he included this because of his recent interest in historical non-fiction.
He mentioned a book by Simon Sebag Montefiore called Young Stalin, chronicling the life of the soon-to-be tyrant leader of Russia. In the first few pages, the author writes about Stalin using a team of 15 to rob the State Bank in Tiflis, Georgia. This was in 1907, in the midst of the Russian Revolution.
Stalin's actions were supported by revolution leader Vladimir Lenin, who was the head of the Russian (and later, Soviet Union's) government until his death in 1924, preceding Stalin. Gilroy said that Stalin was Lenin's "financier" and that's why Lenin loved and trusted Stalin. The revolution needed money and Stalin brought it.
Gilroy said that the financing of revolutions is something in which he's always had an interest and, in his filmmaking, it's something on which he's always focused. He doesn't want his audiences to question how his characters make their money.
When Gilroy was announced for 2016's Rogue One (the one-off movie introducing the characters of Andor), it wasn't because he was a fan of the franchise. Gilroy admits that he wasn't hired because of his "Star Wars resume," but because of his style of filmmaking.
He said he was told to do something different from what's been done in Star Wars, and he decided to tell a more in-depth story of the Rebellion - down to the smallest details.
Andor has been the Star Wars hit of 2022, garnering more buzz than even the long-awaited Obi-Wan Kenobi a few months ago. Gilroy's unconventional style (at least for the genre) is a huge part of that, as is his integration of inspiration from unconventional sources.