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Kino Loy, the character portrayed by Andy Serkis in Andor season one, became an instant fan favourite during the events of the Narkina 5 arc which saw the character inspire fellow prisoners (including Cassian Andor) and led them to freedom. Devastatingly, Loy himself failed to escape the Imperial prison, which led to the belief that though Kino saved the lives of possibly thousands of prisoners, he lost his own. The scene in which Loy watches his fellow prisoners leap to freedom whilst he comes to the realisation that there’s no escape for himself became a standout moment from the season, with the Narkina 5 arc itself receiving tremendous praise, as did Serkis’ performance.
Shortly after the arc aired, Andor showrunner, Tony Gilroy, and director, Tobey Haynes, both teased that Kino Loy survived the events of Andor season one, but gave no hints as to how or whether or not the character would appear in the second and final season of the Star Wars series. Back in March, the Andor season two production ventured to Valencia, Spain where various scenes were shot including Cassian Andor and Mon Mothma attempting to escape a building on Coruscant, a meeting between Mothma and Luthen Rael, and Stormtroopers descending on a building which Rael is in. However, a report from Pedridos en Hoth claimed that Andy Serkis had been involved in the shoot, which took place at the City of Arts and Science, and that the actor was also residing in the building used to house the cast and crew.
Less than a month later, Star Wars Celebration kicked off and Lucasfilm began the event with the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase. The Showcase was used to promote various upcoming Star Wars television series including Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew, and to announce three brand new movies – however, the first project on the billing was Andor season two. When Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy and host, Ali Plumb, greeted the Andor cast to the stage, they specifically announced them as the cast of Andor season two. This isn’t second hand information, I was in the room for this, as were friends of mine. The cast that walked out on to the stage included Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Genevieve O’Riley, Joplin Sibtain, Muhannad Bhaier and Andy Serkis. This event on its own should’ve confirmed Serkis’ return, but alas it went over most people’s heads,
This brings us to present day, where Entertainment Tonight spoke with Serkis, along with other members of the Andor cast, where Andy Serkis confirmed that he’s returning for the second season of the critically acclaimed series. Serkis told the outlet that if Kino Loy had jumped with his fellow inmates, he would have perished, but now “he’s alive and working out his next move”, adding that the “journey of all the characters only intensifies.” I’m sure fans of the Andor series will be delighted at the return of the beloved Kino Loy, but he’s not the only supporting character recently confirmed to be returning.
Two weeks ago it was revealed via Swanage News that Andor season two were setting up for filming at the Winspit Quarry, a location used in season one of the series for Saw Gerrera’s base of operations. This obviously led fans to believe that the rebel extremist was returning for the second season, I’d even heard that Forest Whitaker was due to film this week, but regardless it’s not confirmation. However, Whitaker has since confirmed to Comicbook.com that he’s returning for the second season of Andor and revealed that he’s “safe to say that”, but could not and did not divulge any details on the highly anticipated second season.
As mentioned, the Andor production was set to film at the Winspit Quarry, but towards the tail end of last week, pre-production at the location was shut down and filming was cancelled all together due to safety concerns caused by bad weather in the area that had since made the location unsafe. The production is supposedly hoping to reschedule the shoot, but there’s been no update as of late.
Andor season two is due to release exclusively on Disney+ in August of next year.
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