Mexican actor Diego Luna is bringing telenovela drama to the Star Wars saga with a new spinoff series for streaming site Disney+. It will center on his Rogue One character Cassian Andor and his droid friend K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk).
At Disney’s D23 Expo last weekend, Luna and Tudyk were present for an announcement about the project. Currently in preproduction, the spy storyline will serve as a prequel to the 2016 film, which concludes with Cassian Andor’s death.
Visibly excited, Luna humorously expressed his joy for having the opportunity to return to the role. “It’s been a really hard three years, to be honest. I’ve been waiting for the call,” he explained. “Going back home, facing the idea of my character being gone. My kids won’t look me in the eye, sadly. But we’re here, and we’re going to look younger, which is amazing.”
He went on to note that it seems ideal to approach the project in the episodic format because they will have “10 hours or more to explore these characters and these relationships.”
Later, Tudyk asked if Luna had ever done television, to which the Mexican star responded by recalling his early work in soap opera classics such as El premio mayor. “Of course, I started doing television. Telenovelas, which is the crème of the crème,” he said.
When his co-star wondered if some of that over-the-top passion will make its way onto their show, Luna didn’t disappoint. “Yes, we will have a telenovela moment. You can cry when I tell you, ‘Te extraño K-2,’” he whispered in a deep voice, as if trying to imitate a valiant leading man.
No release date has been announced for the still untitled show.