'Andor' built an entire outer city with hands-on effects, limited CGI for the 'Star Wars' series

The upcoming Disney+ "Star Wars" series "Andor" has kept it as real as possible by capturing the daily life of a town in a galaxy far, far away.

Set five years before 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', the series is billed by showrunner Tony Gilroy as a spy thriller that will subvert 'Star Wars' fan expectations with 'side storytelling' which will also reframe the 2016 trilogy.

Actress Adria Arjona, who plays Andor mechanic and confidant Bix Caleen, shared that Disney+ spared no expense when creating the world behind the 12-episode series.

“They built an entire city for us, like an entire city. I got lost in it,” Arjona said of the Ferrix town set. “I remember the first day I walked on set, and I was already in costume, which was a coincidence. It happened to be the day they gave me the tour. I was at a costume fitting and went there, and I was blown away. It was a whole city in the open air that existed. Ferrix exists. It's not in a studio. These are not parts of a set that we filmed in the studio. It really is a city. I keep saying three to five blocks. I could be wrong. And I could also maybe be under, I'm not sure, I'm not good with distances."

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Arjona previously told Variety that she "imagined I was either going to be on green screen or I should be in front of a virtual set", but that "Ferrix actually exists" thanks to hands-on production design and scope.

Showrunner Gilroy added that "Andor" shot in real-life locations using sets built entirely in London. The cityscape included everything from mansions to "luxury brothels and housing projects", according to the interview.

"You should be able to watch the show without ever caring about 'Star Wars,' or [having ever] seen 'Star Wars,'" Gilroy shared. “This show should work on its own. The hope, the dream, is that the truly hardcore "Star Wars" community will embrace the series in a new way - that they'll be thrilled that someone comes in and completely uncynically puts themselves in their molecular world and treats it. like a real thing."

The director continued, "I wanted to do it on real people. They did all this IP on the royal family, basically. It was awesome. But there's a billion, billion, billion of other beings in the galaxy. There are plumbers and cosmeticians. Journalists! What are their lives like? The revolution affects them as much as anyone else. Why not use the "Star Wars" canon as your organism? host for absolutely realistic, passionate and dramatic storytelling?"

Diego Luna reprises his role as rebel spy Cassian Andor, with Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker, Arjona, Genevieve O'Reilly and Fiona Shaw rounding out the cast.

As lead star Luna described it, "It's not about one character saving everyone. It's about the community."

For all updates on "Andor" and other upcoming "Star Wars" series, go here. "Andor" premieres September 21 on Disney+.

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