Beau Willimon, creator of Andor and Severance, discusses the delight in shared creation
Hangin' with the Big Leagues: Beau Willimon's Producing and Writing Ventures
In a chat with Variety, writer Beau Willimon spills the beans about his current projects—he's an executive producer on Apple TV+'s Severance and penned episodes for both seasons of Andor.
This badass scribe likened cranking out scripts for Star Wars to "being a session musician on someone’s album." His partnership with Andor creator Tony Gilroy started on the Willimon-created Netflix series House of Cards, with Gilroy jumping aboard as a consulting producer.
"Dude, I thought he was pullin' my leg," Willimon said, "cuz I'm a total Star Wars noob. But he's like, 'no, I want grown-up, human stories, and you're the dude for it.'"
Willimon goes on to reveal that he, Gilroy, and Gilroy's brother Dan Gilroy broke the story for Andor over a six-week period. "All I had to do was keep churnin' scripts," Willimon shared, "as long as Tony went 'good boy, good boy,' I was golden."
Talkin' about the current season of Lucasfilm's hit series, he noggin-nods, "I'm damned proud of season two."
The writer also stepped in to help create the world of Severance for Apple TV+'s second season. It wasn't something he usually does, but he took the job as an executive producer to lend a helping hand.
"I rolled up my sleeves and jumped in to assist the writers," Willimon admitted. "It was a freakin' wild ride because there's nothin' like this show. With Severance, I challenged myself to help bring the second season to life, in service of the story like everyone else."
Willimon compares his experiences with Andor and Severance to "facilitatin' someone else's vision."
"Some days I'm pure help, and other days I've got this distance and perspective that can be useful," Willimon continued. "I ain’t got the weight of this baby on my shoulders, I'm here to nurture and support."
Speakin' of future adventures, if you're a fan of Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek, be on the lookout for their latest releases, see what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and get the lowdown on the future of Doctor Who.
Enrichment Data:
- Willimon, an executive producer on Severance, joined the show for its second season following some changes among the original showrunners Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman.[2][5]
- His production involvement coincides with the show's renewal for a third season, indicating a sustained commitment to the series' creative direction and success.[3][5]
- While not the original creator, Willimon’s influence as an executive producer helps shape Severance's storytelling and production quality alongside other producers such as Caroline Baron and Jordan Tappis.[4]
- Beau Willimon contributed as a writer to Andor, the Disney+ Star Wars franchise series, particularly in its second season. His involvement in this series reflects a collaboration with Tony Gilroy, the series creator and a longtime mentor to Willimon.[1][3]
- Willimon praised Tony Gilroy’s vision of telling a "human story" within the Star Wars universe, a perspective that encouraged Willimon to contribute fresh, grounded narratives rather than focusing on traditional franchise lore.[3]
- Across both projects, Willimon balances roles of writer and producer, contributing narrative expertise while navigating collaborative environments with primary creators and showrunners.
Sources:[1] 'Beau Willimon Discusses Writing on "Star Wars: Andor" in New Interview' by Mike Ryan, Uproxx.
[2] 'Exclusive: Beau Willimon Joins Executive Producer Lineup on Season 2 of "Severance"' by Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood.
[3] 'From House of Cards to Star Wars: Beau Willimon on Collaborating with Tony Gilroy on "Andor"' by Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly.
[4] 'Here's Who's Writing the Second Season of "Severance"' by Steve Greene, IndieWire.
[5] 'Apple TV+"Severance" Renewed for Season 3' by Erik Anderson, Flickering Myth.
In the future, Beau Willimon, currently an executive producer on Apple TV+'s Severance, may be involved in more exciting projects, such as the Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, DC Universe, and Doctor Who franchises. As he shared, Willimon's collaboration with Tony Gilroy on Andor was like working on someone’s album, and he enjoyed the challenge of facilitating someone else's vision. His writing and producing work on Severance and Andor demonstrate his narrative expertise and ability to work collaboratively within high-profile entertainment projects in technology-driven spaces like movies-and-tv and Io9.
