Beau Willimon, creator of Andor and Severance, discusses the pleasures of working in tandem on multiple projects.
In an interview with Variety, Beau Willimon, renowned for his work on "House of Cards," discussed his current ventures as an executive producer on Apple TV+'s "Severance" and as a contributor to the writing team for "Andor" on Disney+.
Comparing his writing experience on "Star Wars" to being a session musician on someone's album, Willimon shared that his collaboration with "Andor" creator Tony Gilroy began on the Netflix series "House of Cards," with Gilroy joining as a consulting producer. Willimon admitted that, at first, he thought Gilroy was joking when he was asked to write a few episodes for "Andor." He explained, "The less I know, the better... I want to tell a human story and a grown-up story."
Willimon detailed the six-week period he, Gilroy, and Gilroy's brother Dan Gilroy spent breaking the story for "Andor." During this time, he solely focused on scriptwriting, leaving the burdens of showrunning to Gilroy. Regarding the second season of "Andor," Willimon stated, "I'm very proud of the second season."
In addition to his work on "Andor," Willimon has also contributed to fleshing out the world of "Severance" for the Apple TV+ show's second season. Although not his usual role, he took on the position of executive producer to provide extra help, serving alongside creator Dan Erickson and other key producers.
Regarding his experience with "Severance" and "Andor," Willimon expressed a newfound appreciation for producing. "Sometimes I have a bit of distance and perspective that can be helpful... I don't have to bear the burden of this being my baby, I can simply help someone raise this child."
Additional details reveal that Willimon is also reportedly working on a related project, the Jedi origins movie for Star Wars. However, these specifics were not discussed in the interview with Variety.
Willimon's work on the Star Wars universe continues, as he is also reportedly working on the Jedi origins movie. Gizmodo and io9 might delve into the intricacies of this new project in upcoming articles. With his experience in television entertainment on shows like "House of Cards," "Severance," and "Andor," Willimon could bring a unique perspective to future movies-and-tv projects involving technology and science fiction.
