Collaborating on Andor and Severance: Beau Willimon Discusses the Pleasures of Teamwork
In an interview with Variety, writer and producer Beau Willimon opened up about his current projects – executive producing Apple TV+'s Severance and penning episodes for both seasons of Andor**.
During the chat, Willimon compared scripting on Star Wars to being a "session musician on someone's album." His partnership with Andor creator Tony Gilroy began on the Willimon-created Netflix series House of Cards, with Gilroy joining as a consulting producer.
"I grew up with and love Star Wars, but I'm not an aficionado," Willimon confessed. "He said, 'the less you know, the better because I want to tell a human story and a grown-up story.'"
For the development of Andor, Willimon, Gilroy, and Tony Gilroy's brother Dan Gilroy spent six weeks breaking the storyline. As Willimon notes, this allowed him to focus solely on writing scripts for Tony Gilroy.
"I didn't have to bear any of the burden of what a showrunner usually has to deal with," Willimon shared about his experience. "All I had to do for the first time in my life was function as a writer who was delivering scripts to my friend Tony Gilroy. As long as he liked them, I was good."
The creator expressed his satisfaction with the second season of Andor and also contributed to expanding Severance's universe for its second season. His role as an executive producer helped the team refine the show's second season.
"I came in to assist on the production side of it, with the writers," shared Willimon. "It was an extraordinary experience because there is nothing like this show."
Working on Andor and Severance has given Willimon a newfound appreciation for producing. "I don't have to bear the burden of this being my baby," he said. "I can simply help someone raise this child."
Coming up, catch all the latest news on Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, the DC Universe, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
- Beau Willimon, who is currently executive producing Apple TV+'s Severance and penning episodes for both seasons of Andor, shared that he found it liberating to focus solely on writing scripts for the latter, as he didn't have to bear the usual burdens of a showrunner.
- In the development of Andor, Willimon, along with Tony Gilroy and Dan Gilroy, spent six weeks breaking the storyline, which allowed him to deliver scripts to his friend Tony Gilroy without any additional responsibilities.
- As Willimon looks towards the future, he has contributed to expanding the universe of Severance for its second season and expressed his satisfaction with the second season of Andor, offering insights into the production process of these popular television series.
