'Andor' Showrunner Tony Gilroy Rebuffs Scabbing Allegations

The filmmaker ceased all non-writing duties before the strike had begun

Andor creator, executive producer and showrunner Tony Gilroy is no longer performing any non-writing duties for the Star Wars series.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Gilroy replied to criticism he received from Abdullah Saeed, creator of the yet-to-premiere Onyx Collective and Hulu comedy series Deli Boys, for performing such services during the Writer’s Guild of America’s strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and streamers. Both Gilroy and Saeed are WGA members.

Reports came down Friday that Gilroy, whose scripts for season two of Andor were finished, was still providing producing services including casting and music-related duties. Gilroy states he was not present on set and hasn’t been since the strike started on May 2. Specifically, he said “I discontinued all writing and writing-related work on Andor prior to midnight, May 1. After being briefed on the Saturday showrunner meeting, I informed Chris Keyser at the WGA on Sunday morning that I would also be ceasing all non-writing producing functions.” Keyser, who is the co-chair of the writers’ guild’s negotiating committee, corroborated that the conversation they had did in fact occur. Season two of Andor also runs 12 episodes like the first, but spans the entire remaining four years with an ending transitioning directly into Rogue One. More on that soon.

Saeed called Gilroy out Monday on his Instagram with “This is scabbing. There’s no way a writer/producer can ‘finish’ writing and begin solely producing. And if the scripts truly are finished, let’s see ’em.” He seeks that if any violating changes occurred, that Gilroy be expelled, finding it implausible due to the intricacies of attempting to separate writing and producing. Not even S.W.A.T. creator Shawn Ryan could properly juggle, recalling his decision to step away from producing services during the previous writers’ strike of 2007-08 because it presented a “never-ending series of ethical dilemmas” that in the end made stepping away clean from producing the easier decision.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter