Zootopia Director Reflects on Writing Andor’s First Pilot Script
Jared Bush, the creative mind behind Zootopia, reveals he penned the original Andor pilot before shifting to Encanto. He applauds the final series, calling it phenomenal, even though it took a different direction from his own vision.
Jared Bush, best known for directing Zootopia and leading Disney Animation, recently opened up about his early involvement with the Star Wars series Andor. Before stepping away to helm Encanto, Bush actually wrote the initial pilot for Andor, a fact he confirmed during a recent podcast appearance. The show eventually landed in the hands of Tony Gilroy, whose work on the project has been widely celebrated, especially with the second season earning high praise from critics as one of the standout live-action Star Wars entries.
During his conversation on The Town with Matthew Belloni, Bush was asked about his role in developing Andor. When Belloni mentioned, "you wrote the original Andor pilot," Bush replied,
"that is true"
. Addressing a comment about being let go, Bush clarified,
"Well, actually, I was never fired… No. That was when Encanto was coming up and I had to make a choice."
Creative Choices and Industry Perspective
Belloni joked that Andor turned out "okay," prompting Bush to share a recent experience with his family.
"I literally just had a conversation with Kathy [Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy] last week, where I sat down with my kids. They wanted to binge both seasons 1 and season 2, and it 's phenomenal."
Bush went on to reflect,
"It's not what I would have done with that. And I think that's a really important piece of what we do in this industry, which is you do want a storyteller's point of view and perspective. And, obviously, Tony's work on so many films, but especially Rogue One, which I thought was tremendous, that's why I was excited about Andor in the first place, because of that work."
He emphasized the collaborative nature of creative projects, saying,
"So, you know, I think so often I think that the narrative is sort of these battles between folks. We're all creative people that are just trying to make something that matters."
What’s Next for Star Wars and Disney Animation
The Star Wars universe continues to expand, with The Mandalorian and Grogu set to hit theaters on May 22. Meanwhile, Zootopia 2 has made waves at the box office, surpassing $1.6 billion worldwide. Fans eager for more adventures can look forward to a packed slate of upcoming Star Wars movies and series, promising plenty of excitement ahead.