MOVIE NEWS – While Season 2 of Andor won’t feature major villains like Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine, the series still finds room for iconic characters—this time with a surprising recast that replaces a Star Wars veteran after over two decades.

Andor Season 2 makes a bold choice by reintroducing Bail Organa with a new actor: Benjamin Bratt takes over the role from Jimmy Smits, who had portrayed the character for more than 20 years. Rather than relying on deepfake CGI, the series opted for a full recast—and so far, that move is paying off. Bratt has already spoken publicly about the role and shared his thoughts on what the character’s journey might look like this season.

In a recent interview, Bratt praised Jimmy Smits and gave a preview of Bail Organa’s significance in the second season. “I’ve always known Jimmy to be an incredibly talented actor. He possesses elegance, a natural grace, a goodness really, an earnestness that this particular character requires,” he said. His words reflect how seriously he’s approaching the role in a show that explores the quieter, political underpinnings of the Rebel Alliance. According to Bratt, viewers can expect to learn much more about Organa’s role and capabilities within the resistance.

Bratt Believes Andor Stands Apart from Other Star Wars Shows

While Lucasfilm has used CGI to resurrect classic characters in The Mandalorian and Rogue One, Andor’s decision to recast Bail Organa the old-fashioned way is one of the smartest moves the franchise has made recently. Bratt’s casting is not just a practical solution—it’s a creative success. He was especially drawn to Andor’s grounded storytelling style, which feels closer to reality than any Star Wars production to date.

“I find the show’s writing to be very spare and yet it’s incredibly elaborate. It says exactly what you need to say to get the essence, the truth of the scene conveyed on the page. Even with the foregone conclusion that tragedy awaits our heroes, it keeps you hopeful. Tony’s story reminds you almost every episode that the human spirit cannot be extinguished. That’s the essence of good storytelling. We as a species have survived for millennia living on the stories we tell about ourselves… At the end of the day, if the human story is not moving you, then we’re not doing our job.”

‘Andor’ Showrunner Reveals Why They Recast Bail Organa

Series creator Tony Gilroy recently addressed why Jimmy Smits didn’t return: the actor was committed to another project and simply wasn’t available during filming. As a result, Benjamin Bratt was brought in after wrapping his performance in Poker Face alongside Natasha Lyonne. According to Gilroy, bringing back legacy characters is always complicated, and in this case, the scheduling just didn’t align—despite their best efforts.

“It’s really hard to bring legacy characters back for a whole variety of reasons. Money and scheduling and I mean, he [Jimmy Smits] just wasn’t available. It didn’t work out. He was doing his other show and we were under the gun and they couldn’t work it out… They just couldn’t work it out. Believe me, we really tried, but it couldn’t happen.”

Source: Star Wars