Disney Boss Reveals He Penned Original Andor Script Before Encanto
Jared Bush, who leads Disney Animation and directed Zootopia, disclosed he crafted the initial Andor pilot script before choosing to helm Encanto instead. He calls the final series exceptional despite its different direction.
The creative mind behind Zootopia and current Disney Animation chief Jared Bush dropped a surprising revelation: he penned the first draft of what became Andor's pilot episode. Bush walked away from the Star Wars universe to tackle Encanto, which became a massive Disney success.
Tony Gilroy eventually took over the project. The series earned widespread critical praise, with its second season becoming the highest-rated live-action Star Wars production to date.
Creative Crossroads
During an appearance on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Bush confirmed the host's statement about writing "the original Andor pilot." When Belloni suggested he was "fired," Bush set the record straight: "Well, actually, I was never fired... No. That was when Encanto was coming up and I had to make a choice."
After Belloni jokingly noted that Andor turned out "okay," Bush shared his genuine admiration for the finished product. "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."
Different Visions, Same Respect
Bush acknowledged the creative differences between his original concept and Gilroy's execution. "It's not what I would have done with that," he explained. "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."
He praised Gilroy's previous work, particularly on Rogue One. "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."
Industry Collaboration
Bush pushed back against the idea of creative conflicts in Hollywood. "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."
The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters May 22 as the next Star Wars theatrical release. Meanwhile, Zootopia 2 has generated over $1.6 bn worldwide at the box office.