Could Director Krennic come back in Andor season 2? Ben Mendelsohn hints at yes

Ben Mendelsohn was a major part of Rogue One playing weapons developer Director Orson Krennic for the Empire. While Rogue One was only designed to be a one-off film, it's beloved by fans leaving us wanting more. Unlike Obi-Wan season 2, some Rogue One sequels have not been ruled out and since Andor season 2 takes place before the events of Rogue One, we could see Director Krennic in theory.

Maggie Lovitt from Collider sat down with Mendelsohn during the promotional tour for his new Apple TV+ show The New Look and asked him about reprising his role. The actor claimed he had not been contacted and at the time of the interview, filming was just two days away from wrapping up. The actor stated:

"Well, I mean, who knows in that case? Maybe they’ll just do a Krennic backstory, but they'll have to shoot it quick or use a lot of CGI, you know? Krennic the Younger, or something, and then they'll get someone cheaper to play it, I'm sure. I could be there as an advisor to help the younger actor out, and just go, “Mate… Mate. Mate!” You know?"

- Ben Mendelsohn on Orson Krennic

However, it's also important to note that other sites such as ComicBook.com have claimed the actor hasn't been approached yet.

"As for being contacted by Lucasfilm for a new project, I can tell you that no, I have not been approached for something like this. And yes, it would be great to see him again somewhere, but for now everything stops here. But as far as I'm concerned, I would be very willing to explore it further and significantly in that world. I never expected to play a character like that, but then again I never expected to become an actor either. For me, they are all wonderful things."

- Ben Mendelsohn on Orson Krennic

It would be a curious creative choice if Krennic didn't show up in Andor season 2 but understandable since we got an animated version of him in The Bad Batch season 2. It's safe to say that completely ruling out a reprisal seems unfortunate, but possibly true.

Who is Director Krennic and why is he important to Andor?

Director Orson Krennic was a weapons developer for the Empire and was the head of the Death Star development. Krennic was obsessed with his sole acknowledgment of the Death Star project and often bit off more than he could chew. Krennic recruited Jyn Erso's (played by Felicity Jones) father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelson) as an engineer.

Galen was seen as a traitor to the rebel alliance until Jyn found a video of him telling her he placed a weakness in the Death Star, a weakness that Luke Skywalker would go on to exploit in A New Hope, Jyn then went to Scariff to retrieve the plans. In doing so, Jyn and the rebel team would perish and so would Director Krennic. Krennic was defined by his ruthless dedication to the Empire and his obsession with being noticed for his achievements. Darth Vader even told him "Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director."

With Rogue One as popular as it is, I don't see why the team at Disney wouldn't give Krennic a cameo or at least tell some backstory. Galen and Krennic were big parts of the success of Rogue One and Andor was an excellent teller about the birth of the Rebel Alliance.

Andor season 2 wrapped up filming on February 9, 2024, and will not come to Disney+ until sometime in 2025. Until then, we can hope we will see some characters we've come to love in Rogue One.