08 Sep Andor: Scotland set for major tourism boost thanks to Star Wars TV series
The Herald – Craig Williams
SCOTLAND looks set for a major tourism boost with the forthcoming release of new Star Wars TV show Andor.
The 12-part series tells the origin story of rebel fighter Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, who was first seen in 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Andor premieres on Disney Plus on Wednesday, September 21, and comes hot-on-the-heels of fellow Star Wars mini-series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which starred Ewan McGregor.
Filming took place amid high levels of secrecy in Perthshire and Argyll & Bute, with production crews spotted at Cruachan Dam and Reservoir in Dalmally near Oban and at Glen Tilt near Blair Atholl.
Star Diego Luna waxed lyrical about the shoot north of the border, telling Empire: “In Pitlochry, Scotland, we had to walk for hours up a mountain to set up one shot. Huge effort. Really dangerous to get there. All you can see around you is sky, trees, rivers, lakes. Amazing! Like being on another planet.”
Veteran Scottish actor David Hayman revealed back in February that he is part of the series. He also confirmed that “about 500 film crew descended on Oban” for the shoot.
Scottish Star Wars fans have already been treated to a sneak peek of Scotland’s starring role in Andor in the official trailer, which has been viewed over eight million times since it was released at the start of August.
Visit Scotland told The Herald of their hopes that Andor will help boost tourism not only in Argyll and Perthshire but also in the surrounding areas.
A spokesman said: “Star Wars is the biggest film franchise in the world and Scotland has played its part, notably in its casting. For Disney to choose to shoot in Scotland for its latest Star Wars series will hopefully give a boost for tourism in not only Argyll and Perthshire but to the surrounding areas, at a time when the industry needs it most.
