Empire January 2025

There’s no other word for it: Star Wars series Andor was nothing short of revolutionary. The Rogue One prequel – depicting how Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor was drawn into the burgeoning Rebellion – reinvented the galaxy far, far away from the inside out. And yet it remained Star Wars through-and-through, delving deeper than ever before into the saga’s themes of antifascism, hard-won freedom, and the evils of Imperialism. Now, a Star Warsstory like no other is about to go out with a bang – Andor Season 2 will complete Cassian’s rise, taking us straight into Rogue One with all the uncompromising flair that creator Tony Gilroy is known for. The revolution has just begun.

This month’s issue of Empire takes a world-exclusive deep-dive into the long-awaited return of Andor – speaking to Gilroy and his cast on what to expect from the time-hopping second and final season. Inside, we talk to Gilroy, Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, and Denise Gough about upping the ante for Cassian, Mon Mothma, and the dreaded Dedra Meero as the Rebel fleet grows in power. And we talk to Ben Mendelsohn, because – yes – Rogue One’s sneering Imperial boss Orson Krennic is back, back, back, ready to throw his weight around as the Death Star approaches completion. All that, and we have never-before-seen images, in a major world-first dive at the most exciting show in the galaxy.

And that’s just the beginning – our Andor Season 2 feature kicks off an epic 2025 preview, packed with exclusive first looks at Jurassic World Rebirth, Predator: Badlands, Tron: Ares, Daredevil: Born Again, HAVOC, and more, plus early peeks at Captain America: Brave New World, Wolf Man, Severance Season 2, Thunderbolts*, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. All that, and we re-enter the arena with Squid Game Season 2, discuss the secrets of Nosferatu with Robert Eggers, get operatic with Angelina Jolie, and talk Luca Guadagnino’s Queer with Daniel Craig. Oh, and we have the first word on Spinal Tap II. It’s an issue dialled up to 11 – and beyond.