The Rogue One Prequel series has just taken a major step forward as production nears. Toby Haynes has been set to direct the first three episodes of the show, which will serve as a prequel to the 2016 Star Wars spin-off movie and centers on Diego Luna's Cassian Andor. Previously, Tony Gilroy, who worked on the movie during rewrites and reshoots, had been set to direct. However, due to travel concerns, Gilroy opted to surrender his directing duties, paving the way for Haynes to step in.

According to a new report, Tony Gilroy, who lives in New York City, opted not to fly to the U.K. for production on the series, which is in the works for the Disney+ streaming service. Gilroy, who directed Michael Clayton and The Bourne Legacy, had previously been set to direct the first episodes of the show. But travel concerns brought on by the situation the world finds itself in led Disney and Lucasfilm to find a different director to take over. That's where Toby Haynes came in. It's said that Haynes was already high on the list to direct later episodes of the show anyhow. Gilroy will still be heavily involved as showrunner and executive producer.

Toby Haynes has directed on a number of hit TV shows including Black Mirror. Specifically, he helmed the popular episode, U.S.S. Callister. Some of Haynes other directing credits include Utopia, Doctor Who, Sherlock and Being Human. It is expected that filming will begin soon on the show. Diego Luna will be reprising his role as Cassian Andor, as well as Alan Tudyk as the droid K-2SO. The cast also includes Adria Arjona (6 Underground), Denise Gough (The Fall), Genevieve O'Reilly (Glitch), Stellan Skarsgard (Chernobyl) and Kyle Soller (Poldark).

It is also rumored that Jimmy Smits will reprise his role as Bail Organa.

Specific plot details for the show remain under wraps. It will take place before the events of Rogue One and will see Cassian Andor in the early days of the Rebellion. It has been described as a spy/thriller but beyond that, much remains mysterious. It is the second live-action Star Wars series to get off the ground following The Mandalorian, which debuted last year with the launch of Disney+. It proved to be a huge success right out of the gate, which encouraged Disney and Lucasfilm to begin developing more shows set within the franchise. Ewan McGregor is also set to return in an Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which is also expected to begin production in the near future.

Following the success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, Rogue One proved that the franchise could exist outside the Skywalker saga. Directed by Gareth Edwards, it was a huge success, earning more than $1 billion at the global box office. Edwards is not involved in the upcoming series. We'll be sure to keep you posted as any further details are made available. This news comes to us via Deadline.