Game of Thrones Star Rory McCann Was Cast in a Major Andor Season 1 Role—Then an Injury Forced a Face-Scan Replacement

Rory McCann is finally stepping into Star Wars, but the route he took to get there is a weird little production detour worth telling. Short version: the Hound was almost in Andor, got sidelined by an injury, and is now suiting up for Ahsoka season 2 in a major role.

The Andor near-miss

Back when Andor was shooting, McCann was originally cast as Brasso, Cassian Andor's steady, big-hearted friend on Ferrix. If the name on screen looked different, that is because it was: the role ended up going to Joplin Sibtain.

Sibtain says he was first brought in for a smaller part, but landed in the Brasso conversation after McCann got hurt. On the Star Wars Sessions podcast, he explained that McCann showed up to work with a limp, got it checked, and the consultant told him, essentially: operate now or risk not being able to walk.

"He just had a limp and he went to work. They did a scan on it and the consultant said, 'If you don't have this operated on, you're going to not be able to walk.'"

McCann had to step aside. Sibtain read for Brasso and the team pivoted hard to make the change stick. According to Sibtain, they even did some face-replacement work to bridge material that had already been shot.

"They reshot it. They did a lot with The Hound's face, they had to superimpose my face on [him]."

Yes, that is a sentence I did not expect to type about Andor, but here we are.

• McCann was cast as Brasso in Andor.
• Sibtain was initially up for a smaller role.
• McCann injured himself; doctors told him to get surgery.
• Sibtain read for Brasso and got it.
• They reshot and, per Sibtain, used face-replacement to cover the handoff.

Where McCann lands now: Ahsoka season 2

McCann is joining Ahsoka season 2 as Baylan Skoll, taking over the role from the late Ray Stevenson. Lucasfilm revealed the recasting at Star Wars Celebration 2025. While the show was filming, Ivanna Sakhno, who plays Shin Hati, had high praise for her new scene partner:

"I get to see Rory nearly daily at the moment, and he has been amazing to work with. I will have his work speak for itself, but he is definitely a gift for us to have. And there couldn't have been anyone better to take on this role."

Release timing

Ahsoka season 2 is expected in 2026. Andor season 2 wrapped up the show on Disney Plus earlier this year.