Speculation has been running rampant that Andy Serkis will return as Kino Loy in Andor season 2 since last year. Heck, after appearing on stage at Star Wars Celebration, the actor all but confirmed he'll be reprising the role.
When we last saw the character, he was leading a breakout on Narkina 5 alongside Cassian Andor, only for his story to seemingly end in tragedy. The only way to truly escape the facility was by jumping into the water below, but poor Kino admitted he couldn't swim, meaning he either had to stay behind or risk certain death.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Serkis addressed his Star Wars future head-on.
"Well, there weren't really many discussions about the afterlife of Kino. All that we do know is that he survives. I mean, we don't see him die," the actor teases. "We see him left for a further life of the character. But prior to that, there were no discussions at all about [what] might happen afterwards."
"I was just excited enough about the arc that I had to play, which was a really beautifully crafted illustration of a man who has a belief system that gets broken that then has nothing to believe in, that then gets kind of reignited by someone who inspires him to find himself again, and then self-sacrifices."
Asked about the big "I can't swim" moment, Serkis says he was appreciative of the chance to explore how Kino would deliver his shocking revelation to Diego Luna's Cassian Andor.
"We did, and I did it a number of various different ways. And it was something that needed that kind of exploration. We were lucky enough to have the time to be able to do that because shooting on a TV schedule, often it's a very quick - unlike film where you can take time between takes and you can evolve in a journey."
"But it demanded a different set of investigations into how that would be delivered. Because it was a key moment. So I was lucky enough to get the chance to explore."
With season 2 of Andor set to jump a year every three episodes, we're guessing there will be ample opportunities for Kino to reappear.
What will have become of him is hard to say, though we know the character has absolutely nothing to do with Supreme Leader Snoke (Serkis has confirmed on multiple occasions that Kino is not in any way connected to the First Order leader). Perhaps he made that leap of faith and washed ashore? We'll see.
Andor season 2 is set to premiere on Disney+ next August.