Tony Gilroy, the creator behind the critically-acclaimed Star Wars series Andor, revealed that he had to fight intensely for the second season's budget after Disney informed him that "streaming is dead."
Speaking at the ATX Television Festival, Gilroy confirmed that Andor had a staggering budget of $650 million—surpassing the costs of any recent Star Wars sequel trilogy film and nearly doubling the budget of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Despite the series having lower viewership than Disney+ hit The Mandalorian and broader industry concerns about the profitability of high-cost streaming projects following several costly but underperforming Marvel series, Gilroy stated that Disney ultimately agreed to fund Andor's equally expensive second season.
"For Disney, this is $650 million," Gilroy remarked, highlighting the studio's hands-off approach to the show's content. Indeed, Andor features elements not typically seen in Star Wars projects, including discussions of rape and genocide, as well as scenes set in a brothel.
"Over 24 episodes, I never received a single note," Gilroy continued, though he mentioned one exception. "We used the phrase 'F*** the Empire' in the first season, and they asked if we could change it." (This refers to a line of dialogue spoken by Maarva in the first season finale, which was later altered to "Fight the Empire.")
"For Season 2, Disney told us, 'Streaming is dead, we don't have the same funding as before,' so we fought hard over the budget. But they never interfered with the content. That creative freedom comes with responsibilities."
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These responsibilities essentially meant delivering a series whose quality matched its enormous budget—a goal that most critics agree Gilroy successfully achieved.
"Season 2 of Andor builds on nearly everything that made Season 1 so compelling, further enriching the prequel era of Star Wars," IGN noted in its spoiler-free review of Andor Season 2. "Gilroy and his team skillfully weave the dramatic irony inherent in a prequel into the narrative, making this season the most engaging the Star Wars franchise has been in years."
