Tony Gilroy, the creator of the critically acclaimed Star Wars series Andor, revealed he had to fight "hard" to secure the budget for the show's second season 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, which exceeds the cost of any recent Star Wars sequel trilogy film and is nearly double the budget of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Despite lower viewership compared to Disney+ hit The Mandalorian, and broader concerns about the profitability of high-cost Disney+ projects following several expensive but disappointing Marvel series, Gilroy stated that Disney ultimately agreed to fund Andor's equally costly second season.
"For Disney, this is $650 million," Gilroy said, highlighting the studio's hands-off approach to Andor's content. The series features elements not typically seen in Star Wars projects, such as discussions of rape and genocide, and scenes set in a brothel.
"Over 24 episodes, I never received a note," Gilroy continued, though he acknowledged one change was made. "We used the phrase 'F*** the Empire' in the first season, and they asked, 'Can you please not do that?'" This refers to a line spoken by Maarva in the first season finale, which was later changed to "Fight the Empire."
"For Season 2, Disney told us, 'Streaming is dead, we don’t have the same funds as before,' so we had to fight hard for the budget. But they never interfered with the content. That creative freedom comes with responsibilities."
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These responsibilities meant delivering a series whose quality matched its massive budget—something critics widely agree Gilroy achieved.
"Andor Season 2 builds on nearly everything that worked so well in the first season, 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 compelling the Star Wars franchise has been in years."
