Tony Gilroy, creator of the critically acclaimed Star Wars series Andor, revealed he had to push back firmly for the second season's budget after Disney informed him that "streaming is dead."
Speaking at the ATX Television Festival (via IndieWire), Gilroy confirmed the staggering production cost of Andor reached $650 million — surpassing the budget of any recent Star Wars sequel trilogy film and nearly doubling that of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Still, Gilroy noted that Disney ultimately agreed to fund Andor’s equally expensive second season — despite the series attracting fewer viewers than Disney+ hit The Mandalorian — amid broader industry concerns about the profitability of costly streaming-exclusive projects following a series of expensive but underwhelming Marvel shows.
"For Disney, this represented a $650 million investment," Gilroy stated, emphasizing that the studio gave him creative freedom over the show's content. Andor included themes rarely explored in Star Wars projects — such as discussions of rape and genocide, along with scenes set in a brothel.
"Across all 24 episodes, I never received one note," Gilroy continued, while acknowledging one instance where a change was made. "We had a line saying 'F*** the Empire' in the first season, and they asked if we could alter it." (This refers to dialogue spoken by Maarva in Andor’s Season 1 finale, which was eventually changed to "Fight the Empire.")
Gilroy added, "Before Season 2, Disney told us, 'Streaming is dead, and we don’t have the same funds as before.' We had to negotiate hard for the budget, but they never interfered with the creative process. With that freedom comes responsibility."
Every IGN Andor Review
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This responsibility meant delivering a show whose quality matched its substantial budget — a goal critics widely agree Gilroy achieved.
"Andor Season 2 builds on nearly everything that made Season 1 so compelling, further enriching the prequel era of the Star Wars universe," IGN noted in its spoiler-free review. "Gilroy and his team skillfully weave the dramatic irony inherent to a prequel into the narrative, making Season 2 the most engaging the Star Wars franchise has been in years."
