When it came out in 2022, Andor was one of the lesser-hyped Star Wars shows, despite being a prequel spin-off of the successful movie Rogue One. But powerful storytelling and solid performances by the likes of Stellan Skarsgard and Andy Serkis turned it into an Emmy-nominated, critically acclaimed show. Add to that the gritty depiction of the Imperial dystopia at its peak, and Andor became arguably one of the best Star Wars productions ever.
Ahead of the Andor season 2 premiere next year, showrunner Tony Gilroy shared with Empire that the critical acclaim paved the way for more creative freedom this time. The success of that first season granted the second season "a lot of momentum and key benefits going into this second season, the kind it may not have been afforded otherwise":
"The critical appreciation of the show was really helpful, if not essential, in helping Disney choke down the price of what this is."
Given that the budget for the first season was reportedly more than $250 million, Disney seems to have gone to town for the second installment. An even more impressive outcome of the show's success is Disney taking a hands-off approach, leaving the decisions around the narrative to Gilroy and his team. "In terms of creative notes, no one has come to me and said, 'No, they shouldn't say that," Gilroy said. In 2024's Hollywood, that's a rarity.
However, the lack of studio interference did not guarantee a smooth production process for Andor season 2. Gilroy admitted that they still had to face economic limitations, availability issues, production hurdles, a pandemic, and lastly, the actors and writers strikes that shut down much of Hollywood in 2023. Andor was one of the most high-profile shows to get impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strikes that pushed back the show's production and subsequent release by almost a year.
Andor season 2 is finally set to release on Disney+ on April 22, 2025. It will follow the story from the end of the first season to the beginning of Rogue One, meaning that we'll see Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) commit himself fully to the rebellion.
The Empire cover story on season 2 gave us looks at three major characters: Cassian Andor himself, Genevieve O'Reilly's Mon Mothma, and Denis Gough's Dedra Meero. It also revealed a first look at Ben Mendelsohn, who is reprising his role as Imperial bad guy Orson Krennic.
Will the second season of Andor end the series on a high note? We'll find out soon enough.
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