Summary
At 96%,Andorhas one of the highest Rotten Tomatoes scores of any Star Wars live-action TV show, but a new report has revealed it also has one of the highest budgets.
Andoris a prequel to Gareth Edwards’ 2016 filmRogue One: A Star Wars Story, which chronicled the story of the rebels who stole the plans for the Galactic Empire’s Death Star. As the title suggests,Andorfollows Diego Luna’s character, Cassian Andor, in his formative years as he learns what it means to be a rebel in the early years of the alliance. Season 1 ofAndorwas released in 2022 and was widely praised for bringing a darker and more mature sensibility to the Star Wars world.AndorSeason 2 is set for releasein 2025 and will fill the gaps in Cassian’s story until the events ofRogue One.
Andor’s Production Budget Revealed
Andorwas undoubtedly a success for the Star Wars franchise in some respects, earning three Primetime Emmy nominations following its release. However, it took quite a large budget to get it there. Areport from Forbesreveals that two seasons ofAndorhave cost Disney close to $645 million, with the filming of Season 2 rising to as much as $290 million. This is also not the final number as that budget only covers the shooting period through 2023, andAndorresumed filming in 2024following the guild strikes in Hollywood, meaning there is more money still to account for from the filming period this year. According to the report, this is the largest annual spending on a Star Wars project ever.Andor’sbudget surpassesThe Last Jedi’swhich was $280 million and is more thanThe Force Awakenswhich cost $243 million.
While the production budget of a series likeAndorwould typically be kept quiet, due to UK disclosure rules, Disney had to file the finances for the series. However, this record-breaking budget isn’t all that surprising given Disney’s Star Wars TV shows have proven to be costly.The Acolytereportedly cost the studio $230 million, only for it to be canceled after one season. Disney+’s latest Star Wars series,Skeleton Crew, is receiving rave reviewsbut also racked up a large budget of approximately $136 million. It appears thatAndoris not alone in the high-spending market, but it certainly is leading the race.
Could Andor’s Budget Impact Future Star Wars TV Projects?
WhenAndorSeason 1 was released, it was received well by fans and critics. However, some reports claimedits viewership was not as highas other live-action series in the Star Wars world likeObi-Wan KenobiorThe Mandalorian, possibly due to its more mature rating which cuts out the younger market, or due to its lack of attachment to a character whose outcome was already determined inRogue One.Andorwas always intended to be two seasons, so there’s no question of renewal depending on the second season’s success, but no doubt Disney will be monitoring it closely to see whether it justified its production costs. These high production costs have led to suggestions thatDisney will scale back its Star Wars TV production, withAhsokaSeason 2 andStar Wars: VisionsSeason 3 some of the few Star Wars TV shows in full-scale development at Disney right now.
