Tony Gilroy, the head of the “Andor” series, has verified that the show has a significantly high budget, as has been rumored. Over time, streaming service budgets have grown substantially for popular shows like “Stranger Things”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, “Severance”, and “The Wheel of Time”. Notably, the first season of “The Rings of Power” is reported to have cost Amazon approximately $462 million. In contrast, many, albeit not all, of the live-action “Star Wars” series were made on more affordable budgets.
It was revealed during a panel at the ATX Television Festival, as reported by IndieWire, that the cost for Star Wars’ series ‘Andor’ amounted to an impressive $650 million across both its seasons. This is significantly higher than the estimated $120 million per season for ‘The Mandalorian’, and interestingly, more than twice the production costs of ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ and ‘Ahsoka’, which fall within the range of $90-100 million each. The cancellation after one season of another Star Wars series, ‘The Acolyte’, reportedly had a budget of $231 million.
Gilroy commented, “For Disney, that’s a whopping $650 million.” He explained, “During the 24 episodes, I never accepted any suggestions. In the first season, we boldly said ‘Screw the Empire,’ and they asked us to tone it down. In Season 2, they claimed streaming was no longer viable due to budget constraints, so we had some financial disagreements. We fought for more money, but they never made any adjustments. With that level of creative control comes great responsibility.
Disney Is Stepping Back From Streaming
Despite Andor’s budget being relatively small, it’s nothing short of astonishing that this series was produced, and even more so that director Danny Gilroy operated with minimal supervision. As Gilroy admits, he and Disney did have financial disagreements at times, which is reasonable given the circumstances, but he was still able to tell the story he envisioned without compromise. Andor’s focus on dictatorships, genocide, and the personal toll of rebellion makes Disney’s backing of it, both financially and creatively, a delightful surprise.
It might be surprising to learn that Disney, with its backing of shows like Andor, doesn’t entirely agree with the notion that “streaming is dead.” While Disney+ may not possess the same allure as a service like Netflix in terms of original programming associated with major franchises, it’s important to remember that the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars are scaling back on creating new streaming series. In contrast to the recent past, where viewers could anticipate two or three new seasons within a short timeframe, only one live-action Star Wars show is currently being developed (Ahsoka season 2).
Disney and Lucasfilm are set to return to the cinema screen with two confirmed upcoming releases – The Mandalorian and Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda, and Star Wars: Starfighter – along with several other Star Wars movie projects in various stages of development. Disney’s emphasis on the cinematic experience is logical given current circumstances. It seems like a safer choice for now. However, if the streaming market was to collapse, I’m grateful it held out long enough to bring us the much-anticipated series Andor.
Our Take On Andor’s Budget
It’s challenging to pinpoint the exact distribution of Andor’s budget. However, it’s clear that Gilroy and Andor’s team preferred location shoots and large-scale practical sets, a costly but valuable choice. Few live-action Star Wars shows match the quality and feel of Andor. Everything appears tangible, which significantly impacts the actors’ performances.
I firmly agree that among all Star Wars shows, Andor has arguably had the greatest impact on enhancing the Star Wars brand’s reputation. While The Mandalorian was initially a huge success upon its debut, it seems to have lost some of its initial shine, particularly after a controversial third season. In contrast, Andor offers viewers an entirely new perspective on Star Wars. It delves deeper into the franchise’s core themes, remains faithful to the original content, and presents a more mature exploration of the galaxy far, far away.
Is it possible to assign a monetary value to the level of critical acclaim and widespread admiration that Andor has garnered following season 2? The show continues to captivate audiences and critics alike, long after its finale aired on Disney+. In many ways, Andor has demonstrated what Star Wars can achieve, and the limitless potential it embodies is something that might be considered priceless.
| Upcoming Star Wars TV Shows | Release Date |
| Star Wars: Visions volume 3 (animated) | October 29, 2025 |
| Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (animated) | 2026 |
| Ahsoka season 2 (live-action) | TBD |
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2025-06-01 17:07