Andor Breaks A Massive Star Wars Record

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 24, 2024 4 Views 6 Min Read
Andor Breaks A Massive Star Wars Record



Summary

  • Andor received high acclaim with a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score.
  • Season 2 will continue to fill in the gaps of Cassian’s story.
  • Andor’s high production budget is a record for Star Wars projects.

At 96%, Andor has 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.

Andor is a prequel to Gareth Edwards’ 2016 film Rogue 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, Andor follows 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 of Andor was released in 2022 and was widely praised for bringing a darker and more mature sensibility to the Star Wars world. Andor Season 2 is set for release in 2025 and will fill the gaps in Cassian’s story until the events of Rogue One.

Andy Serkis as Kino Loy in the command center in Andor episode 10

Related


Andor Season 2 Maintains One Of Season 1’s Smartest Decisions

Andor told its first story in distinct arcs that packed a lot of storyline into a few episodes, and the second season is wise to follow that example.

Andor’s Production Budget Revealed

Andor was 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. A report from Forbes reveals that two seasons of Andor have 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, and Andor resumed filming in 2024 following 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’s budget surpasses The Last Jedi’s which was $280 million and is more than The Force Awakens which cost $243 million.

While the production budget of a series like Andor would 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 Acolyte reportedly 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 reviews but also racked up a large budget of approximately $136 million. It appears that Andor is not alone in the high-spending market, but it certainly is leading the race.

Could Andor’s Budget Impact Future Star Wars TV Projects?

When Andor Season 1 was released, it was received well by fans and critics. However, some reports claimed its viewership was not as high as other live-action series in the Star Wars world like Obi-Wan Kenobi or The 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 in Rogue One. Andor was 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 that Disney will scale back its Star Wars TV production, with Ahsoka Season 2 and Star Wars: Visions Season 3 some of the few Star Wars TV shows in full-scale development at Disney right now.

Andor Season 2 is set to release in April 2025.

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