Disney Claimed “Streaming is Dead” Before 'Andor' Season 2 Production
Andor creator Tony Gilroy recently revealed that he had a few fights to keep a 'Star Wars' level budget for his series due to Disney’s concern over the future of streaming.
Jun 3, 2025
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Key takeaways:
While talking at the ATX Television Festival about Andor’s second season, creator Tony Gilroy revealed that the 24-episode series cost Disney $650 million
When it came to figuring out the budget for the show, Gilroy had to fight a bit for season 2, because Disney evidently told him “Streaming is dead, we don’t have the money we had before”
Nevertheless, Gilroy was able to obtain the same amount of money as he was promised for the first season in order to finish Cassian’s story
Lucasfilm
Deep dive:
Gilroy also claimed that he only received one note throughout Andor’s creation: to have Maarva Andor yell ‘Fight the Empire’ rather than another four-letter expletive
The initial pitch to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy included Gilroy stating that the show would begin in a brothel followed by the murder of two police officers, and once Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said yes, Gilroy knew that the show would allow for true creative freedom
The entire series of Andor is now streaming on Disney+
Eric Eilersen is a Senior Writer at Youtini and co-host of The Youtini Show. He loves collecting Star Wars Funkos, lightsabers, and LEGO as well as playing video games, reading Brandon Sanderson novels, watching the Dallas Cowboys, and spending time with his partner and pets. You can follow him at @EricEilersen.
