Disney’s $645M Bet: ‘Andor’ Becomes the Most Expensive Star Wars Show Yet

Although it hasn’t garnered as much attention as other Star Wars series, ‘Andor‘ is undeniably one of the best Star Wars shows to date and one of the standout offerings from the Disney era. Starring Diego Luna as the lead character, ‘Andor’ proved that a compelling Star Wars story can thrive without focusing on the Jedi and Sith—at least not in central roles.

The excitement for ‘Andor’ Season 2 began as soon as Season 1 wrapped up, with fans eager to see what would come next. Disney truly excelled with this series, delivering a story rooted in the core principles of George Lucas’ original vision for the franchise, which is why it resonated so well with audiences.

Season 2 of the show is set to premiere on April 22, 2025, and as we are coming closer to the release new details regarding its long and somewhat tortured production are coming to light.

Recently, Disney has revealed that producing the Star Wars series has cost $645 million so far, including a record $290.9 million spent on its second season, which premieres in April 2025.

This makes it the most expensive Star Wars production in a single year, surpassing the $280.7 million spent on ‘The Last Jedi’ in 2019 and the $243.8 million for ‘The Force Awakens’ in 2016.

The $290.9 million spent on ‘Andor’s’ second season so far doesn’t cover the full production cost. Filming started in November 2022 but was paused in the summer of 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. It resumed in January 2024 and finished in February, but expenses are still expected to rise.

‘Andor’ had relatively low viewership across its first season, but it has an impressive audience score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than any other Star Wars show on Disney+ and most of Disney’s Star Wars movies, except ‘Rogue One.’ This strong reception explains why it got a second season, though its success has come with a hefty price tag.

In recent years, Star Wars productions are getting costlier with ‘The Acolyte’ being the most recent example. The show was 8 episodes long but managed to between $160M and $180M in production costs despite being of low quality.

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