Andor Creator Fights for $650M Budget Amid Disney Woes

Tony Gilroy, creator of critically-acclaimed Star Wars series Andor, has revealed he faced intense budget negotiations for the show's second season after Disney claimed "streaming is dead."

Speaking at the ATX Television Festival (via IndieWire), Gilroy confirmed Andor carried a staggering $650 million budget — surpassing all recent Star Wars sequel films and nearly doubling The Last Jedi's production costs.

Despite lower viewership than Disney+'s flagship show The Mandalorian and industry concerns about streaming profitability — particularly after costly Marvel series underperformed — Disney ultimately funded Andor's equally expensive second season.

"For Disney, this is $650 million," Gilroy emphasized, praising the studio's creative freedom. The series notably pushed boundaries for Star Wars with mature themes including rape, genocide, and brothel scenes.

"Across 24 episodes, I never took notes," Gilroy said, recalling only one censorship request: "We initially had 'F*** the Empire' in Season 1's finale, which became 'Fight the Empire' after Disney's request."

"For Season 2, Disney claimed 'Streaming is dead' and budget cuts were imminent. We negotiated fiercely, but crucially, they never interfered creatively. That freedom carries responsibility."

Every IGN Andor Review

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That responsibility manifested in delivering a series justifying its unprecedented budget — a critical consensus Andor achieves.

"Season 2 elevates everything that made Season 1 exceptional," wrote IGN in our spoiler-free review. "Gilroy masterfully incorporates prequel-era dramatic irony, making this the most compelling Star Wars storytelling in years."