In 2025, Disney will release the second and final season of “Andor: A Star Wars Story” on Disney+ around the world, which will continue to explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy.

The series focuses on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make, set about five years before the events of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.

“Andor” Season 2 follows Cassian as he evolves into a leader of the emerging Rebel Alliance. Cassian may have been a reluctant hero before, but a higher purpose in the fight for freedom against the Empire fuels the Andor we’ll meet next year.

Prior to the launch of Disney+, “Andor” was one of the first shows to be announced. It was originally intended to be a five-season show, but shortly before the release of the first season in 2022, it was revealed that the second season would be the final season. Instead, it would bridge the remaining gap, covering four years, and it would be told in three-episode arcs.

With the show coming to a close, some new financial information about it has been revealed by Forbes, after public filings for the show’s production company were revealed in the UK. These filings highlight that between the two seasons, the show has cost £504.8 million ($625 million) to make, with the second season costing £231.1 million ($290.9 million).   The show’s costs could go higher as there are still more costs to add following additional production after the financial year ends.

This means that the second season of “Andor” is the most expensive Star Wars project ever filmed, which was previously £211.8 million ($280.7 million) for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and £193.6 million ($243.8 million) for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.

There are obviously some aspects of these costs that need to be taken into consideration.  Each season of “Andor” consists of twelve episodes, each around 50 minutes in length, totalling over nine hours for the first season and likely similar for a second season.  So, in terms of the money spent per minute on screen, the movies are still considerably more expensive.

However, it also continues to highlight why Disney is drastically reducing the number of Star Wars shows it is making for Disney+ and returning to investing in theatrically released films since they have a better chance of recouping their costs.

Due to British business laws, financial information about production companies, which are usually set up for the sole purpose of filming a movie or show, must be disclosed publicly, whereas in the United States, this doesn’t happen in the same way.

It’s also why we know that Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” series cost £196.6 million ( $224.3 million) to make and the second season of Marvel’s “Loki” cost £142.5 million ($167.1 million) to make, but that was for only six episodes, compared to “Andor’s” twelve. 

One of the many reasons Disney makes shows and films in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, is the tax incentives it receives. For “Andor,” the British government gave a tax break of £103 million ($129.2 million). The UK government offers a discount of 25.5% of the money spent while filming there, but they are required to employ a certain number of local people and have post-production take place there, too.

Governments do this since the benefits of this tax break usually outweigh the discount, since filming brings additional revenue into the area, with local jobs and businesses benefiting while it’s being filmed and also from additional tourism afterwards.

Roger’s Take: Without doubt, the money being spent on creating these shows seems insane and it highlights the problem when a show like “The Acolyte” fails, as so much money has been spent to create them.  It’s also a major reason why the studios are returning to more traditional television shows, since the costs involved in these epic juggernaut-level shows are just too expensive.   It’s also why Disney made the decision to shift the fourth season of “The Mandalorian” to a theatrical film, which is called “The Mandalorian & Grogu”, and it will be hitting cinemas in May 2026 since it has a much easier way of not just recouping costs but also make a profit.

The first season of “Andor: A Star Wars Story” is available on Disney+, and the second season will debut on April 22nd, 2025.

Are you looking forward to watching the second season of “Andor”?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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