Andormay beStar Wars' best TV show, but creator Tony Gilroy is convinced there’ll never be anything like it again. Excitement is building forAndorseason 2 ahead of its release on April 22, and writer and showrunner Tony Gilroy is doing the rounds promoting the show. Easily the most critically-acclaimedStar Warsstory of all time,Andoris unusual for the franchise - much more mature, confronting the evils of the Empire head-on.
Speaking toEmpire Magazine, Gilroy has noted he doesn’t believe there will ever be a story like this again. “Not because we’re so great,” he stressed, “but becauseno-one’s ever gonna start a show on this scale again, and shoot it practically, and have the resources and the protection to do something like this.” Gilroy credited Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on the creative freedom he’s enjoyed; “Kathy [Kennedy] protected us. Lucasfilm protected us. Bob Iger protected us. The audience protected us. The Mandalorian protected us. We had all these people out there backing our play.”
Why Tony Gilroy’s Andor Is Unique
He Certainly Has A Point
Gilroy certainly has a point; there’s something quite unique about his TV show.Andorhas a massive budget, costing an eye-watering $645 million - making itthe most expensiveStar Warsstory ever told. What’s more, it’s not even close - evenStar Wars: The Last Jedi, the most expensive movie to date, didn’t break $400 million.
Budget (adjusted for inflation)
$74 million
$85 million
$90 million
1
Return of the Jedi
$104 million
$100 million
$105 million
$136 million
$175 million
$193 million
$209 million
$230.1 million
$250 million
$314 million
$330 million
$322 million
$360 million
3
$387 million
$645 million
2
The show boasts a lavish production, confirming just how confident Lucasfilm really was inAndorfrom the start. It’s even been allowed a significant amount of time in post-production, withadditional photography for season 2 wrapping on June 29, 2025. Major studios like Lucasfilm have often been criticized for leaving minimal time for VFX work, but this has had well over a year. It feels like a labor of love.
Our Take On Andor: Star Wars' Best TV Show
Worth Every Dollar Lucasfilm Spent
Lucasfilm has had a lot of trouble keeping the costs under control during the Disney era, butAndorstands out as very much worth every dollar spent. Gilroy’s absolutely right that this will never be repeated; Disney is clamping down on costs now, meaning nothing like this will ever be allowed. What makes this most remarkable, though, is the creative freedom he has enjoyed.
Large franchises are notorious for imposing strict limitations on creatives. That’s visible in the MCU, which feels more like a single TV show created according to the vision of Kevin Feige, and it’s been even more problematic for Lucasfilm; we’ve all heard accounts of behind-the-scenes drama. Tony Gilroy has been trusted to make his own story, and he’s done an incredible job with it. Lucasfilm may never spend as much on a TV show again, but they will hopefully learn some vitally important lessons fromAndor.
