Andor season 2 received no notes from Disney as showrunner reveals how the "critical appreciation" of season 1 helped allow for an unusual amount of creative freedom

Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

Andor season 1 is widely regarded as one of the best pieces of Star Wars media ever, and showrunner Tony Gilroy reveals that the "critical appreciation" basically gave him a free pass with Disney.

Disney is infamously known for being very controlling of its properties. Plenty of MCU directors feel like they've had their wings clipped, and the company scrapped the entire Star Wars extended universe. That's why it's such a shock that Gilroy tells Empire Magazine that for season 2, "In terms of creative notes, no one has come to me and said, ‘No, they shouldn’t say that'"

Andor season 1 was already quite radical as far as mainstream media goes. Throughout the show's three arcs, we see just how brutal the oppression of the Empire is for ordinary people, and we're introduced to characters willing to die to chip away at the Imperial regime.

Seeing Cassian go from a selfish, apolitical man just trying his best to survive to a radical risking it all for the cause is tremendous, and I'm amazed season 1 exists. So to hear Gilroy has even more creative control over season 2 makes me even more excited for it than I already was.

Andor season 2's release date is April 22, 2025, and it will be streaming on Disney Plus. A lot of familiar faces will be reprising their roles. Diego Luna as Cassian, who will be a more active part of the resistance than he was in season 1. Stellan Skarsgard will be back as the bridge between the people and the senate, Luthen, and we should get more screen time with the radical Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whittaker.

If you're not an Andor fan, we won't judge, but maybe you'd like to see what other upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows are in the works? 

Issy van der Velde
Contributor

I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

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