Earlier this month, we exclusively revealed that Tony Gilroy's critically acclaimed series Andor would begin shooting Season 2 this week, and we can now also reveal just how long the crew will be shooting the 12-episode final season. Ahead of the Season 1 finale and the first day of filming Season 2, Collider's own Steve Weintraub spoke with Gilroy, and he shared that Season 2 will be filming until August 2023.
Most television series, particularly those in the 12-episode zone, take around nine months to film, so it makes sense that Andor would follow a similar schedule. This, of course, doesn't account for the post-production aspect of the series, which will be working on the episodes as they wrap, and throughout the period between August and the Season 2 premiere date. The first season of Andor took around three years to film and wrap on post-production, though the pandemic's various filming restrictions exasperated how long the project took. During the interview, Gilroy also shared when he thinks Andor will be back on our television screens, and unfortunately, it isn't nearly as soon as we want. Referencing the schedule for the first season, Gilroy explained, "If past is predicate, and we do the same thing we did before, it'll be on the same schedule. It will come out two years later." He went on to say:
The only place you can accelerate the processes is in post, and the only way you can accelerate in post is with money, and money is tight. So, I don't really know, there would have to be some serious motivation next May or June or something. Someone would have to say, "Wow, we really need this, and we're willing to pay X." Rogue One proved, if you throw money at it, you can do post really, really fast. It's just very, very, very expensive.
It sounds like Cassian Andor's collision course with the tragedy of Rogue One won't play out on our screens until 2024 at the earliest. Hopefully, Star Wars Celebration will provide something to tide fans over next Spring, when the annual event is held in London—which is conveniently close to where Andor films.
Looking Ahead at Andor Season 2
While the Season 1 finale will decide which characters fans will be reunited with in Season 2, it is safe to say that Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilly, and Duncan Pow will return, as they all make it to Rogue One. Stellan Skarsgård will likely return, as he was the first to reveal that the series would return for a second season. The fates of Adria Arjona, Kyle Soller, Denise Gough, Elizabeth Dulau, Faye Marsay, and Varada Sethu are not yet known, though hopefully their stories will get a chance to further evolve in Season 2. Gilroy also previously confirmed to Collider that Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, and Alonso Ruizpalacios would be joining the series to direct blocks of episodes for the final season, with his brother Dan Gilroy and Beau Willimon returning to write alongside newcomer Tom Bissell.
The season finale of Andor arrives this week, exclusively on Disney+. Check out local listings to see where you can tune in to the first two episodes on ABC, Freeform, FX, and Hulu later this week. Check out our full interview with Tony Gilroy later this week, but in the meantime check out our interview with Andy Serkis below: