SPOILER WARNING: The following article may give away key moments from Andor Season 1, so be sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you read on.
Things have rarely looked better for the Star Wars franchise than they have on the small screen lately, at least in terms of how most of Disney+’s original TV shows set in a galaxy far, far away have been received. One of the most acclaimed new Star Wars TV shows among both audiences and critics is creator Tony Gilroy’s Andor, which fans can be happy to know has a second season in the works.
The premiere season followed the rise of a rebellion against the Galactic Empire, as seen through the eyes of Diego Luna’s title character, who was first introduced in the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Any viewers who are curious when the events of this series will converge with that of the hit, 2016 prequel to the original Star Wars movie will certainly have their answer in our breakdown of all the most essential facts that we know so far about Andor Season 2. However, let’s start with details on how and when you can finally see the story continue.
What Is The Andor Season 2 Premiere Date?
As announced by Tony Gilroy, Andor Season 2 is expected to premiere in August 2024. At that point, the season's premiere episode (or episodes, potentially, since a trio were made available upon the series' debut) will be available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
The series creator revealed this during the Andor panel at Star Wars Celebration Europe at the ExCel London Convention Center on Friday, April 7, 2023. The information was further confirmed later by a press release put out by Disney on the same day. No specific day in August 2024 has been announced for when the season premiere will drop. While Gilroy has announced that all writing-related work has been paused for the production amidst the writers strike, there is no word on how it may effect the release date.
Diego Luna And Other Andor Cast Members Are Returning For Season 2
In addition to the sight of particular cast members who showed up for Star Wars Celebration Europe in person -- along with the friendly droid, B2EMO -- a sizzle reel shown during the panel confirmed who from the Andor cast is returning for the next chapter. Most obviously, Diego Luna — who also serves as executive producer on the series along with Gilroy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Luke Hall, and Kathleen Kennedy — is coming back in the title role of Cassian Andor.
Fans can also expect to see Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma (one of two actors to play the role), Kyle Soller as Syril Karn, Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, Denise Gough as Dedra Meero, Faye Marsay as Vel Sartha, and Varada Sethu as Cinta Kaz. One person whom we know will not be reprising her role is Fiona Shaw as Maarva Andor, whose funeral was depicted in final episode of Andor Season 1.
Andor Season 2 Will End Where Rogue One Starts
While there is still very little that we know about the plot of Andor Season 2 at this moment, there were some hints at the forthcoming story revealed during Star Wars Celebration Europe. For instance, we can now definitively say that the second season of the series will also be its last, as the events will lead directly into those of one of the best Star Wars movies in recent years, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. During a later panel that went behind-the-scenes of Season 1, Tony Gilroy provided these details:
Our final scene of the show, we’ve never made any secret about it. We’ve been saying it from the very first junket. The final scene of the show is him walking out to the ship to go to the Rings of Cafrain. I mean, we’re walking you into the film, right to that moment. And, we’re gonna let you know how he got there, what it cost him, the power of the journey that isn’t entirely self-directed. There’s a lot of circumstances that [have] brought him to this. There’s something very special about where he ends up and what his role is and we want to pay homage to that and we will pay off and hopefully stick the landing on every emotional piece of all the characters that you care about.
From the sound of it, the second season is going to be jam-packed with intriguing and deeply emotional revelations that, as we also learned during the event, will be told over the course of 12 episodes, much like the first season was. However, unlike Season 1 (which covered a year in Cassian Andor’s life), this next portion of the story will take place over the course of four years, with every three episodes covering a different pivotal period of time.
An Andor Season 2 Teaser Was Shown At Europe’s Star Wars Celebration
Star Wars Celebration Europe also treated fans who were present for the first Andor panel to an aforementioned special sneak peak at Season 2. While barely counting as an official trailer, the footage was, essentially, a montage consisting of brief clips that were taken from what has already been shot. The video has yet to be officially released to the public.
Season 2 Completed Shooting In February 2024
With an Instagram post made on February 9, 2024, Luna personally confirmed that principal photography for Andor Season 2 had wrapped up. The photo of him in character was accompanied by the following heartfelt message:
Today is the last day of filming Andor. I could not be more thankful to the entire crew for this amazing experience and the years of hard work. More than 700 people have worked on this production, and it is impossible to say goodbye and thank you to everyone individually, which is why I write here. THANK YOU for the love and the wonderful experience. See you soon.
Luna and the rest of the cast and crew were already at work on Season 2 not long after fans saw the finale of Andor Season 1. According to Variety, Gilroy said during Star Wars Celebration Europe that principal photography on the series began in November 2022.
Among the many exciting announcements made at Star Wars Celebration Europe -- such as Daisy Ridely's return to the role of Rey in an upcoming movie -- what we have learned about Andor's second season so far gives us a good feeling about it. Be sure to check back as we uncover more updates between now and the moment the season premieres on Disney+ in August 2024.
