Disney Needs to Shutdown ‘Star Wars: Andor’ (For Now)
Due to the Hollywood strikes, Disney really needs to shut down Star Wars: Andor.
Season One of Andor was a masterpiece. It was one of the best things Star Wars has done in the Disney era. The show is getting a much-deserved Season 2. It’s also going to be a final season, with the show leading directly into the events of Rogue One. However, real-world events continue to interfere. Despite this, Disney seems hellbent on moving forward with working on Andor, and it really needs to be shut down.
The Writers Strike is a Big Deal
On May 2nd, 2023 the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike. As of the publishing of this article, they remain on strike. The strike affects all of Hollywood. A large number of shows and movies have been delayed or put production on hold. Some have kept going despite the strike. Some shows or movies that were delayed may never get finished now. Now, the strike is a good thing, but for fans of shows or movies that are impacted, it can cause some worry. Andor is one of these shows.
Andor is Losing Writers and Showrunners
Disney has made the decision to move forward with Andor’s production. This means that any writers who were working on the show no longer can. If the strike ends then the writers can return. In addition, this has an extra large impact because showrunner Tony Gilroy is also a writer. Gilroy has been credited with being a huge part of why Season 1 was a success. However, if you look at it a showrunner is a major part of making or breaking a show.
Gilroy reportedly finished the writing for Andor Season 2 days before the strike. This may have partially influenced the decision to keep moving forward with production. Initially, Gilroy ceased any writer duties when the WGA strike began, but kept working on the show as a producer and showrunner. However, after facing criticism for this Gilroy announced a few days later that he was ceasing all work on Andor until the strike ends. This means the show has, for now, lost its head.
The Hits Keep Coming
On July 14, 2023, SAG-AFTRA, the major American actors guild went on strike. With actors joining the still ongoing WGA strike, large portions of Hollywood were shut down. As a result, numerous shows and movies have been put on hold until actors and writers can get fair treatment. However, as of now, only American organizations are on strike. This allows shows filmed, and run, acted in, etc.. out people outside of the US, such as in England to continue moving forward. House of The Dragon is one such show.
Disney is Moving Forward
Andor is another show that is mainly filmed in the UK at Pinewood Studios. According to reports some of Andor’s filming is being shut down due to the strikes. However, it also seems like Disney is keeping production at Pinewood going, with some filming and other work being done. Only non-SAG-AFTRA and WGA people can be involved in this and it’s not clear who falls into each category, but this just seems like a bad idea. Trying to film a show without its writers, showrunner, and a large portion of the cast is a recipe for disaster.
Andor is a super tight-knit story, and this seems to be really risking that. Given these events, it really seems like Disney needs to just totally shut down Andor production and filming for now. Andor deserves time and the writers and actors deserve fair treatment. Let’s hope they all get it.
Let us know if you think filming on ‘Andor’ should have been delayed, down in the comments!
