'Star Wars' Series 'Andor' Becomes Latest Casualty Of SAG-AFTRA Strike

The "Star Wars" series "Andor" has become the latest victim of the ongoing strikes affecting both writers and actors in the entertainment industry.

The Disney+ live-action series, helmed by Tony Gilroy, stars Diego Luna reprising his role of Cassian Andor in a prequel series to the film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

On Friday, Deadline was the first to report that the "Star Wars" series "Andor" would have to temporarily pause production on season 2 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Although the series is reportedly only a few weeks away from wrapping production in the U.K., production had to hit the pause button following the SAG-AFTRA strike, which is currently ongoing with no end in sight.

The series, which is shooting at Pinewood Studios, will continue to try to film as much as possible without its SAG-AFTRA cast members, as several actors have agreements with Equity, the British acting union, and not with SAG-AFTRA.

According to Deadline, equity performers have been told that they "risk being sued for breach of contract if they walk off set in solidarity with American colleagues." It is not clear when "Andor" will be able to finish production, or if it will impact its scheduled August 2024 release date.

Earlier this month, “Andor” scored eight Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. Showrunner Tony Gilroy and actor Diego Luna both spoke to Entertainment Weekly only a few hours after the nominations were announced before the SAG-AFTRA strike started.

"That doesn't happen often, where you can be part of something you really believe in that also becomes successful," Luna said. "That equation doesn't happen often in life, where what you care about and put everything into also happens to connect with others. And this show has connected in so many ways."

"We made that first season through COVID, sort of hiding in Pinewood [Studios], without focus groups or any real audience," Gilroy added in a separate interview. "By the time it was released, we were really curious about what people were going to say. The last 10 months have been a pretty solid affirmation of all the hard work that a lot of people put into it, and this is just another chapter in that feel-good process."

"The challenges of this show are epic," Gilroy continued. "The scale of it, the expense of it, the risk of it for Disney and Lucasfilm… And there was a responsibility for the creators of the show to try and deliver and hit our deadlines and keep reaching for things. By the time we're done, I guess we'll have made eight movies. It's kind of extraordinary."

Diego Luna went on to say that he feels that the second season will be different from the first as the final episodes of season 2 lead into the beginning of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Luna said, "The confidence we have this season is different,” adding, "It feels good to go to set knowing what you want to do and knowing someone out there cares about it, you know?"

Tony Gilroy has been in “exile” from the show ever since the Writers Guild of America Strike began. "I'm really an exile from the show," he said. "I'm hopeful that people come to their senses. And when I say 'people,' I mean the companies. I hope they come to their senses and realize that the actors and writers are working to save this industry. It's time for people to wake up and realize that this amazing industry that America built — one of the greatest industries it's ever created — is in jeopardy."

Gilroy said, “I'm really hoping that wiser heads prevail. This has to get resolved to save this industry." Luna also compared the future of “Andor” to the future of the entertainment industry as a whole.

"It's difficult to talk about the future of the show without having to talk about the future of our industry," Luna said. "I really hope things get solved and that the demands and needs get listened to, and that we soon wake up in an industry that is healthy and moving forward together."

“Andor” season 2 was expected to debut in August 2024. It is unclear if the ongoing writer’s strike and SAG-AFTRA strike will cause the season 2 premiere to be postponed.