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The Hindu
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Andor' crosses $300 million in streaming revenue, outpaces ‘Ahsoka' and ‘The Book of Boba Fett'
Andor has brought in more than $300 million in global subscriber revenue for Disney+, according to data released by Parrot Analytics. The Star Wars series has outperformed other recent live-action titles from the franchise, including Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett. The estimate covers the period from Andor's premiere in September 2022 through the end of 2024 and includes anticipated impact from the release of the show's second season, which debuted on April 22. Parrot's report attributes the show's performance to several key factors, including its 12-episode format and weekly release schedule, which helped keep audiences subscribed and engaged over a longer period. Unlike some Star Wars series that experienced early viewership peaks, Andor saw demand increase over time, with its finale drawing the highest level of audience interest. The show also appeals to a slightly older demographic, with 60% of its viewers over the age of 30 — higher than the franchise average of around 50%. Its gender split is similar to the broader Star Wars audience, which unsurprisingly remains over 70% male. Set five years before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor follows Cassian Andor's early involvement in the Rebel Alliance. The series has been noted for its focus on political themes and character development, distinguishing it from other entries in the franchise. Despite Andor's strong performance, Disney has been reevaluating its strategy for streaming originals. The company is scaling back investment in high-budget series from major franchises amid ongoing concerns about profitability in the streaming market.
Perth Now
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Star Wars director Bryce Dallas Howard spoke to Lucasfilm about Mace Windu spin-off
Bryce Dallas Howard spoke to Lucasfilm boss Dave Filoni about making a 'Star Wars' Mace Windu spin-off. The 44-year-old actress and director had worked with Filoni, 50, on the 'Star Wars' shows 'The Mandalorian' and 'The Book of Boba Fett', and Howard has now teased she has spoken with the Lucasfilm's chief creative officer about potentially bringing back Samuel L. Jackson's famed Jedi in an upcoming project. She told The Direct: "I went straight to Dave Filoni and I was like, 'So, let's just talk about Mace Windu and where he is. Can we just talk about this? Because, is he dead? Is he?'" The 'Jurassic World' star added Jackson, 76, has always been "incredibly supportive" of her, and that he wanted to work with her on a project she was directing. She said: "Sam Jackson has been incredibly supportive of me and has told me many times that he would act in something that I directed, which is, like, I'm not worthy, basically." Jackson had portrayed Mace Windu in George Lucas' prequel trilogy from 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' in 1999 until 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith' in 2005, though the Jedi hasn't been seen since his fateful battle with Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid). Even so, the 'Pulp Fiction' actor previously insisted Mace Windu was still alive in the 'Star Wars' universe, and he had indeed spoken with Howard about appearing in a future project set in the galaxy far, far away after the pair worked together on the 2024 film 'Argylle'. Speaking on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, Jackson said: "I think [Windu] is alive somewhere … There's a huge history of people with one hand returning in 'Star Wars'. "The only person I've ever said that to, about coming back, was Bryce Dallas Howard. I just did a movie with her, and she directs episodes of 'The Mandalorian'. "So I was like, 'Do you think you might be able to hook a brother up? I mean, you like me, right?' And she's like 'I love you, you're amazing!' So I said, 'Put me back in it.' I'll learn to use the Lightsaber left-handed!" This isn't the first time 'The Avengers' star has insisted Mace Windu is still alive, as he argued the character was "the second-most powerful Jedi in the universe next to Yoda". During an appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', Jackson told the host: "There's a history alone, history of one-armed, one-handed people in the 'Star Wars' universe. "So, just cause they cut my arm off and I fell out a window, doesn't mean I'm dead. I'm a Jedi! The second-most powerful Jedi in the universe next to Yoda. So, I can float! "Yeah, he's out there!"
Irish Times
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Star Wars' Andor season two is here. Here is a recap of season one
It is totally fine that Star Wars series like The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka are aimed at deep-lore fans who collect the action figures, play the video games, watch the cartoons and know the difference between a Twi'lek and a Togruta. But it is also okay to think that Andor, which returns to Disney+ on Wednesday, stands apart. This show appeals to the kind of fan who also likes George Lucas 's arty pre-Star Wars science fiction film THX 1138 and has read the Star Wars novels written by esteemed fantasy writers like Alan Dean Foster and Elizabeth Hand. Created by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Andor foregrounds the political intrigue and guerrilla warfare elements that have always been a part of Star Wars, with a heightened level of storytelling sophistication and moody style. Ostensibly a story about who put the 'war' in Star Wars, Andor is a densely packed study of dictators and dissidents, set across multiple planets, with a colourful cast of characters who each have very different opinions about how this galaxy far, far away should be run. And because Season 1 aired in 2022, even devotees may need a reminder of who all these major players are and what they are up to. Here is a quick refresher in advance of the second and final season. READ MORE The series is a prequel to a prequel The original 1977 movie Star Wars (or Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope for the pedantic) begins with rebellious diplomat Leia Organa ( Carrie Fisher ) loading the blueprints for a planet-killing mega-weapon on to the droid R2-D2, who then carries those plans to hermetic Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and starry-eyed farm boy Luke Skywalker ( Mark Hamill ) – thus setting a whole saga in motion. Nearly 40 years later, in 2016, Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios released Rogue One , a prequel film about the courageous guerrilla warriors who stole those blueprints. Rogue One was directed by Gareth Edwards from a screenplay originally by Chris Weitz. Gilroy was brought in after the initial shoot to write and direct additional scenes. Collectively, this team made a different kind of Star Wars movie, with less whizz-bang fantasy and more gritty military action, emphasising the hard personal toll of a rebellion against a powerful authoritarian state. Andor Season 1 begins five years before Rogue One and covers the origins of the Rebel Alliance that, by the time of the 1977 Star Wars, had already become organised enough to have a defined hierarchy, long-range strategies and fleets of fighter ships. In Andor, by contrast, the rebellion is more scattered, manifesting mostly on poorer planets, where the excessive demands of the Galactic Empire can push a frustrated populace to respond with violence. Whenever one of these planets reaches a boiling point – as happens on the grubby, industrial planet Ferrix in Season 1 – the mercurial Luthen Rael ( Stellan Skarsgard ) arrives to make those hot spots even hotter by providing personnel and equipment. His goal? To weaken the Empire's hold, one planet at a time. And he does not like it when anyone – even an ally – stands in his way. [ Jedis were once a seasoning, like salt. We liked the salt, and now Disney is serving us big bowls of salt Opens in new window ] One rogue This series' title character is Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), an experienced thief and mercenary who has a grudge against the Empire, which stripped his home planet of its natural resources, rendering it uninhabitable. When the series begins, Cassian is not part of any rebellious cadre. He is mostly a lone wolf, self-centered and profit driven. But after he kills two Empire-connected corporate security officers, Cassian becomes a desperate fugitive, willing to do anything – and thus becoming the perfect candidate for Luthen's missions. Over the course of Season 1, Cassian develops sympathy for the rebellion as he spends time with true believers. He becomes even more radicalised when he is thrown into prison under an assumed identity for a crime he did not commit. Before escaping, he spends endless, gruelling days and nights building parts for what will turn out to be the Empire's super weapon: the Death Star. Even at the end of Season 1, Cassian's commitment to Luthen's cause is tied frequently to whether the missions benefit him personally – either helping line his pockets or helping keep his loved ones safe. One of the most important of those people is Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), a childhood friend who is a skilled mechanic, a well-connected black marketeer and Cassian's true love. The creepy and the kooky Every fantasy epic needs some hiss-worthy villains, and Andor has two doozies. Early in Season 1 we meet Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a fussy bean counter from the trade organisation whose security officers Cassian killed. Syril's determination to track down the murderer catches the Empire's attention, although most people in authority find him too intense, stiff and socially awkward to trust. A lot of Syril's single-minded personality comes from his mother, Eedy (Kathryn Hunter), an aspiring Coruscant socialite who pulls a lot of strings for her son and eventually helps him land a new job as a government bureaucrat – where his obsession with Cassian continues. Every fantasy epic needs some hiss-worthy villains, and Andor has two doozies Cassian also ends up on the radar of Dedra Meero ( Denise Gough ), a rising supervisor within the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB), the Empire's information and espionage wing. Dedra has been tracking Luthen's activities – even though she has no idea that Luthen is behind them – and has been trying to convince her superiors that all of these mini rebellions around the galaxy are part of a larger plan. She thinks Cassian could lead her to the mastermind, given the code-name Axis by the ISB. When Cassian proves elusive, she arrests Bix and has her tortured by the ISB's cruellest interrogator, Dr Gorst (Joshua James). Star Wars fans will also recognise some names that get tossed around in Andor – like Emperor Palpatine and Grand Moff Tarkin – even if these characters never appear on-screen. And Season 2 sees the return of the main Rogue One antagonist: Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), the man behind the Death Star project, who like Luthen can find a use for any true believer, no matter how weird and off-putting he or she may be. Playing politics Luthen moves in diverse circles, engaging with peasants, criminals and militants. His most impressive ally is Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), a galactic senator who publicly supports the Empire – albeit from a left-wing, 'voice of the people' position – while privately helping raising money and support for the rebellion. The stakes for Mon become increasingly personal in Season 1 as a cash crunch and a need to curry favour with the establishment leads to her agreeing to an arranged marriage for her teenage daughter. [ 'I can bring more to it now than I could ever have back then': Genevieve O'Reilly on reprising Star Wars role Opens in new window ] Mon also has a cousin, Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), who is a high-ranking soldier in the fledgling Rebel Alliance; and the demands of the rebellion often keep Vel away from her lover, Cinta Kaz (Varada Sethu), one of Luther's most dedicated agents. Although Luthen and Mon are pulling in the same direction, they do not always agree on how hard they should yank – or when. Luthen also clashes with Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), the leader of an organised insurgency, who is trying to push the rebellion into something more like a traditional war. Luthen prefers his craftily covert acts of terrorism, which he orchestrates mostly from his Coruscant antique shop, where he and his highly capable and bitingly opinionated assistant, Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau), squeeze intel from high-society types and set up fake identities for their operatives. [ The problem with Star Wars is there's too much Star Wars Opens in new window ] With each passing year, all of these defiant, courageous men and women are winning hearts and minds. The words of some of their fallen disciples and fellow travellers – including Cassian's adoptive mother, Maarva ( Fiona Shaw ), and the manifesto-writing rebel Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther) – have begun spreading throughout the galaxy, unable to be contained by the ISB no matter how hard the Empire tries. The arcs, and how they bend Some TV creators who began their careers in the movie business like to talk about how each season of their show is 'an eight-hour movie' and not really 'television' per se. With Andor Season 1, Gilroy split the difference between movies and conventional episodic TV by dividing his 12 episodes into 'arcs' that run typically three episodes each – with each arc roughly the length of a feature film. Andor Season 1 held mostly to a traditional episode-per-week release schedule, but Season 2 embraces the arc concept more boldly. The season's 12 episodes are being released three at a time across four consecutive weeks. Each arc is also set in a different year, as the timeline moves gradually toward the time of Rogue One and Star Wars. What this means is that Andor fans can expect the equivalent of a full movie every week, each with its own story and stakes. And that matters, because while the ultimate end to this tale is already known – again, thanks to Rogue One and Star Wars – the path to any big heroic moment is hard, and it requires a lot of smaller choices and sacrifices. Those stories are worth telling too. Even though it is science fiction, think of Andor as the Star Wars equivalent of one of those PBS documentaries examining the root causes of the American civil war or the second World War. It's like a rich and fascinating history play. This article originally appeared in The New York Times .
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Andor season 2, review: despite a slow start, Star Wars' grittiest spin-off flies high once more
Before season one of Andor (Disney+) came along in 2022, we were already sick of Star Wars spin-off TV shows. While The Mandalorian had landed to great acclaim, The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi were turgid cash-ins. The prospect of watching a 12-part spin-off about a minor character from Rogue One, a spin-off film, was not enticing. Yet Tony Gilroy's series completely defied expectations, giving us a compelling tale of rebel spies and the richest Star Wars world-building experience since the original trilogy. With season two about to arrive, you'd be forgiven for feeling slightly jaded all over again. While the children-focused Skeleton Crew provided some fun, Ahsoka and The Acolyte were thin gruel, happy to dazzle us with light sabers and little else. Could Andor return to revive the flagging franchise once again? On the evidence of the first three episodes of this second and final season – absolutely not. The series gets off to a bafflingly terrible start. Beginning one year after the events of the first, in which smuggler and thief Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) reluctantly became part of the Rebel Alliance, the opening three episodes are so lacklustre and slow that you suspect Gilroy has been watching too much of the other spin-offs. After stealing an Imperial TIE fighter, Andor is trapped in a sort-of purgatory with some ragtag bandits straight from central casting. These episodes suffer from something Andor had previously risen above – fantasy-series stock characters. Start with episode four (and you may as well) and you'll be well-rewarded. Gilroy's genius was in taking the Star Wars universe and asking what would ordinary people do in this situation – aping the original films' drab 1970s aesthetic was a smart move too. Events revolve around Ghorman, a peaceful planet known for its silk-producing spiders and high-end fashion houses. However, inside the planet is a substance that the Empire needs to help them achieve energy independence. Star Wars buffs will know this gets very ugly – and pivotal to the story of the whole franchise. The plot sucks in the major players from season one, including Debra Meero (Denise Gough) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), two Imperial apparatchiks with dead-eyed personal ambition, Genevieve O'Reilly's righteous senator Mon Mothma and, of course, Andor. That Ghorman resembles occupied Paris is entirely deliberate (and not the series' only Nazi reference) and the final nine episodes become a propulsive exploration of what price individuals are willing to pay for freedom. But there is no Skywalker heroism here – this is the desperate, last-ditch resistance of ordinary people left with no choice. Andor is Star Wars' earthiest instalment yet.
New York Times
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Andor' Is Coming Back. Here Is a Recap of Season 1.
It is totally fine that 'Star Wars' series like 'The Book of Boba Fett' and 'Ahsoka' are aimed at deep-lore fans who collect the action figures, play the video games, watch the cartoons and know the difference between a Twi'lek and a Togruta. But it is also OK to think that 'Andor,' which returns to Disney+ on Tuesday at 9 p.m., stands apart. This show appeals to the kind of fan who also likes Lucas's arty pre-'Star Wars' science fiction film 'THX 1138' and has read the 'Star Wars' novels written by esteemed fantasy writers like Alan Dean Foster and Elizabeth Hand. Created by the Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tony Gilroy ('Michael Clayton'), 'Andor' foregrounds the political intrigue and guerrilla warfare elements that have always been a part of 'Star Wars,' with a heightened level of storytelling sophistication and moody style. Ostensibly a story about who put the 'war' in 'Star Wars,' 'Andor' is a densely packed study of dictators and dissidents, set across multiple planets, with a colorful cast of characters who each have very different opinions about how this galaxy far, far away should be run. And because Season 1 aired in 2022, even devotees may need a reminder of who all these major players are and what they are up to. Here is a quick refresher ahead of the second and final season. The series is a prequel to a prequel The original 1977 movie 'Star Wars' (or 'Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope' for the pedantic) begins with the rebellious diplomat Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) loading the blueprints for a planet-killing mega-weapon onto the droid R2-D2, who then carries those plans to the hermetic Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and the starry-eyed farm boy Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) — thus setting a whole saga in motion. Nearly 40 years later, in 2016, Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios released 'Rogue One,' a prequel film about the courageous guerrilla warriors who stole those blueprints. 'Rogue One' was directed by Gareth Edwards from a screenplay originally by Chris Weitz. Gilroy was brought in after the initial shoot to write and direct additional scenes. Collectively, this team made a different kind of 'Star Wars' movie, with less whiz-bang fantasy and more gritty military action, emphasizing the hard personal toll of a rebellion against a powerful authoritarian state. 'Andor' Season 1 begins five years before 'Rogue One' and covers the origins of the Rebel Alliance that, by the time of the 1977 'Star Wars,' had already become organized enough to have a defined hierarchy, long-range strategies and fleets of fighter ships. In 'Andor,' by contrast, the rebellion is more scattered, manifesting mostly on poorer planets, where the excessive demands of the Galactic Empire can push a frustrated populace to respond with violence. Whenever one of these planets reaches a boiling point — as happens on the grubby, industrial planet Ferrix in Season 1 — the mercurial Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) arrives to make those hot spots even hotter by providing personnel and equipment. His goal? To weaken the Empire's hold, one planet at a time. And he does not like it when anyone — even an ally — stands in his way. One rogue This series's title character is Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), an experienced thief and mercenary who has a grudge against the Empire, which stripped his home planet of its natural resources, rendering it uninhabitable. When the series begins, Cassian is not part of any rebellious cadre. He is mostly a lone wolf, self-centered and profit driven. But after he kills two Empire-connected corporate security officers, Cassian becomes a desperate fugitive, willing to do anything — and thus becoming the perfect candidate for Luthen's missions. Over the course of Season 1, Cassian develops sympathy for the rebellion as he spends time with true believers. He becomes even more radicalized when he is thrown into prison under an assumed identity for a crime he did not commit. Before escaping, he spends endless, grueling days and nights building parts for what will turn out to be the Empire's super weapon: the Death Star. Even at the end of Season 1, though, Cassian's commitment to Luthen's cause is tied frequently to whether the missions benefit him personally — either helping line his pockets or helping keep his loved ones safe. One of the most important of those people is Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), a childhood friend who is a skilled mechanic, a well-connected black marketeer and Cassian's true love. The creepy and the kooky Every fantasy epic needs some hiss-worthy villains, and 'Andor' has two doozies. Early in Season 1 we meet Syril Karn (Kyle Soller), a fussy bean counter from the trade organization whose security officers Cassian killed. Syril's determination to track down the murderer catches the Empire's attention, although most people in authority find him too intense, stiff and socially awkward to trust. A lot of Syril's single-minded personality comes from his mother, Eedy (Kathryn Hunter), an aspiring Coruscant socialite who pulls a lot of strings for her son and eventually helps him land a new job as a government bureaucrat — where his obsession with Cassian continues. Cassian also ends up on the radar of Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), a rising supervisor within the Imperial Security Bureau, the Empire's information and espionage wing. Dedra has been tracking Luthen's activities — even though she has no idea that Luthen is behind them — and has been trying to convince her superiors that all of these mini rebellions around the galaxy are part of a larger plan. She thinks Cassian could lead her to the mastermind, given the code-name 'Axis' by the I.S.B. When Cassian proves elusive, she arrests Bix and has her tortured by the I.S.B.'s cruelest interrogator, Dr. Gorst (Joshua James). 'Star Wars' fans will also recognize some names that get tossed around in 'Andor' — like Emperor Palpatine and Grand Moff Tarkin — even if these characters never appear on-screen. And Season 2 sees the return of the main 'Rogue One' antagonist: Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), the man behind the Death Star project, who like Luthen can find a use for any true-believer, no matter how weird and off-putting he or she may be. Playing politics Luthen moves in diverse circles, engaging with peasants, criminals and militants. His most impressive ally is Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), a galactic senator who publicly supports the Empire — albeit from a left-wing, 'voice of the people' position — while privately helping raising money and support for the rebellion. The stakes for Mon become increasingly personal in Season 1 as a cash crunch and a need to curry favor with the establishment leads to her agreeing to an arranged marriage for her teenage daughter. Mon also has a cousin, Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), who is a high-ranking soldier in the fledgling Rebel Alliance; and the demands of the rebellion often keep Vel away from her lover, Cinta Kaz (Varada Sethu), one of Luther's most dedicated agents. Although Luthen and Mon are pulling in the same direction, they do not always agree on how hard they should yank — or when. Luthen also clashes with Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), the leader of an organized insurgency, who is trying to push the rebellion into something more like a traditional war. Luthen prefers his craftily covert acts of terrorism, which he orchestrates mostly from his Coruscant antique shop, where he and his highly capable and bitingly opinionated assistant, Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau), squeeze intel from high-society types and set up fake identities for their operatives. With each passing year, though, all of these defiant, courageous men and women are winning hearts and minds. The words of some of their fallen disciples and fellow travelers — including Andor's adoptive mother, Maarva (Fiona Shaw), and the manifesto-writing rebel Karis Nemik (Alex Lawther) — have begun spreading throughout the galaxy, unable to be contained by the I.S.B. no matter how hard the Empire tries. The arcs, and how they bend Some TV creators who began their careers in the movie business like to talk about how each season of their show is 'an eight-hour movie' and not really 'television' per se. With 'Andor' Season 1, Gilroy split the difference between movies and conventional episodic TV by dividing his 12 episodes into 'arcs' that run typically three episodes each — with each arc roughly the length of a feature film. 'Andor' Season 1 held mostly to a traditional episode-per-week release schedule; but Season 2 embraces the arc concept more boldly. The season's 12 episodes are being released three at a time across four consecutive weeks. Each arc is also set in a different year, as the timeline moves gradually toward the time of 'Rogue One' and 'Star Wars.' What this means is that 'Andor' fans can expect the equivalent of a full movie every week, each with its own story and stakes. And that matters, because while the ultimate end to this tale is already known — again, thanks to 'Rogue One' and 'Star Wars' — the path to any big heroic moment is hard, and it requires a lot of smaller choices and sacrifices. Those stories are worth telling too. Even though it is science fiction, think of 'Andor' as the 'Star Wars' equivalent of one of those PBS documentaries examining the root causes of the American Civil War or World War II. It's like a rich and fascinating history play.
