SAG-AFTRA Strike: Andor Season 2 Production Reportedly Ongoing, But Timeline Uncertain
Amid the current SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, production on Season 2 of the critically acclaimed Disney+ series "Andor" remains ongoing in a limited capacity. When the strike began, the "Star Wars" series was deep into photography, and filming continues in the U.K. with non-SAG actors despite the work stoppage, according to Deadline.
SAG-AFTRA (the Screen Actors Guild) primarily represents actors who work in the United States. However, many actors in the U.K. bargain under a different union, Equity, and are therefore not subject to the SAG work stoppage. Equity actors have reportedly been warned that choosing to strike in solidarity with their peers across the pond would open them up to breach-of-contract lawsuits.
"Andor" follows a group of proto-Rebels as they begin to defy the iron grip of the Empire, and has been lauded for its themes of standing up to injustice. Season 2 was mere weeks away from wrapping when the SAG strike began, and production will continue for as long as possible without SAG members at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, England. However, many of the leading cast are SAG members and cannot return to set until a new contract is reached.
Most Andor cast members cannot return until the strike is over
"Andor" Season 1 has been hailed as one of the greatest pieces of "Star Wars" media, and anticipation has been high for Season 2. As deadlines for collective bargaining between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios and producers, loomed, it seemed possible that the Disney production would have a chance to wrap before a strike could be announced. But with Hollywood now in the midst of the largest labor action in decades, the timeline for Season 2's arrival remains as fluid as ever.
According to both the WGA and SAG, good faith negotiations with AMPTP were met with stonewalling and a refusal to compromise on keystone issues. Disney CEO Bob Iger called the strikes "disruptive" and "unrealistic," while an unnamed executive told trades that the goal is to drag the strike out until union members begin losing their homes. Both statements have been called out by union members.
"Andor" becomes the latest major production to suffer the consequences of the strike. Most cast members, including leading man Diego Luna, are part of SAG-AFTRA and cannot return to set until the strike concludes. Showrunner Tony Gilroy, who recently landed his first Emmy nomination for "Andor," is a member of both SAG and the WGA. Last week, he told Deadline the writers' union didn't go far enough during their last strike in 2007, saying, "I think those problems were deferred. I think there are structural problems that need to be repaired."
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To learn more about why writers and actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.