‘Andor’ Will Stop Production Slightly Early Due to SAG-AFTRA Strike
Last week, Hollywood actors joined writers on the picket lines as SAG-AFTRA called a strike for its members. This action marks the first time that actors and writers have simultaneously gone on strike in Hollywood since 1960, effectively putting on pause every Hollywood project that isn’t deep into post-production. But how this would apply to series shooting outside of North America remained a case-by-case kind of scenario; in particular, we are learning that Andor season 2, which is shooting in the UK, will be slightly affected by the strike as its cast combines both actors part of SAG-AFTRA but also performers represented by the UK union Equity.
Deadline has just reported that Andor, which has been filming its second season since last November and was scheduled to be in front of the cameras through August, will be stopping production early. The show is still shooting whatever it can with its Equity-represented cast at Pinewood Studios, with the striking part of the cast supposed to return to film their scenes once the stoppage has concluded. The British guild’s members are forbidden from going on strike to support SAG-AFTRA, lest they face legal action, as that section of the Andor cast has already been informed of.
Production on the second season of Andor had already been impacted by the strike; the WGA in particular. Showrunner Tony Gilroy had to leave on-set duties as showrunner and writer and has, as he’s explained, been cut off from any communications with the crew since shortly after the writers’ strike was announced. Of course, it’s unknown when the studios will finally sit back at the negotiating table to try to reach a deal with either union, and so far, it’s not looking very good.
You can head over to Deadline for the full story. We’ll keep you updated on all news concerning Andor and the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as we hear it. For now, other Star Wars projects that may be affected by the actors’ strike include any voice recording or ADR that The Acolyte may need after completing filming in May, well before the SAG-AFTRA strike was announced, as well as voice work on any animated series that is in production, including The Bad Batch season 3 and Tales of the Jedi.
Eric has been a fan of Star Wars ever since the age of five (or so) when his parents sat him down in front of a TV with pizza and a Sprite and showed him the original trilogy. He keeps trying to convince more fans to read the amazing 1980s Star Wars newspaper comics by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson. When he's not reading, watching or playing Star Wars media, he's often enjoying other great fantasy and science fiction sagas or playing roleplaying games with his friends.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as movies from Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
