'Star Wars' Set Destroyed as Protests Rage On

One Star Wars production is seemingly getting the Death Star treatment after new photos showed its extravagant sets being torn down amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Related: 19-Year-Old ‘Star Wars’ Debate to Be Finally Put to Rest

2023 is shaping up to be a particularly troubling year for Hollywood, with the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes bringing productions on upcoming films and TV shows to a near-complete standstill until negotiations can be reached between them and the major studios.

But perhaps no one is suffering as much as Disney, who, on top of losing millions of dollars thanks to box office bombs like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) and Haunted Mansion (2023), has been forced to stop work on a number of productions including Marvel’s Blade (2025), the Disney+ Daredevil: Born Again series, and the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch (2024).

Related: Disney Stars Spark Fury Online Amid SAG-AFTRA Strike: “The Entitlement of Gen Z Is Unreal”

One of Disney’s most popular subsidiaries, Lucasfilm, is also starting to feel the heat, particularly regarding its slate of upcoming Disney+ shows. Season 4 of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian has been placed on pause due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with the company reportedly considering turning the next batch of episodes into a movie instead as Filoni’s “Mando-Verse” crossover movie inches closer.

There’s also Season 2 of the critically-acclaimed Rogue One (2016) spinoff, Andor, which began filming in London late last year. When writers first went on strike in May, showrunner Tony Gilroy stepped down from producing duties in solidarity with the movement. Since then, the production has come to a standstill, with leading actors like Diego Luna, a longtime SAG-AFTRA member, withholding labor until new contracts can be worked out. But until then, the sophomore season of the beloved Disney+ series seems just as far, far away as the galaxy it heralds from.

According to some reports, parts of Andor Season 2 remain in production at Pinewood Studios. Considering that the show primarily films in the U.K., the actors still working on the Star Wars series are likely part of the British acting union Equity, which hasn’t called for strike action. As a matter of fact, the group previously warned its members they risk being sued for breach of contract if they walk off set in solidarity with their American co-stars.

And in the meantime, it looks like abandoned sets are being fully demolished as the strikes continue to put Andor on pause. According to a new report (via DailyMail), one of the show’s sets has just been knocked down in a corn field near Buckinghamshire, England, which appeared to be a remote homestead of some sort with large spaceships and futuristic buildings.

According to the source, this location was temporarily left abandoned due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and with no end in sight for protesters currently on the picket lines, it seems as though the production felt it would be wise to remove the set entirely. Cranes were spotted dismantling the buildings earlier this week, with parts of the set appearing to be heading for the scrap heap. Check out the image below:

While it’s unclear why exactly Lucasfilm demolished a perfectly good, practical set that likely took hours to design and construct, there might be a few reasons. For one, leaving it out in public runs the risk of vandalization, weather decay, or further damage that could render the structure useless whenever the cameras start rolling again. Or, perhaps, the scenes that take in this homestead have already been filmed, and it’s simply gathering dust now. Regardless, given that the show reportedly received a staggering $250 million budget per season, odds are, Andor‘s wallet can take the hit.

With many estimating the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes will continue for several months and potentially into next year, it’s no wonder why Lucasfilm is throwing in the towel on Andor by tearing down its sets. As of now, Season 2 is still expected to land on Disney+ sometime next year, but with this latest development in mind, it seems a postponement might be imminent.

What do you think of Andor‘s sets being torn down as a result of the ongoing strikes? Are you hopeful Season 2 will still premiere next year? Let us know in the comments below.