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Just a couple of days ago it was revealed that Andor season two was gearing up to film scenes at the Barbican estate in London, a location the series filmed at for its first season which featured a meeting between Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay) and Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) on Coruscant following the events of Aldhani. The production returned to the area just a small handful of days ago and we were fortunate enough to discover a sign detailing what parts of the estate were being used as sets. Today it appears filming officially began at the Barbican estate, and stars of the series, Diego Luna (Cassian Andor) and Adria Arjona (Bix Caleen) were spotted in action on the set.
The images come courtesy of Unbox PHD and SplashNews courtesy of the Daily Mail. Diego and Adria in character walked alongside one another with straight faces as they acted out a tense scene. Cassian Andor bid farewell to his friend and former lover, Bix Caleen along with his beloved droid B2EMO and best friend Brasso as the trio escaped Ferrix, the home world of Bix, Brasso, B2 and Cassian which was in conflict with the Empire. Cassian promised to find the group one day as they jetted off and Andor attempted to track down Stellan Skarsgard’s character, Luthen Rael, who would induct our hero into the growing rebellion.
Luna and Arjona were joined with tens of extras all in costume with some even dressed in alien prosthetics. It’s hard to say for sure what this planet that Bix and Cassian are on for this scene, the first thought many fans likely had would’ve been Coruscant given it’s what the Barbican was used for previously, but it’s highly doubtful Bix and co would’ve hidden away on a planet in which the Empire has such a heavy presence on given the events of season one of the critically acclaimed series.
Andor season two has been filming since the tail end of November and principal photography on the series is due to run up until August. Filming of the new season took place primarily behind the walls of Pinewood Studios, London for the first couple of months of production, but recently the series has began venturing out to on location shoots. Close to two weeks ago the series shot scenes at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, a location used in season one for the Coruscant space port. Earlier this week Diego Luna and Stellan Skarsgard shot scenes outside of Lloyds Building in London, and now the production has moved to the Barbican estate. In the very near future the production will venture to Valencia, Spain and will shoot at the Hever Castle located in Kent, England sometime this Summer.
The second season of Andor is due to release within the latter half of next year, and is one of two Star Wars live-action series due to be released in 2024, the other being the Leslye Headland created series, The Acolyte, which is also filming in the United Kingdom and is slated to wrap production in just a couple of months and will also release sometime next year. This year however fans are being treated to three live-action series on Disney+, the highly anticipated third season of the hit series, The Mandalorian, will bow on the streamer on March 1st, and Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew will follow later in the year.
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