Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson confirmed that the planned budget for the return of her Disney+ series has been cut from Season 1 to Season 2. Fans eagerly await Ahsoka's highly anticipated return on the small screen, especially after Season 1 ends with a cliffhanger when the titular Jedi and Sabine Wren are trapped in Peridea. As anticipation builds for Ahsoka Season 2 after filming has recently wrapped in the United Kingdom, the Star Wars show's budget is an unexpected point of discussion.
Ahsoka Season 2 is leaning toward a historic run because of its reported budget compared to its debut season on Disney+. Some are expecting the show's production budget to increase because of its high-stakes story set in two worlds, but a new statement from the show's lead star revealed what to expect with Ahsoka's new budget.
Speaking as a guest at Comic Con Scotland (via @Gemm1319 on X) in October 2025, Rosario Dawson confirmed that Disney+'s budget plans for Ahsoka Season 2 have been cut down from Season 1, but she promised that the season goes "bigger."
This is historic for Ahsoka because it will be the first-ever live-action Star Wars Disney+ show that reduces its budget from one season to the next. Estimates for Ahsoka Season 1's budget cost around $100 million (via Dexerto), meaning that Season 2's budget could be less than that.
For comparison, Andor is the most expensive one, with Season 1 having a budget of $250 million, which ballooned to $291 million in its second and final season. Obi-Wan Kenobi reportedly had the lowest budget among Star Wars' live-action series with $90 million.
Meanwhile, The Mandalorian Season 1 reportedly had a budget of $15 million per episode, meaning it had a total of $120 million. While Season 2 also had the same budget, a report from Entertainment Weekly claimed that the sophomore run had fewer start-up costs, which meant that a high percentage of the big budget wound up on screen. The Mandalorian Season 3 is believed to have the same budget as well.
The only time The Mandalorian's budget reportedly increased was when it was shifted to the big screen, with the California Film Commission indicating that 2026's The Mandalorian & Grogu was much more expensive than expected at $166 million.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has a more expensive budget than a full season of The Mandalorian, with a total of $136 million. The Acolyte, with a whopping $230 million budget, rounds out the list in second place.
Created by Dave Filoni, Ahsoka Season 2 continues the story as Ezra Bridger helps the New Republic find a way to get Ahsoka and Sabine back home to the main galaxy. The series stars Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rory McCann, Lars Mikkelsen, Eman Esfandi, and Hayden Christensen. It is expected to arrive on Disney+ sometime in 2026.
Why a Small Budget Could Be Good for Ahsoka Season 2
Rosario Dawson's confirmation that Ahsoka Season 2's budget is smaller yet much bigger in scale suggests that the producers managed to find the right balance with resource allocation. This approach is beneficial for Ahsoka because the filmmakers tend to embrace innovation with a tighter budget, echoing what early Star Wars projects had to go through and what made them great in the first place.
Season 2's smaller budget could hint that Ahsoka will dive deep into character dynamics, further showing the bond between Ahsoka and Sabine Wren as they become closer while trapped in Peridea. It could also hint that the show's sophomore run will also focus on Ezra's reunion with some members of the Ghost Crew, specifically Hera and Chopper (and possibly Zeb).
It doesn't mean that there will be less action in Ahsoka Season 2 since it still serves as a crucial element of the Star Wars series. Finding the right balance is essential to sprinkle action scenes throughout Ahsoka Season 2, culminating with a potential big battle between the heroes and Thrawn in the final batch of episodes.
Having a smaller budget is also a good sign for Ahsoka because it aligns with Disney's goal of reducing budgets for their live-action shows on Disney+, meaning that there is a strong chance that it may end up being renewed.
