"Star Wars: Underworld Cancellation Due to High Costs"

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: the news about the cancellation of Star Wars: Underworld hits hard. According to producer Rick McCallum, this ambitious series would have cost an astonishing $40 million per episode to produce. This staggering budget was ultimately the deciding factor that led to its cancellation.

In an interview on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast, McCallum elaborated on the financial challenges: "The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films. So the lowest I could get it down to with the tech that existed then was $40 million an episode." He went on to express that the inability to bring this project to fruition remains "one of the great disappointments of our lives."

Despite having 60 "third draft" scripts penned by some of the world's most talented writers, the project was doomed by its budget. These scripts promised to explore the Star Wars universe in ways that were "sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful." With a potential cost of over $1 billion, even George Lucas couldn't muster the funds in the early 2000s.

McCallum hinted at the series' potential impact, stating, "[It] would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise." The project was officially scrapped after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and Lucas stepped away from the helm.

While McCallum did not disclose specific plot details, fans have speculated that Star Wars: Underworld would have bridged the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The series was set to introduce a fresh cast of characters, significantly expand the Star Wars universe, and cater to an adult audience rather than focusing on teens and children.

Star Wars: Underworld was first announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and test footage surfaced in 2020. Unfortunately, it appears that this ambitious project will remain just a tantalizing "what if" in the Star Wars saga.