"Star Wars: Underworld Cancellation Due to High Costs"

It's disheartening to learn that the ambitious Star Wars project, "Star Wars: Underworld," was shelved due to its staggering production costs. According to Rick McCallum, the producer behind the Star Wars prequels, each episode of this legendary cancelled series would have required a budget of $40 million. This astronomical figure ultimately led to its cancellation for financial reasons.

In a revealing interview on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast, McCallum shared insights into the project's challenges. "The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films," he stated. "So the lowest I could get it down to with the tech that existed then was $40 million an episode." The producer expressed deep regret over the project's failure, noting that it remains "one of the great disappointments of our lives."

The series was envisioned to be a groundbreaking addition to the Star Wars saga, with 60 "third draft" scripts penned by some of the world's most talented writers. These scripts promised to explore the Star Wars universe in "sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful" ways. However, the financial implications were daunting; at $40 million per episode, the total cost for the series would have easily surpassed the $1 billion mark—a sum that even George Lucas couldn't muster in the early 2000s.

McCallum suggested that the series could have had a profound impact on the franchise's trajectory. "It would've blown up the whole Star Wars universe and Disney would've definitely never offered George to buy the franchise," he remarked. The project was ultimately abandoned after Disney acquired Lucasfilm and George Lucas stepped away from the helm.

While McCallum did not disclose specific plot details in the interview, it's widely speculated that "Star Wars: Underworld" would have chronicled the events between "Revenge of the Sith" and "A New Hope." The series was intended 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.

First announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, "Star Wars: Underworld" generated significant buzz, and test footage leaked in 2020 further fueled fan interest. Unfortunately, it appears that the series will remain a tantalizing "what if" in the annals of Star Wars lore.