It's a tough pill to swallow for Star Wars fans: the much-anticipated series, Star Wars: Underworld, was slated to cost a staggering $40 million per episode, a budget that ultimately led to its cancellation. In a revealing interview on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast, producer Rick McCallum shared the painful details. "The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films," McCallum explained. "So the lowest I could get it down to with the tech that existed then was $40 million an episode." The inability to bring this ambitious project to life remains "one of the great disappointments of our lives," he added.
With 60 "third draft" scripts penned by some of the world's finest writers, the series promised to delve into the Star Wars universe in "sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful" ways. However, the sheer cost—60 episodes at $40 million each—would have pushed the budget well over $1 billion, a figure even George Lucas couldn't finance in the early 2000s. McCallum noted, "[It] would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise." The series met its demise when Disney acquired Lucasfilm and Lucas stepped away from the helm.
While McCallum did not disclose specific plot points in the interview, fans speculate that Star Wars: Underworld would have explored the timeline between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The producer had previously hinted that the show would introduce a fresh cast of characters, significantly expand the Star Wars universe, and target an adult audience rather than focusing on teens and children.
Star Wars: Underworld was first unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and test footage surfaced in 2020. Unfortunately, it appears that the series may remain a tantalizing "what if" in the annals of Star Wars lore.
