Cancelled Series Star Wars: Underworld Was So Expensive, It Would've 'Blown Up' the Star Wars Universe

Rick McCallum, producer of the Star Wars prequels, recently revealed the staggering cost behind the cancelled Star Wars: Underworld series: a jaw-dropping $40 million per episode. This exorbitant budget, exceeding even the cost of the films themselves, ultimately sealed its fate. McCallum explained on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast that the ambitious scale of each episode, coupled with the technology available at the time, made it impossible to reduce costs below this figure. He described the project's cancellation as "one of the great disappointments of our lives."

With 60 third-draft scripts penned by "the most wonderful writers in the world," depicting a "sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful" side of the Star Wars universe, the project's budget quickly spiralled into the billions. Even George Lucas, it seems, couldn't secure the necessary funding in the early 2000s. McCallum suggested that the series' immense scale would have fundamentally altered the Star Wars landscape, potentially preventing Disney's later acquisition of the franchise. The project was definitively shelved upon Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and Lucas's subsequent departure.

While McCallum refrained from divulging specific plot points in this interview, fan speculation has long centered on the series bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Previous statements indicate the series would have introduced a completely new cast, significantly expanded the Star Wars universe, and targeted a mature audience, unlike the franchise's typical teen and child demographic.

First unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and with test footage surfacing in 2020, Star Wars: Underworld remains a tantalizing "what if?" scenario. It seems, sadly, that it will likely remain just that.