Rick McCallum, producer of the Star Wars prequels, recently revealed a heartbreaking truth about the cancelled Star Wars: Underworld series: its astronomical budget. Each episode would have cost a staggering $40 million to produce, effectively sealing its fate. "The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films," McCallum explained on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast. The ambitious scale, coupled with the technology of the time, made a $40 million per episode cost unavoidable. He described the project's failure as "one of the great disappointments of our lives."
With 60 third-draft scripts already completed, showcasing a "sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful" vision of the Star Wars universe penned by top writers, the budget proved insurmountable. Even at the time, the estimated cost—well over $1 billion—was far beyond what even George Lucas could secure. McCallum noted that the series' scale would have drastically altered the Star Wars universe, possibly preventing Disney's later acquisition of the franchise. Disney's subsequent acquisition of Lucasfilm and Lucas's departure ultimately ended any hope of the series' revival.
While McCallum remained tight-lipped on plot specifics, fan speculation centers on the series bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Previous statements indicate a new cast of characters, a significant expansion of the Star Wars universe, and a target audience of adults, rather than children or teens.
Initially unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and with test footage surfacing in 2020, Star Wars: Underworld remains a "what if" scenario. The prohibitive cost appears to have permanently shelved this ambitious project.
