Honestly, this one hurts. Rick McCallum, the producer behind the Star Wars prequels, recently shared that the canceled series Star Wars: Underworld would have required a staggering $40 million per episode to produce, ultimately leading to its cancellation due to budget constraints.
"The issue was that every episode was more ambitious than the feature films," McCallum noted during an interview on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast. "Even with the technology available at the time, the lowest I could bring the cost down to was $40 million per installment." He added that the failure to bring the project to life remains "one of the biggest regrets of our careers."
Rank The Star Wars Movies and TV Shows
Rank The Star Wars Movies and TV Shows
With 60 polished scripts completed—showcasing the Star Wars universe through "sexy, violent, dark, complex, and brilliant" storytelling from top-tier writers—it's clear that budget constraints were the project’s undoing. At $40 million per episode, the total cost for all scripts would have exceeded $1 billion, an amount even George Lucas couldn’t secure in the early 2000s.
"It would have completely redefined the Star Wars saga, and Disney would never have made an offer to acquire the franchise from George," McCallum continued. The series was officially shelved after Disney took over Lucasfilm and Lucas stepped down.
While McCallum didn’t reveal specific plot points in this interview, fans have long speculated that the series would explore the timeline between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The producer had previously mentioned that the show would introduce an entirely new cast, significantly broaden the Star Wars universe, and target an adult audience rather than younger viewers.
Star Wars: Underworld was first announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and a test reel from the series leaked online in 2020. Since then, however, there’s been no further development. Unfortunately, it seems this is one story that may never be told.
