George Lucas’ Axed ‘Star Wars’ Series Cost ‘$40 Million an Episode’ and ‘Would’ve Blown Up’ the Franchise: ‘Disney Would’ve Never’ Bought Lucasfilm If It Got Made

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Rick McCallum, George Lucas’ “Star Wars” producer, recently discussed on the “Young Indy Chronicles” podcast about an upcoming television series titled “Star Wars: Underworld.” This ambitious project was one of Lucas’ last “Star Wars” ventures before selling the franchise to Disney in 2012 for $4.05 billion. The series would have taken place between the stories of “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope,” serving as a connection between the original “Star Wars” trilogy and the prequel trilogy, which McCallum himself produced.

McCallum stated that there were roughly sixty or more drafts of each script, which he referred to as being in their third version. He pointed out that they invited some of the best writers globally to Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch to brainstorm and write the series. “The scripts were filled with darkness, sensuality, violence, but also complexity and challenge,” McCallum added.

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McCallum explained that there were over sixty versions of each script, which he called third drafts. He mentioned bringing together some of the world’s finest writers to Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch to develop and write the series. “These scripts had elements of darkness, sensuality, violence, but also complexity and challenge,” McCallum said, highlighting their beauty.

McCallum declined to share specifics about “Star Wars: Underworld,” but he suggested that it would have fundamentally changed the entire “Star Wars” universe, to such an extent that Disney likely would not have bought the franchise from George.

The producer expressed regret over not creating “Underworld,” stating, “It’s one of the significant letdowns in our lives.” He further explained, “The challenge lay in the fact that each installment surpassed the films in scale. To minimize costs, I could only bring it down to $40 million per episode with the technology available at that time.

The series saw its decline when Disney acquired Lucasfilm, leading to George Lucas leaving his position at the company. Kathleen Kennedy, who started working for Lucasfilm in 2012 alongside Lucas, was appointed as the company president following Disney’s takeover. Later on, she oversaw the expansion of “Star Wars” into television with shows like “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Andor,” “Skeleton Crew,” and others. Kennedy also guided a sequel film trilogy consisting of “The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi,” and “The Rise of Skywalker.

In a 2020 interview, Lucas expressed that parting with his company and relinquishing control over the “Star Wars” franchise was an extremely difficult decision for him, causing him significant distress.

Back then, I was embarking on a new trilogy; I consulted with the actors and was preparing myself for it,” Lucas shared about his decision to sell Lucasfilm to Disney. “I was also expecting a child with my wife. A trilogy takes around ten years to complete – the first three episodes were made from 1995 to 2005, so I would still be working on Episode IX. In 2012, I was 69. The question became, ‘Do I want to continue this for the rest of my life? Am I ready to go through it again?’ Ultimately, I chose to focus on raising my daughter and taking some time to enjoy life.

Lucas considered keeping Lucasfilm and letting someone else handle the production of his proposed sequel trilogy, rather than stepping away completely. However, this is not the same as retiring.

40 years of my life were dedicated to crafting ‘Star Wars’, and letting go was incredibly difficult for me. However, it was the correct choice. I believed I still had a little more to contribute to the next trilogy as I’d already begun them, but they chose another direction instead. Sometimes, things don’t turn out as planned; that’s just life.

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2025-03-12 23:16