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 the show's fate. "The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films," McCallum explained on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast. "The lowest I could get it down to with the tech that existed then was $40 million an episode." He described the project's demise as "one of the great disappointments of our lives."

With 60 third-draft scripts penned by "the most wonderful writers in the world," showcasing a "sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful" side of the Star Wars universe, the budget proved insurmountable. Even at the time, a potential cost exceeding $1 billion (60 scripts x $40 million/episode) was far beyond reach. McCallum noted that the series' scale would have fundamentally altered the Star Wars landscape, potentially preventing Disney's later acquisition of the franchise. The project was ultimately abandoned after Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm.

While McCallum remained tight-lipped on specific plot details, fan speculation consistently points to a storyline bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Previous statements indicated a new cast of characters, significant expansion of the Star Wars universe, and a target audience of adults, unlike the franchise's typical younger demographic.

First announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and with test footage surfacing in 2020, Star Wars: Underworld remains a tantalizing "what if?" The sheer cost, however, appears to have permanently grounded this ambitious project.