"Star Wars: Underworld Cancellation Due to High Costs"

It's a tough pill to swallow: the ambitious Star Wars project, known as *Star Wars: Underworld*, was doomed by its staggering budget. Rick McCallum, the producer behind the Star Wars prequels, recently shared that each episode of this cancelled series would have cost a mind-boggling $40 million to produce. This astronomical price tag ultimately led to its cancellation.

“The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films,” McCallum explained during his appearance on the *Young Indy Chronicles* podcast. He further elaborated that, despite his best efforts, the lowest budget he could secure for an episode, given the technology available at the time, was still $40 million. The failure to bring this project to life remains “one of the great disappointments of our lives,” McCallum admitted.

With an impressive 60 “third draft” scripts penned by some of the world’s most talented writers, *Star Wars: Underworld* promised to explore the Star Wars universe in ways described as “sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful.” However, the sheer cost—60 episodes at $40 million each—was simply too much, pushing the total budget well over the $1 billion mark. Even George Lucas couldn't muster that kind of funding in the early 2000s.

McCallum reflected on the series' potential impact, stating, “\[It\] would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise.” The project was officially axed once Disney acquired Lucasfilm and George Lucas stepped down.

While McCallum kept plot details under wraps during the interview, fans have long speculated that *Star Wars: Underworld* would have bridged the gap between *Revenge of the Sith* and *A New Hope*. McCallum has previously mentioned that the series would introduce a new cast of characters, significantly expand the Star Wars universe, and cater to an adult audience rather than teenagers and children.

*Star Wars: Underworld* was first unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and test footage surfaced in 2020. Unfortunately, it seems that the project will remain in the realm of "what could have been."