I can’t believe Lucasfilm reportedly has 60 scripts for a Star Wars television show that have largely gone unused. Although it’s been a matter of record for several years, new details about George Lucas’ Star Wars: Underworld have recently been revealed. To that end, many have been wondering if the fascinating series will ever become a reality.
One of the last projects George Lucas worked on before selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, Star Wars: Underworld was intended to be a major multi-season show the likes of which had never been seen before on network television. However, there are some key reasons why the show never got made. However, I firmly believe that the time has come for Lucasfilm to finally make Star Wars: Underworld a reality, especially seeing how 60 out of a hundred intended scripts were apparently written for the series before its cancellation.
Star Wars: Underworld Was George Lucas’ Hope For The Future
A Prestige Live-Action Star Wars Show Geared Towards Adults
According to reports, Star Wars: Underworld was George Lucas’s big idea and mission in the late 2000s, shortly after getting the animated Clone Wars series off the ground in 2008. Gathering several accomplished television writers to Skywalker Ranch, around 60 third-draft scripts were written for this intended series set during the Dark Times of the Empire’s rule, between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Story arcs would have focused on Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian, with many actors like Ian McDiarmid and Jeremy Bulloch intending to return for the show.
Underworld would have been predominantly set in the lower levels of Coruscant, while also tying into the intended video game 1313 from LucasArts that was also cancelled shortly after the series. Confirmed to be darker and more geared toward adult audiences, it seems Lucas intended for a big chunk of the Star Wars franchise to start growing up with its audience. However, it ultimately wasn’t meant to be.
There’s A Simple Reason Star Wars: Underworld Didn’t Get Made
Insanely Expensive and Unfortunate Timing
By all accounts, Star Wars: Underworld sounds like it would have absolutely changed the game for the franchise and its fandom. Some elements of Underworld and 1313 made their way into the canon through arcs of The Clone Wars and more of the future Star Wars live-action shows on Disney+. However, the bulk of Underworld has since gone unused and underutilized.
Unfortunately, the biggest challenge that got in the way of Underworld made was the insane cost. Case in point, each episode of Star Wars: Underworld allegedly had a projected budget of $40 million. For reference, the average episode of The Mandalorian costs around $15 million thanks to advancements in ILM’s visual effects technology Lucasfilm just didn’t have at the time, most notably “The Volume”.
Likewise, unfortunate timing proved to be a key obstacle as well. While Lucas did have a meeting set with HBO (the only studio with the financial capability to make Underworld happen), the CEO got caught in a scandal the day before and was subsequently let go. To that end, I do think the time is much better now for Disney and Lucasfilm to finally make a version of Star Wars: Underworld a reality.
Star Wars: Underworld’s Scripts Would’ve Been Perfect For The Disney+ Era
Andor More Than Proves Underworld’s Potential
When looking at the current state of the Star Wars franchise, it’s easy to look at Andor as a sign pointing to the great potential Star Wars Underworld could have if it were to be made today. Andor is certainly one of Lucasfilm’s darkest and most serious projects geared towards an adult audience, which is similarly set during the Dark Times. However, despite being immensely popular, Andor’s upcoming second season is also its last as it will also lead right up to the events of 2016’s Rogue One.
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Andor Season 2: Trailer, Story, Updates, & Everything We Know
Andor season 1 ended with an explosive finale, leading many to wonder what season 2 has in store for the characters of Star Wars’ most exciting show.
Keeping that in mind, perhaps Underworld could become a reality once Andor concludes, exploring the early days of the Empire coming to power and the lower levels of Coruscant. It would certainly be much easier to produce today compared to the late 2000s. Ultimately, it just seems like a no-brainer for Lucasfilm to finally make use of the 60 scripts from the final years of George Lucas’ time running the company.
Andor season 2 premieres April 22nd on Disney+.
Andor
10/10
- Release Date
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September 21, 2022
- Network
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Disney+
- Showrunner
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Tony Gilroy
- Directors
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Susanna White
- Writers
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Dan Gilroy
Upcoming Star Wars Movies | Release Date |
|---|---|
The Mandalorian & Grogu | May 22, 2026 |