Star Wars: Underworld – The Forgotten TV Series That Could Have Changed Everything

by

Could it be possible that a live-action Star Wars TV series, titled “Star Wars: Underworld“, was in production over a decade before The Mandalorian debuted on Disney+? Unfortunately, this project fell victim to the abyss of development hell and never saw the light of day. This show has become a subject of hushed discussions within the Star Wars fanbase. With some research and digging through archives, you can learn about this once promising, yet unrealized, Star Wars series.

Check out our full rundown below.

Star Wars: Underworld, previously referred to as “Deadwood in space” and “Empire” amplified, was initially unveiled by George Lucas at Star Wars Celebration III in 2005. This high-end TV series attempted to establish itself during an era when studios were reluctant to invest substantial funds into television productions.

Following the creation of “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” in the ’90s, George Lucas found himself captivated by the world of television production again. Rick McCallum hinted that this upcoming project was intended to span approximately 100 hours, falling within the 19-year gap between Episode III and Episode IV. This is the timeframe where movies such as “Rogue One” and TV series like “Andor” are set.

Back in 2008, during a chat with Star Wars Insider, George Lucas himself described the Underworld project as a grittier, more character-focused tale. Unlike the movies, it’s not so much about the plot, but delving deeper into the characters themselves. The series would introduce fresh faces, a gang of folks we haven’t met before, with the exception of Boba Fett who will play a pivotal role. Furthermore, this saga would give us glimpses of other bounty hunters, stirring memories, don’t you think?

Instead of portraying Boba Fett navigating the challenges of parenthood with a young Yoda, this tale was intended to delve into the gritty depths of Coruscant, offering glimpses into a world inhabited by criminals, lawbreakers, and covert agents, all thriving in their illegal activities amidst a galaxy oppressed under the iron fist of the Empire.

Or more informally:
Instead of Boba Fett raising his own baby Yoda, we’re diving into the dark side of Coruscant, uncovering a world where crooks, outlaws, and spies are making their dirty money while the galaxy struggles under Imperial rule.

To create a vivid depiction of this distant, gritty galaxy, Lucas and McCallum enlisted an impressive roster of genre writers. They scoured the globe for talented writers, ultimately choosing a team that included Ronald D. Moore from Battlestar Galactica, Matthew Graham of Life on Mars, Chris Chibnall from Doctor Who, along with Fiona Seres, Tony McNamara, Terry Cafolla, Louise Fox, and Stephen Scaia.

In my humble opinion as a movie reviewer, Lucas and McCallum envisioned an epic saga, aiming for 100 episodes with the possibility of extending to a staggering 400. To achieve this monumental task, they assembled a formidable team of writers, as Ronald D. Moore put it, who would regularly convene at Skywalker Ranch, every few months, brainstorm storylines, and pen scripts, working alongside Lucas.

In true George Lucas style, the initial twenty-five scripts he had planned expanded into fifty, as Matthew Graham shared with Den of Geek in 2016. “Lucas originally intended to write scripts for one season,” Graham said, “but since he was so engrossed in the process, he decided to continue and create twice as many scripts for two seasons instead.

Although not all of these scripts had reached their final camera-ready state, they varied in terms of development. Some were initial drafts, while others had gone through multiple revisions. A few required extensive work, but some were already well-polished. This variation might have stemmed from the ambitious scale that Lucas envisioned for this series.

As per Moore, Lucas’ instructions for the scripts were: “Think grandly, don’t hesitate, we’ll manage. Money is not a concern, so we crafted these massive stories.

Regrettably, by the close of the day, obstacles such as the writer’s strike and escalating production costs for each episode made producing Underworld practically unachievable. In 2010, Lucas shared with IGN that “We have a movie of the week and 50 hours scripted, all prepared, ready to go. The challenge lies in finding a way to produce it without spending more than $50 million per episode.

In a 2025 interview, McCallum revealed the cost, commenting, “Unfortunately, each episode was more expansive than the movies we had back then. With the technology available at that time, I could only bring it down to $40 million per episode due to their grandeur.

It’s quite an escalation compared to the estimated production cost for each episode of The Mandalorian, which ranges from $12.5 to 15 million.

Despite being primarily centered on new characters, the series subtly brought back beloved figures such as Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and others from previous Star Wars stories. Concepts and tales initially developed for the film Underworld, like the story of how Han met Chewie or how Lando lost the Millennium Falcon, were later incorporated into spin-offs such as Solo. In fact, the plot of Rogue One initially drew inspiration from ideas originating in Underworld. Regrettably, some concepts ended up in the never-released video game Star Wars 1313, which unfortunately had to be shelved. It’s almost like spilling precious blue milk on the sidewalk for this game we’ll never get to enjoy.

It’s quite striking to note that aspects reminiscent of the Underworld series found their way into the critically acclaimed 2018 game, God of War. As early as 2016, director Cory Barlog shared with VentureBeat:

I had the opportunity to visit the ranch and review the scripts for the canceled live-action Star Wars TV series. It was an incredibly powerful experience. The Emperor was portrayed in a way that made me empathize with him, showing he was wronged by a ruthless woman. This character is like a tough gangster who systematically dismantled the Emperor’s personality. I came close to shedding tears while reading it.

Maybe that lady gangster is Rey’s grandmother? Only time will tell.

Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney

Although we might never witness Star Wars Underworld as George Lucas initially planned due to Disney purchasing Lucasfilm in 2012, his concepts continue to flourish not only in the distant galaxy but among numerous creators from various fields. And at least, we have Baby Yoda for consolation!

—

If you’re craving for additional Star Wars excitement, don’t forget to catch up on previous episodes of Explainiac, streaming now on platforms where premium TopMob content resides.

Remember — not everything in life can be explained. For everything else, there’s this show.

Images: Lucasfilm

Dan Casey serves as the Creative Director at TopMob, and he has penned several books focusing on Star Wars and The Avengers. You can keep up with his updates by following him on Twitter (@DanCasey).

Read More

2025-03-13 18:03