"Star Wars: Underworld Cancellation Due to High Costs"

Let’s face it — the cancellation of *Star Wars: Underworld* still hurts. Rick McCallum, the producer behind the *Star Wars* prequels, recently shared some eye-opening insights on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast, revealing that the ambitious series would’ve cost a staggering $40 million per episode to produce. That kind of budget simply wasn’t sustainable, especially when each episode was more elaborate than the films themselves.

“The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films,” McCallum explained. “So the lowest I could get it down to with the tech that existed then was $40 million an episode.” Even with 60 third-draft scripts already written—crafted by some of the most talented writers in Hollywood and promising a bold new direction for the franchise—the sheer financial burden made it impossible to move forward. Multiply that $40 million price tag across the planned season count and you're looking at well over a billion dollars total — a number even George Lucas couldn't realistically fund back in the early 2000s.

McCallum expressed deep regret over the project never seeing the light of day, calling it “one of the great disappointments of our lives.” He also pointed out that had the series moved forward, it might have dramatically changed the trajectory of the entire franchise. “[It] would’ve blown up the whole Star Wars universe and Disney would’ve definitely never offered George to buy the franchise,” he noted. Ultimately, once Disney took the reins and Lucas stepped back, any hope of reviving *Underworld* faded for good.

Though plot details remain unconfirmed, rumors have long suggested the series would explore the gap between *Revenge of the Sith* and *A New Hope*. The show was reportedly set to introduce a fresh ensemble cast, expand the lore significantly, and target a mature audience — something quite different from the family-friendly tone of many other *Star Wars* projects at the time.

Originally unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, *Underworld* first captured fan imaginations with its promise of gritty, adult-oriented storytelling. Test footage even leaked in 2020, giving fans a brief glimpse into what could have been. But beyond that, the story ends here — at least for now.