Rick McCallum on Star Wars: Underworld – The Show That Could Have Changed Everything

Imagine a Star Wars show so dark, so gritty, so wildly ambitious that it made executives break into a cold sweat. That was Star Wars: Underworld, the long-lost TV series that George Lucas and producer Rick McCallum spent years developing—only for it to never see the light of day.

Now, thanks to McCallum spilling the details in a recent interview, we finally have a clearer picture of what could have been. And honestly? It sounds like it would have been insane (in the best way possible).

Star Wars: Underworld – What Was It?

Set in the seedy underbelly of Coruscant, Star Wars: Underworld was meant to explore crime, corruption, and power struggles in the galaxy’s biggest city. Think The Godfather meets Star Wars, but with bounty hunters, smugglers, and a whole lot of moral gray areas.

Over 60 scripts were written, detailing stories that would have shattered everything we thought we knew about the Star Wars universe. This wasn’t a show about Jedi and Sith; it was about the people caught in between. The spies, the criminals, the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Why Didn’t It Happen?

Short answer: Money.

Long answer: George Lucas wanted to make Star Wars: Underworld a blockbuster-quality TV series, with each episode costing a staggering $40 million. That’s almost four times the budget of Game of Thrones per episode. In total, the first 100-episode season would have cost around $4 billion. That’s more than Disney paid for all of Star Wars when they bought Lucasfilm.

To put it mildly, Hollywood wasn’t ready for that level of spending.

“It Would Have Blown Up the Whole Star Wars Universe”

According to McCallum, Star Wars: Underworld wasn’t just expensive—it was bold. In his words:

“I mean, it would have blown up the whole Star Wars universe and Disney definitely would have never offered George to buy it.”

That’s a big statement. But what did he mean?

From what we know, Underworld would have explored darker themes, including political corruption, organized crime, and the struggles of ordinary people under Imperial rule. It would have been less “good vs. evil” and more “shades of gray,” showing a Star Wars galaxy that was morally complex and unpredictable.

In other words, it would have been a very different take on the franchise—one that might not have fit the vision Disney later established.

What’s Left of Star Wars: Underworld?

Even though the show never happened, some test footage was shot, giving us a small taste of what could have been. The footage features gritty cyberpunk vibes, dimly lit alleys, and action sequences that feel straight out of Blade Runner.

And here’s a fun twist: Elements of Underworld were later repurposed in Andor and The Mandalorian. The show’s gritty tone and focus on the criminal underworld live on in spirit—even if we never got to see the original vision play out.

Could Star Wars: Underworld Ever Happen?

With streaming services now throwing absurd amounts of money at prestige TV (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power had a $500 million budget for one season), a Star Wars show with that level of ambition isn’t impossible anymore.

However, Disney’s current Star Wars strategy leans more toward safe bets, like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, rather than experimenting with untested ideas. Would they be willing to revive a project that was too bold even for Lucas? That’s the billion-dollar question.

For now, Star Wars: Underworld remains one of the greatest “what ifs” in the galaxy.

Conclusion

Star Wars: Underworld was a game-changing idea that never got its chance to shine. McCallum’s latest comments confirm what many suspected: this show would have been unlike anything Star Wars had ever attempted.

It was too expensive, too ambitious, and too ahead of its time. But in a way, its legacy lives on. The dark, mature storytelling we now see in shows like Andor? The expanded focus on crime syndicates and political intrigue? All of that owes something to Underworld.

Maybe one day, we’ll see a revival of Lucas’s bold vision. Until then, we’ll have to settle for dreaming about what could have been.

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