A newStar Warsshow is finally revisiting George Lucas' plans for a scrapped live-action TV show 20 years after he announced it, but it looks very different after two decades. Back in 2005, George Lucas announced a live-action show titledStar Wars: Underworld. The show was supposed to be a street-level look at the Dark Times of theStar Warstimeline, focusing on the Empire’s occupation of the lower levels of Coruscant. It was also supposed to be a darker, grittier take on the franchise geared towards adults, andUnderworldreportedly had a full 60 episodes already writtenby the time it was canceled.
Part of the reasonUnderworldwas canceled was because of its sheer ambition: each episode, had they been produced, was estimated to cost $40 million. In comparison, each episode ofThe Mandaloriancost about $15 million to produce, which is still a very large figure 20 years afterUnderworldwas supposed to be broadcast. Accordingly,Star Wars: Underworldseemed to be relegated to stories of what could have been, until a recent announcement from Lucasfilm. After two decades, it looks likeStar Warsis finally returning to Lucas’Underworld, though the new show looks significantly different.
Star Wars' New TV Show Is Heading To The Underworld
Tales Of The Underworld Is Set To Follow Bounty Hunters & Criminals
A new trailer fromStar Wars, posted to X, revealed the next series in theTales-style anthology collection:Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld. As the trailer depicts,Tales of the Underworldis set to follow two legacy characters fromStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Cad Bane and Asajj Ventress, both notable criminals and bounty hunters. Ventress was even seen walking the lower levels of Coruscant, meaningTales of the Underworldwill at least partially take place in the same settingUnderworldhoped to explore. After two decades,Star Warsis finally making a show centered around the “scum and villainy"Underworldwanted to breathe life into.
This Is Very Different To Lucas' Original Plans
Tales Of The Underworld Is Animated, Focused On TV Characters, & Possibly More Optimistic
WhileTales of the Underworldis set to explore the criminal side of theStar Warsgalaxy in depth, it’s still quite different from George Lucas' vision forStar Wars: Underworld. At the most obvious level,Tales of the Underworldis a fully animated show, whileUnderworldwas intended to be live-action. Additionally, at least part of Cad Bane’s episodes seem to take place long before evenStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menaceand on Duro, whileUnderworldwas supposed to focus almost exclusively on the Dark Times on Coruscant.
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Ventress' story fits more neatly with Lucas' vision, but it also diverges in its own ways.Underworldreportedly would have seen returning characters from the mainStar Warsmovies, like Darth Vader and Lando Calrissian, while Ventress' story seems to focus more on TV characters like herself andStar Wars' Inquisitors. Additionally, as a bounty hunter, Ventress has a dubious moral standing, butshe was seen protecting a child in the trailer forTales of the Underworld, which suggests it will be more interested in telling stories of good vs. evil thanUnderworldwas.
Will We Ever See The REAL Star Wars: Underworld?
Despite Having 60 Episodes Written, Star Wars: Underworld Seems Lost To Time
I, for one, am extremely excited to seeTales of the Underworld(not least because I adore Cad Bane), but it does call into question whetherStar Warswill ever get around to carrying out George Lucas' real vision forStar Wars: Underworld. As previously mentioned,60 episodes ofUnderworldhad already been written, and a massive live-action show like that would be much easier to produce and finance now than it was in the late 2000s.There’s never been a better time for Lucasfilm to createUnderworld, but it still seems like an empty hope.
Now that Tales of the Underworld is telling a story focused on criminals, it just doesn’t seem like there’s much room left for Underworld, in its original format, to make much of a mark.
Part of the reasonStar Wars: Underworldseems like a pipe dream is because different parts ofUnderworldhave survived and been incorporated into existingStar Warsstories already. BothThe MandalorianandObi-Wan Kenobihave explored the lower levels of Coruscant in live-action, andAndorfollows street-level characters in a grittier, more mature tone.Now thatTales of the Underworldis telling a story focused on criminals, it just doesn’t seem like there’s much room left forUnderworld, in its original format, to make much of a mark.Underworldwouldn’t be nearly as groundbreaking in 2025 as it would have been in 2005.
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On top of it all, Disney has mostly avoided using George Lucas' unfinished projects. For example, when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, Lucas reportedly had scripts for theStar Warssequel trilogy that were scrapped in favor of Rey Skywalker’s journey. Additionally,Lucasfilm has been expected to announce a pivot away from television and back towards theatrical movies atStar WarsCelebration 2025 for some time, meaningUnderworldsimply may not fit with the company’s plans for now. There’s still a sliver of hope thatUnderworldcould come out some day, but it doesn’t seem to be inStar Wars' immediate future.
