Deadwood In Space? Star Wars: Underworld May Be Too Grown Up For TV
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An exorbitant budget might derail production on the new live action Star Wars show Star Wars: Underworld. An epic scale, coupled with the special effects requirements, Lucasfilm is looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 to $6 million an episode. But cost isn’t the only roadblock. Apparently the subject matter is a little too adult.
Producer Rick McCallum says,
Our biggest problem is that these stories are adult. I mean…these are like Deadwood in space. It so unlike anything you’ve ever associated with George before in relation to Star Wars. These aren’t for kids. I mean, we hope they’ll watch, but it’s not being targeted at 8-to-9 year old boys.
“Deadwood in space?” I’m sure I’m not the only one who really likes the sound of that. But while there are a great many grown ass Star Wars fans, the franchise has always leaned towards the family-friendly side of things. The series has more “adult content” than the usual Lucasfilm fare, and that has some people concerned about maintaining brand integrity.
I definitely see where they’re coming from. Star Wars has always been focused on younger crowds, but I think there’s room for a more grown up centric arm of the franchise. There are generations of us who grew up on Lucas’ films, and some of us have developed tastes for the more shadowy side of things. Return of the Jedi used to be my favorite when I was younger (probably because it was the first one I really remember seeing in the theater), but as time passed I developed and affinity for the darker elements of a movie like The Empire Strikes Back. You don’t have to make everyone curse like drunken sailors and put the show on HBO or Showtime, but I think you could take things in a more adult direction and still keep the spirit alive.
There are reportedly 50 hours of scripts for Star Wars: Underworld, and McCallum calls the project “bigger than any film we’ve ever done.” Hopefully we’ll get to see them sooner rather than later.
