Will the live-action Star Wars show ever get off the ground?

Yeah I think it was 2 million an episode. Well lets hope Episode VII is the biggest movie ever so this can happen

 

I heard a TV series set between III and VI with the main focus being Vader was in development, I think I read it on this site actually. But with Rebels taking place in that timeframe, I would rather it be set after RotJ starring Boba Fett. It could be an "underworld" type series, starting with Boba getting out of the Sarlacc and making his way to Coruscant or Nar Shadda looking for work and go from there. It could be called Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (not to be confused with the Jango Fett video game.) Ara Sing, Bossk, and the others could be series regulars. Have Temuera Morrison come back as Boba since he isn't doing much lately. Could be cool.

 

A TV series would depend on popular characters/themes to air an ambitious 500+ episodes to be commercially viable for Disney. So a more niche topic s.a. "Sith War" or an "X-Wing Squadron Series" aren't likely. I'm not saying it can't be creative simply because of commercial interests. I can safely assume jedi, smugglers, bounty hunters, will be all over it.

I can see after Ep. 7 success, the overlords at Disney will feel more comfortable to entertain the idea of live action series.

 

Which brings us to what type of TV show I think Star Wars Underground should've been like (meaning Lucasfilm should've and could've been a step ahead of the curb, but weren't). BSG... Battlestar Galactica, Ronald D. Moore's version to be exact. There is no reason why it couldn't have been done for roughly the same production cost. The only difference in production cost that Underworld would have different is putting some of the extras in rubber masks and making 2 dozen Stormtrooper outfits. It worked for ANH, it worked for Star Trek and various other Sci-Fi TV shows. So it would have worked for Underworld. The amount of the budget used to make the CGI Cylons, you could throw towards a few extra dog fights between X-wings and Tie fighters in space. And that's adding to what was already budgeted in for just that.

We are talking about a 1 hour long TV show, just like BSG, Star Trek, SG-1 and firefly. You don't need to be concerned with being the biggest and the best. The concern should lie on the story plotline, and the development of the characters involved. As far as sets go, do what BSG and Predators did. Use places on Earth to fill in the gaps. Again, plot and characters are more important. I really think Lucasfilm should've just went with it and started filming a live-action TV series. Star Wars Underworld would've raked in twice as much cash at the end of the day as BSG and Star Trek did IMO, and it could've been done at roughly the same production cost. So Lucasfilm missed out.

Replace Colonial Marines for Rebels, Vipers for X-wings, Battlestars for Star Destroyers, so on and so forth. It would have made for a great TV show. Hopefully Disney will give it a go sometime in the future.

 

I recall the Old Republic SW video game as being GREAT. The music, production values, digital animation etc were all top notch. That could be a compelling live action series like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings with the right elements & good scripts/story-lines.
I saw too the Star Wars 1313 project was cut.
It seemed to have promise. The back-story was the seedy underworld & scummy mid/lower levels of Corcusant. It would deplicte the crime, corruption, misery, violence of the residents & imperial troops in the capital city.
Star Wars 1313 could have had a Blade Runner/Film Noir type edge with a Star Wars flair but it wouldn't have been cheap.
I think Disney didn't or wouldn't want a more mature/adult themed TV or animated video project out there either.

 

I have said before that if Disney & LFL are aiming for a more story- and character-driven plot for TFA and beyond, rather than the "jumped-up firework show of a toy advert" (to quote Simon Pegg in Spaced), they could do with looking at things like Game of Thrones for the level of complexity and intertwining between a vast array of characters and factions, involving politics, faith, relationships and so on. But they could probably leave our the incest if they wanted to. Luke & Leia's kiss was enough of that, to be honest.

Wasn't there a rumour going around years ago that Disney (part-)owned some "adult movie" companies? If that's the case, I don't think that they're too concerned with mature themes.

 

I think Disney has "looked at" Game of Thrones and rightfully so as you've mentioned -- hence Gwendoline Christie, Miltos Yerlima, and Jessica Henwick.

I never heard that Disney owned adult movie companies but they founded Touchstone Pictures which handled mature adult themes and stories.

 

(A little Star Wars TV humor)

Some great ideas for Star Wars TV shows:


Han Solo, P.I.

And for those of you old enough to get the reference and why this is so awesome, be sure to check out the Magnum v. Solo, sequence comparison

TROOPS

Star Wars / Dallas opening

Back on topic:
The Star Wars series was budgeted at 5 million an episode, not 2. They wanted to wait until advances in technology brought that cost down but Game of Thrones cost more then that per episode, and HBO has a lot less money for such things then ABC. Let's hope they make a decent series sometime. Maybe after Joss Whedon takes a step back from Marvel

 

I think as awesome as it would be to have the show, there are two things I am unsure about. One, Star Wars 1313, which is confirmed to have been about Boba Fett, could have tied into the series, but is not cancelled and hasn't been picked up by EA (bad decision IMO). The next would have to be the cost and the channel it would be on. If it's a darker show, no way will it run on Disney Channel. I already hear rumors that since reruns of Rebels did so well on the main channel, next year it could just be shifted to the main channel for even greater turnouts. That would make sense, but not this Underworld show. It could be like Marvel's Agents of Shield and be on another channel, but the huge amount of detail in Star Wars sets makes me think it would cost as much as a movie and even then it would have to have a serious marketing campaign and the best writers Dinsey can buy (for a big show, they need a ton of good writers who can bring mature tones to Star Wars). Maker was just bought by Disney, but we have to see how much turnout The Force Awakens will bring and how many Star Wars fans there will be thereafter. Hopefully a whole ton we current fans can teach and integrate well .

 

I dunno, I don't think the cost would really be that much of an issue for Disney. I mean, take a look at Firefly, for example - amazing sets, awesome CGI sequences, great costumes (though admittedly nothing quite as outlandish as Star Wars). So sci-fi greatness can be achieved on a series budget, don't worry. But yes, a Star Wars story with more adult themes (I don't mean "sexy-time" , I mean more complex ideas that things like Rebels isn't able to cover) is long overdue for those of us who grew up on Star Wars and allowed it to become formative of our lives in our early years.

 

I was surprised at how well Ashoka translated to live action. If they do a series set in the dark times before Star Wars I hope they include her and a retired Rex, if not as main characters then as recurring ones. Temuera Morrison would be possible to get for guest appearances.

 

I get the gut feeling Rex helps begin the first training, along with other dissenting clones, for the Rebel Alliance. And Ahsoka works really well in live action indeed. She still has some TCW cartoon flair, but it looks pretty neat.

 

I hope it lives up to the standards

 

Something occurred to me today. Since they are planning annual Star Wars films from here on out they are going to amass a ton of props, costumes, backdrops, sets, CGI models, etc

If the movies prove as successful as Disney hopes they will be, that would cut down production costs on a show. They could re-purpose materials. They did the same thing with Star Trek. Things designed for the movies started showing up in the television show.

 

Actually, you are absolutely right. Disney would already have a ton of material to work with -- IE The Falcon or the Tatooine set that was preserved by Abu Dhabi -- could be brought back and in some cases repurposed. Also, Disney has deep, deeep pockets so financially this wouldn't be that big of a risk. Between the movies and merchandising Diz can print money with SW product.

I can see it now -- A black screen with Boba Fett's helmet then the text

"Underworld . . . 2017"

ABC

 

Hm... I'm largely skeptical of how good a live-action show would be. Granted, it wouldn't be the first television series spawned from a movie, but generally those other shows only had one or two films to base themselves off of. Any Star Wars show would have 7 films to be based off of, and my concern is that they might not be able to keep up quality to somewhat match the films, seeming somewhat a poor shadow of the films. We're much more forgiving with animation, plus it's a lot easier for them to achieve a similar enough environment to the films, appearance-wise.

Ehm, this is assuming it's not meant to be directed entirely to children, that is.

That said, what to be about?... Well, assuming it might come out after TFA is released, something taking place in-between the end of ROTJ and beginning of TFA would be good. If we're correct in that the 30 years in between trilogies has been alternating periods of cold and hot wars, then seeing a show focusing on a group skirting the lines between the Alliance/Republic and the Empire would be neat. Or something during that time period at least. It would probably be easier to do as well, given you could mimic the era of simple displays and walls of buttons rather than the complexity of PT-era stuff.

 

I do like Rebels. It's ok. But after it's over every week I find myself really missing Firefly. Maybe after Joss Whedon parts ways as the Marvel overseer Disney will let him be the show runner for a live action Star Wars TV show? xD

Firefly with a cool and competent Twi'lek captain and pint-sized powerhouse Togruta action girl being hunted by a creepy sociopath in a mask?
Yes please. Heh

 

Heh, I suppose it could work if we take it down a route that's not necessarily overly like the films. Even when writing my thought about "a show focusing on a group skirting the lines between the Alliance/Republic and the Empire would be neat", it brought me memories of my beloved Farscape in its later seasons.

I wouldn't mind watching another show with a group of smugglers or outcasts, or simply non-aligneds. Something off-to-the-side yet immersed in the films in a way.

 

They could do Cheers in space set in the Cantina

Although it's lampooning things I really like the fan film Troops. I like how the Stormtroopers are doing a job like police but the sinister tone makes them both endearing and scary at the same time, all while getting a feeling for each guy under the mask. Robot Chicken went even more over the top with the 'Gary the Stormtrooper' skits but if they make a series I hope we get little glimmers like that. Whendon pulls that off well. Look at the techs in the movie 'Cabin in the Woods'

I hope if there is a TV show we also see things from the criminals and villains point of view as well once in a while. You know- really branch out into things they can't do in the movies. That's why I like Game of Thrones. The way its presented it doesn't take sides. It shows the noble and villainous characters equally and lets the viewer make up their own minds. You just as often end up 'liking' the worst people as much as the 'heroes'

They made fun of that kind of thing in Firefly too like when Mal was fighting the one guy and getting beat to a pulp and Zoe says 'He needs to do this by himself' and Mal croaks out a feeble 'No I don't' and Zoe is like uh yeah right and they all open fire on the guy. Heh. It has a lot of OT kind of humor in that respect

 

I don't see why there couldn't be a series like Underworld, just with the action and setting transposed to Tatooine. It's got all the elements of SW going on (Dodgy crimelords, bounty hunters, monsters, pod racing, the cantina with its scum and villany etc, smugglers, tribes of sand people killing and kidnapping folks, Imperial troops all over etc etc) It's got probably the best fleshed out background for a planet side setting (and everyone knows it well)
Also, the physical locations could be easily replicated in any number of locations (well desert like environments) Think of how Dr Who managed to keep reusing the same old sand quarries as locations, this would just be easier. Theres loads of locations on tatooine that are crying out for extra detail that hasn't been explored enough in previous stuff, so would be ripe for the picking to develop their own stories and politics.
I think when it comes to a SW TV series, Lucasfilm/Disney need to be thinking bare bones first instead of expensive CGI that'll cost a fortune.