Live Action Star Wars Television Series

[Archon Revuge]

Some more news regarding the live-action series. Looks like we're going to be waiting another 3-4 years

[Archon Revuge]

Actually, I don't half wonder if Lucasfilm is just delaying the live action series until The Clone Wars has finished its run.

[Buzz Bumble]

... the problem we have is there is a lot of digital animation; we don’t have the technology yet to be able to do them at a price that is safe for television.

Err, what?!? The Clone Wars is competely digitally animated already (admitedly it probably requires fewer polygons than full HD live action integration), and then there's other shows like Ron Moore's silly so-called "battlestar Galactica". Geez, even years ago Babylon 5 and SeaQuest managed to do this using Amiga home computers. What on Earth are they trying to do?? 3D-TV perhaps.

“Basically, it is like ‘The Godfather’; it’s the Empire slowly building up its power base around the galaxy, what happens in Coruscant, which is the major capital, and it’s [about] a group of underground bosses who live there and control drugs, prostitution,” McCallum said.

NNNnnoooooo......!!!!!
The last thing we need is a silly "adultified" show.

Oh well, at least with the world ending next year we wont have to see it.

[Archon Revuge]

... the problem we have is there is a lot of digital animation; we don’t have the technology yet to be able to do them at a price that is safe for television.

This does worry me. When the show was first announced Rick McCallum kept talking about it being 'grittier' and more character-based. I had my hopes up for something along the lines of Firefly, but set in the Star Wars universe...

It's starting to look like we won't be getting anything like that though

[Buzz Bumble]

George Lucas uses CGI for all sorts of things, including characters like Jar Jar and Watto that can't be done using the old "man in a rubber mask" technique of Star Trek or Stargate (although both of those franchises have had CGI characters, they limited the use of them and had actual models as well for close up shots).

[oota goota]

sigh........well who knows with that lot the focus might change over the next 3 to 4 years. Hopefully the show is not going to be lots of star wars-type characters having meetings with each other.........

[Reverend Strone]

An update from Rick McCallum about Star Wars: Underworld.

[MattG]

An update from Rick McCallum about Star Wars: Underworld.

The way they are handling smuggler and bounty hunter-type scenarios and storylines in "The Old Republic" game and novels (I really like the "Deceived" novel), although in a different point in the chronology, leaves me quite optimistic about an "Underworld" setting for a TV series.

[Buzz Bumble]

Rats! You beat me to it by about 15 minutes.

This is from ComingSoon.net ...

The Live Action Star Wars Series Gets a Working Title
The bad news for fans eagerly anticipating the live action "Star Wars" series is that not much has changed since word broke last June that the massive production is currently on hold, awaiting costs to drop to a point that will make the FX-heavy undertaking financially feasible. Producer Rick McCallum is hoping that won't be too far off, however, and today told IGN that the show even has a working title: Star Wars: Underworld.

"It's underneath what's going on," he reiterated about the series' focus, "It's the criminals and the gangs. The guys who are running Wall Street, basically. The guys who are running the United States."

Even if the series is a few more years away, McCallum says there's no risk in the scripts become dating and that the delay can only make the show stronger.

"They're timeless," he explains. "They take place between Episode III and Episode IV. That 20 year period when Luke is growing up. It's not about Luke, but it's about that period when the Empire is trying to take things [over]."

You can check out IGN's full video interview in the player here.

... leaves me quite optimistic about an "Underworld" setting for a TV series.

As long as they remember it is still Star Wars and do not go down the ridiculous route of the updated Battlestar Galactica by making it dark, dismal, realistic and "adult-ified".

[MattG]

... leaves me quite optimistic about an "Underworld" setting for a TV series.

As long as they remember it is still Star Wars and do not go down the ridiculous route of the updated Battlestar Galactica by making it dark, dismal, realistic and "adult-ified".

That's why I've found the Old Republic game and novels a source of optimism...they are still very "Star Wars", without taking the storytelling style too far in another direction.