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The Star Wars live-action TV series is a science fiction television series currently set to debut in 2009. The Expanded Universe production will be set between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. The project, which has yet to be given an official title, was first announced in April 2005 by Star Wars creator George Lucas at the Celebration III fan convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The series will focus on minor characters from the Star Wars galaxy, rather than the main characters from the films. However, Lucas has stated that some of the main characters may make cameo appearances. Originally, 100 one hour-long episodes were proposed, but at Celebration Europe in July 2007, producer Rick McCallum explained that it may run up to 400 episodes, and "it’s something that can go on for years and years. One of the ideas is that we’ll have multiple series going on in about two or three year’s time." This supports a description given by Lucas as "one show that will split into four shows, focusing on different characters."
Lucas will write and produce the first season, and then "hand it off from there", while remaining executive producer and general overseer throughout the rest of the series. The style of the series will be similar to Lucas' Young Indiana Jones TV series.
Lucas has stated that, in producing the show, "we will do what would typically cost $20 million, for $1 million." Principal photography will take place all around the world, with a base likely in Sydney, according to McCallum. The series will be shot using Hi-Definition cameras, according to Rick McCallum at a recent press conference for the Revenge of the Sith DVD. Pre-production was expected to begin in January 2006. Whether it has or not has not been confirmed.
In an interview published in February 2006, Steve Sansweet stated that the series will be released "toward the end of the decade". He gave the time period until release to be "about 3 years". In an interview with the BBC in March 2006, Rick McCallum explained that the series would begin filming in 2008.
According to George Lucas at Celebration III, "a lot of the issues from the films are connected, but you won't necessarily see a lot of the people that are connected." McCallum says on the writing and plot of the series: "We are just starting to interview writers and trying to really figure out which direction to go to. He envisions somewhere like 100 hours between Episode III and Episode IV with a lot of characters that we haven't met that have been developed in some of the novels and other things. We are really excited about that. Finally, we could have the opportunity to answer everybody's questions once and for all by the time we finish the series."
In a recent interview, when asked about the show, McCallum replied, "Think about bounty hunter [sic]; that’s all I can tell you."
The series is set between the founding of the Empire to the events of A New Hope, referred to as "the dark times" by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the latter film. It is during this period that the last of the Jedi will be hunted down, the newly-formed Galactic Empire will rise to power throughout the galaxy, and the first Death Star will be constructed.
Nevertheless, most of the stories will be told from the perspective of minor characters from the Star Wars galaxy. Lucas has described it as "one show that will split into four shows, focusing on different characters." Boba Fett may play a significant supporting role in the series, with Daniel Logan reprising his role from Episode II: Attack of the Clones. According to Lucas, several of the major characters from the films may have small appearances as well.
During the events of the series, the Rebel Alliance will gradually form into a full resistance against the Empire. The Alliance will ultimately win its first major battle against the Empire, referenced in the opening crawl in A New Hope.
Recent Star Wars productions have revealed all that is known at this point about the period the series will take place in:
The Evasive Action: Prey webstrips reveal that an unknown number of Jedi escape Order 66 and are hunted for a time by Darth Vader. At some point, Palpatine orders Vader to focus on helping build the Empire, and leave the remaining Jedi to others.
Yoda is in self-imposed exile on Dagobah, while Obi-Wan becomes a hermit on Tatooine after taking baby Luke Skywalker to live with Owen and Beru Lars. The Last of the Jedi: The Desperate Mission reveals that Obi-Wan resides there until contacted about Anakin's one time rival, Ferus Olin. He then goes on one final adventure off-planet before returning to Tatooine. He may have some further planetbound adventures, but otherwise mostly watches over Luke, from a distance.
A.C. Crispin has stated that she proposed a book series dealing with Princess Leia Organa between Episode III and IV, but that "Lucasfilm didn't approve the idea of a Leia backstory because they want to keep that era of the SW continuity untouched for the television series they're considering."
On the style of the series, McCallum has stated "It is going to be much darker, much grittier, and it's much more character based." Lucas has described the series as "bare-bones" and "action-heavy", and has stated that it will be for more mature audiences like TV shows Battlestar Galactica and Firefly.
Lucas stated at Celebration III that cameos by main characters are not totally out of the question. A teaser image shown at Toy Fair 2007 features a close-up of Boba Fett's helmet.
Frank Oz (Yoda), Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine), Jimmy Smits (Bail Organa), Wayne Pygram (Grand Moff Tarkin), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Temuera Morrison (Clone Troopers/Imperial Stormtroopers) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) have expressed their interest in occasional appearances.
Lucas himself instructed the writers of the Star Wars: Republic comic book series not to kill off the Quinlan Vos character. Lucas had originally written a scene for Revenge of the Sith involving Vos, but ultimately, he only got a mention in the film.
Star Wars Live Action TV Series Info
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