Star Wars to become TV series

[66 mustang]

"Star Wars" Downsizes

Tuesday April 26 3:19 PM ET

 

Got the Boba Fett blues now that George Lucas has wrapped his final Star Wars movie installment?

 

Fret not, Force faithful, there is a new hope.

 

Jedi master George turned up over the weekend at Celebration III, a mega-gathering of 30,000 Star Wars geeks in Indianapolis, where he announced plans to move his space opera to the small screen.

 

For his first appearance at a Star Wars convention in 17 years, Lucas made a big splash. During a Q&A session, he announced that he is going to produce a 3-D animated action series expanding on the Cartoon Network's Emmy-winning Clone Wars. Then he dropped a bigger bomb, confirming a live-action Star Wars spinoff series is in the works.

 

Does that mean we'll get to see Darth Vader duking it out with the Donald on the next Apprentice?

 

Not quite.

 

According to Lucas, both shows will take place during the period between the end of Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars (aka Episode IV--A New Hope), when the Emperor became all-powerful and started hunting the Jedi down.

 

Lucas said the live-action series is the more ambitious undertaking, attempting to translate the magic of the Star Wars universe to the small screen via supporting characters that fans have only briefly come to know from the movies. The filmmaker added that the show will also be similar in tone to the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, the TV adventures inspired by his other mega-franchise.

 

"We're probably not going to start that for about a year," Lucas said. "Like on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, we want to write all the stories for the entire first season all at once. I'm going to get it started and hire the showrunners and all of that, then I'll probably step away."

 

It is not known whether the two TV projects were the basis of a highly publicized Internet rumor a few months back speculating on future Star Wars adventures.

 

Lucasfilm has yet to make an official announcement on the new shows. The company doesn't even have a deal in place with a network to air either series because it's been marshalling all its minions for the hugely anticipated May 19 release of Revenge of the Sith, the final prequel.

 

This isn't the first occasion Lucas has packaged Star Wars for the boob tube. First, there was the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978, which Lucas has disowned. Then, after 1983's Return of the Jedi, he hatched two made-for-TV spinoffs, 1984's The Ewok Adventure and 1985's Ewoks: Battle for Endor, both of which were largely derided by Star Wars fans for focusing on the relatively tame deeds of the furry critters at the expense of action-packed escapades of cooler characters.

 

Lucas' infatuation with Ewoks continued with the Ewoks cartoon series, which was paired with another kiddie-themed 'toon, Droids, focusing on the mishaps of R2-D2 and C-3PO. Those shows ran from 1985 to '87.

 

It's expected that the new standalone animated series will showcase the same kind of epic battles as seen in the more action-oriented Clone Wars series of shorts--with the added benefit of adding potential new Star Wars enthusiasts and giving merchandisers the chance to sell even more action figures.

 

In some related Star Wars news, premiere fan site TheForce.net quotes Lucas telling people backstage at last weekend's confab that he's prepping yet another box set--this one will include all six films, plus a possible seventh disc featuring deleted scenes from the original trilogy. He says he doesn't expect to make any more tweaks to the films as he did with the last box set.

 

And lest you think you've seen the last of Darth and the gang on the big screen, think again. Lucas appeared at last month's ShoWest exhibitors convention in Las Vegas and announced that, starting in 2007, he'll rerelease all six episodes, beginning with the original Star Wars, in IMAX digital 3-D.

 

Meanwhile, the typically media-shy filmmaker is gearing up to make his own splash on the small screen. He's scheduled to guest star as himself on the May 12 episode of Fox's The O.C.. The plot: Lucas becomes interested in a graphic novel written by Seth (Adam Brody) and invites him to dinner to offer some sage advice. Seth is forced to choose between taking Summer to the prom or hanging with George.

[davesworld]

Here's what we've been told officially about the upcoming live-action TV series from Lucasfilm.

 

100 episodes

1 hour each

based on a spinoff character

Lucas will direct first season

write season one at one time

film season one at one time

takes place between ROTS and ANH

[Guest GreenMan]

Heck Yeah!!!

 

I'd watch that faithfully.

 

I WAS Luke when I was 10. Had the hair, the light sabre (carved wooden handle) and my own R2D2 (my dog Poochie). We dominated the forest behind our home.

 

Is that sad?

[jason (FA-Q)]

You got all six yet?.... I've got the upper middle one today.

 

[davesworld]

I will tomorrow when I go out. Got $300 saved up for all my Star Wars Revenege of the Sith books that came out this month. I am ready to go and get them all!!!!!!

 

 

[66 mustang]

any news on the live series? I've not watch one episode on cartoon network

[Fat Freddy]

any news on the live series? I've not watch one episode on cartoon network

 

No news after four years?

Dead in the water, I would assume.

[glam_junkie]

I belive it's called 'Starwars Democracy'

[Evil Rick]

Yet again I'm duped into thinking a new Star Wars installment was on the way...only to discover this thread hearkens back almost half a decade.

[Rockposer]

My son & I are enjoying Star Wars The Clone Wars cartoon series

[Evil Rick]

My son & I are enjoying Star Wars The Clone Wars cartoon series

My kids and I watch that and it is pretty good. The guy that does Kenobi's voice in the show sounds like a gay butler though.

[66 mustang]

NEW NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

A long time ago, in a Skywalker Ranch far, far away, plans were discussed and scripts were written for a live action Star Wars TV Series. However, due to the prohibitive production costs, which would have been a gargantuan $5 million per episode, the project was grounded faster than an out-of-service Millennium Falcon, and the scripts were left to gather dust on the shelf.

 

That could all be about to change though. After Disney’s recent acquisition of LucasFilm, ABC are lookng to breath fresh life into this long gestating project. Speaking to EW, ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee revealed:

 

We’d love to do something with Lucasfilm, we’re not sure what yet. We haven’t even sat down with them. We’re going to look at [the live-action series], we’re going to look at all of them, and see what’s right. We weren’t able to discuss this with them until [the acquisition] closed and it just closed. It’s definitely going to be part of the conversation.

 

One of the reasons that the television episodes were originally priced at $5 million a pop was due to the price the television studio would have to pay LucasFilm for the rights to make the show. Now that Disney owns both ABC and the rights to the Star Wars universe, these costs have come down.

 

So what would a Star Wars TV Series look like? Here’s a rough synopsis from EW:

 

Sources say the live-action series centers on the story of rival families struggling over the control of the seedy underside of the Star Wars universe and the people who live within the subterranean level and air shafts of the metropolis planet Coruscant (the Empire’s urban-sprawl-covered home planet). A bounty hunter may be the main character. Set between the original Star Wars film trilogy and the prequels, the time period allows for all sorts of potential appearances from classic figures from the Star Wars universe.

 

Focusing on the seedy underworld of Coruscant would be a really interesting direction for the show to take. Can you imagine a Star Wars show that has a similar tone to The Wire or The Sopranos, but with lightsabers and droids? It could be the greatest thing ever seen on television. Please ABC, make it happen!

 

Would you like to see a Star Wars television show? What storylines would you like to see explored? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

 

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I have grown tired of most of the Old Republic Era, but that sounds like a cool idea. Also, contradicting what I just said, a show following a squad of Republic Commandos could be awesome, too. But, I really like the idea of a Star Wars show that isn't focused around Force users and lightsabres. I'm really tired of that stuff, and there is so much more to the universe. Coruscant is cool, but I think Nar Shaddaa would be better. The planet of Coruscant has some redeeming qualities, while Nar Shaddaa is nothing but trouble. I think a show about a crew of smugglers based out of Nar Shaddaa would be cool, but then it might just appear to be a rip off of Firefly. I haven't read much about the Yuuzhan Vong War, but I know the gist of it, and that would be an incredible show. The entire galaxy at war would be intense. Although, I think they should save that idea for the big screen.

[66 mustang]

I think a show about a crew of smugglers based out of Nar Shaddaa would be cool, but then it might just appear to be a rip off of Firefly.

 

as soon as I read smugglers my mind went to Firefly instantly then a few words later there it is. LOL.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I think a show about a crew of smugglers based out of Nar Shaddaa would be cool, but then it might just appear to be a rip off of Firefly.

 

as soon as I read smugglers my mind went to Firefly instantly then a few words later there it is. LOL.

 

You would.