Rick McCallum, producer of the Star Wars prequels, recently revealed the staggering cost behind the cancelled Star Wars: Underworld series: a jaw-dropping $40 million per episode. This exorbitant budget, driven by the ambitious scale of each episode surpassing even the feature films, ultimately sealed its fate. "The problem was that each episode was bigger than the films," McCallum explained on the Young Indy Chronicles podcast, adding that the project's failure remains a profound disappointment.

With 60 third-draft scripts penned by acclaimed writers, showcasing a "sexy, violent, dark, challenging, complicated, and wonderful" vision of the Star Wars universe, the budget proved insurmountable. Even at the early 2000s, the potential cost of $2.4 billion (60 scripts x $40 million/episode) was far beyond reach, even for George Lucas. McCallum noted that the series' scale would have fundamentally altered the Star Wars landscape, potentially preventing Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm. The project was ultimately abandoned after Disney's takeover.

While McCallum remained tight-lipped on plot specifics, fan speculation centers on bridging the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Previous statements indicated a fresh cast of characters, a significant expansion of the Star Wars universe, and a mature audience target, departing from the franchise's typical teen and child demographic.

First unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in 2005, and with test footage surfacing in 2020, Star Wars: Underworld remains a tantalizing "what if?" The hefty price tag, it seems, ensured that this ambitious project would remain forever unrealized.