Although Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm has resulted in the green light being given to a new theatrical Star Wars trilogy, it has left question marks hanging over a number of previously-announced projects. We’ve already seen the cancellation of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Seth Green’s proposed comedy Star Wars: Detours, as well as the eagerly-awaited video game Star Wars 1313 and the planned 3D re-releases of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, while it also seems that George Lucas’ long-in-development live-action TV series Star Wars: Underworld has been placed on the backburner.
However, during the Television Critics Association press tour yesterday, ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee has revealed that the network is keen to expand its collaborations with Disney’s subsidiaries beyond the upcoming superhero series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., announcing that talks are underway between ABC and Lucasfilm about a possible TV series set in a galaxy far, far away:
“We’ve started conversations with them,” said Lee. “I have an inlking in my mind, but they have a lot of their plate. I’d love to go there. I’m a particular fan of Lucasfilm and it’s an amazing world. We are loving this relationship with Marvel. The relationship with Marvel and with other Disney [intellectual properties] across the company is something we are ambitious to build. We have lots of little schemes in mind.”
The planned Star Wars TV series first began development back in 2005 and by 2011, 50 scripts had been written, although Lucas and producer Rick McCallum (who has since left Lucasfilm) said that the project was on hold due to the high production costs required to produce the series. It was also revealed that the series would take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and revolve around the Coruscant underworld during the period that the Empire consolidated its power. Of course, it’s unclear how this series would fit into Disney’s feature film plans for Star Wars, with a Boba Fett spin-off movie also rumoured to be on the cards.
TV series or not, Star Wars will be back on the screen in 2015 with director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness) currently in pre-production on the first instalment of Disney’s Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII.