Another George Lucas Star Wars live action TV show thread!

[GhostFaceSaint]

So I figure this isn't the first thread about the up-and-coming live action show due in 2010 nor will it be the last, so what do we know today outside of what Wikipedia knows? ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_live-action_TV_series ) Is Lucas postponing the show from '09 to '10 a good sign that he is finally taking his time to do Star Wars right like he did with the original trilogy. The writing for the first trilogy was done somewhere around '70 and was continuously rewritten over the next few years until a final rewrite for his first film in '77, so he really took his time back then, however his writing for the new trilogy was done always at the last possible minute and always a week before shooting sadly, so he spent little time revising and rewriting. I like to think that he is going to do this new show right and than after he completes the first few episodes or season hand the show over to the next generation of Star Wars writers just like he plans to.

So what do we know as of today about this TV show?

 

[nx1701g]

From what has been revealed there will be no Jedi in the series. They are already planning for a spinoff series to begin during the second season of the series as well (I'm not making that up, McCallum said that at Celebration Europe). The series is planned to be on HBO, but FX has expressed an interest in the series as has Spike and MTV. Disney is trying to purchase it to be aired on ABC Family. The first season will consist of 13 - 15 episodes shot over a 1 - 2 year period, which means instead of it airing in 2010 it wouldn't officially start airing until 2012.

More importantly: Neither Darth Vader nor the Emperor would be featured. They'd be mentioned, but never seen.

 

[T J]

Hummm... Lets see... If I were making a SW show what could I do to make sure it was boring and no one would ever watch...? AH! I got it! NO Jedi! No Vader! No Palps! Just Smallville without the powers but all the angst! What a suckfest! It's like he went out of his way to make his own universe as boring a dish water. MEH!

 

[captcalhoun]

if i was going to make a SW series set between episodes 3 and 4, i do it focused on the nascent rebellion and not feature any Jedi or Vader.

i'd have lots of Y-Wing/TIE dogfights and some planetside battles too...

 

[Skywalker]

A rogue Jedi on the run is an obvious choice for the star of a show set between Episodes III and IV, and I think such a character would offer a lot of dramatic potential.

 

[Gaith]

his writing for the new trilogy was done always at the last possible minute and always a week before shooting sadly, so he spent little time revising and rewriting.

It's always been my impression that GL wouldn't be writing this series, only overseeing it.

And for good writers, time shouldn't be a multi-year issue. Aaron Sorkin personally wrote more than twelve hours' worth of West Wing episodes four years in a row, and his weakest scripts are masterpieces compared to, say, RotS'. GL has many talents, but writing isn't one of them; the principal reason his ANH writing worked so well, imo, is because the budget forced him to bring a tighter focus to the story and characters than he'd ever need to do again.

And because he took seven years.

 

[nx1701g]

A rogue Jedi on the run is an obvious choice for the star of a show set between Episodes III and IV, and I think such a character would offer a lot of dramatic potential.

The rumors are it'll focus on Boba Fett. The kid who played Fett in AOTC claims he's been contacted about reprising the role.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

if i was going to make a SW series set between episodes 3 and 4, i do it focused on the nascent rebellion and not feature any Jedi or Vader.

i'd have lots of Y-Wing/TIE dogfights and some planetside battles too...

Please this. Please this. Please this.

 

[Skywalker]

A rogue Jedi on the run is an obvious choice for the star of a show set between Episodes III and IV, and I think such a character would offer a lot of dramatic potential.

The rumors are it'll focus on Boba Fett.

Yeah, I know. Ugh.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Boba Fett can grok my glands.

 

[SalvorHardin]

Why can't someone just make a Star Wars that has nothing to do with the time between the 6 movies dammit ?

Just set it in the distant past like KOTOR or in the future.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

EDIT: Wrong thread.

 

[Mr Light]

My understanding is it will be an ensemble sprawling cast of Rebels, Imperials, and bounty hunters. I too would be extremely pissed if there wasn't a single Jedi Survivor working with the Rebels (Aayla Secura!). I also read they would have brief cameos of people like Vader and Palps and Organa. I think Lil' Leia is supposed to be a character because an author proposed writing a Lil' Leia book and was shot down because it was TV territory. I also remember reading they said it would start as one show then branch off into four different series (one show for each faction?).

 

[FalTorPan]

How long does it make to preproduce a typical TV show, and why is this one taking so long? Given how crappy Episodes I, II and III and the Clone Wars movie were, I can't imagine that the preproduction time of the upcoming series will result in an appreciable increase in quality.

 

[Mr Light]

Lucas likes to take his time making these things. It took him 16 years to make the Prequel Trilogy. It took him ?19? years to make Indy 4. He produces the Young Indy DVDs years ago but waited to release them until the new movie came out. The Clone Wars toon was in production since '05 or so but didn't air until Fall 08.

 

[Spiderpope]

My understanding is it will be an ensemble sprawling cast of Rebels, Imperials, and bounty hunters. I too would be extremely pissed if there wasn't a single Jedi Survivor working with the Rebels (Aayla Secura!). I also read they would have brief cameos of people like Vader and Palps and Organa. I think Lil' Leia is supposed to be a character because an author proposed writing a Lil' Leia book and was shot down because it was TV territory. I also remember reading they said it would start as one show then branch off into four different series (one show for each faction?).

That was what i had heard as well, with the various storylines eventually splitting off into their own shows. I recall reading on TheForce.net somewhere that the eventual plan is to have 3 or 4 live action series on at the same time.

 

[Joy]

Isn't the reason it's taking so long is because they actually want to finish filming everything before they ever air it? I could swear that's what I'd read a while back...

It should be interesting to see how this turns out... I'm hoping for some clips to determine whether or not I'll even be interested in it. I've already kinda slipped out of the fandom after all the boring Clone Wars stuff. It doesn't even remotely appeal to me.

Joy

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

The first time I see Yoda sitting in a room talking about how he senses the dark side, or those stupid droid armies, or any of the other 'Prequel hallmarks' that made their way into all the clone war series, I'm shutting it off. I'm just so tired of all of that.

(of course, it being set in between trilogies makes all of that less likely).

 

[Samurai8472]

I'm sure some trader will restart a few droids to use as labor.

 

[seigezunt]

Hummm... Lets see... If I were making a SW show what could I do to make sure it was boring and no one would ever watch...? AH! I got it! NO Jedi! No Vader! No Palps! Just Smallville without the powers but all the angst! What a suckfest! It's like he went out of his way to make his own universe as boring a dish water. MEH!

So true.