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[ManaByte]

This was brought up in the DVD thread, but it deserves its own thread. With Star Trek dying and Sci-Fi Channel being boycotted by some people (those who will never forgive them for canning Farscape), it'll be interesting to see how the series does on a major network (as if Fox won't get it...). Lucas has said (as recently as his Charlie Rose) interview that he wants to somewhat focus on television after Episode III, so the Star Wars series isn't the only thing Lucasfilm is working on for TV.

Anyways...

Yesterday the studio held a press event to show off the Star Wars DVDs. During the Q&A with Mark Hamill, he started talking about Lucas' now-abandoned plans for Episodes VII-IX. When Hamill began to talk about how Lucas realized that he didn't want to do Star Wars movies for the rest of his life, someone in the audience mentioned the rumored TV series. In response, Lucasfilm's Jim Ward simply shrugged and said, "TV series? Yeah".

Comingsoon.net has a 5 minute MP3 of this Q&A, which you can listen to here:
http://downloads.nexcess.net/comingsoon-hamill-swdvd1.mp3

You can hear Jim Ward's comment between 1:55 and 2:00.

The Star Wars TV series is rumored to arrive sometime in 2006 or 2007 and will be set in the twenty years between Episodes III and IV. It'll show the rise of Vader and the Rebellion and is rumored to heavily feature Boba Fett so much so that he may be the main character.

Edit: ILM recently hired a creature animation supervisor and another effects supervisor to oversee some of the effects in the series. That is where the rumors of the VII-IX NDAs came from.

 

[BlackMage]

sounds like a good one to miss.

 

[ManaByte]

sounds like a good one to miss.

I don't know, a Boba Fett series really lends itself to the weekly format and could be good. Just look at Clone Wars.

 

[explodet]

But if it's on FOX, it'll be cancelled after half the episodes go to air.

 

[ManaByte]

But if it's on FOX, it'll be cancelled after half the episodes go to air.

Or they could pull a Firefly and show the episodes out of order on purpose. However I doubt Fox would do that with Star Wars since it makes so much money and the backlash would be epic.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I guess it would be set at least several years after Episode III, presuming they wouldn't want to use a little kid Boba.

 

[ManaByte]

I guess it would be set at least several years after Episode III, presuming they wouldn't want to use a little kid Boba.

Well, there are 20 years between III and IV, so they have plenty of time to work with.

 

[explodet]

:lol

Yeah, that would be something to see.
But you're right, they wouldn't pull the plug on a Star Wars series unless the ratings are *really* dismal or the cost per episode skyrockets.

 

[DSN2K]

budget would have to be massive to make a TV series....

 

[B'z-chan]

Shadows of the Empire anyone?

 

[ManaByte]

:lol

Yeah, that would be something to see.
But you're right, they wouldn't pull the plug on a Star Wars series unless the ratings are *really* dismal or the cost per episode skyrockets.

budget would have to be massive to make a TV series....

Well, if it works like the movies Lucasfilm will be financing it and Fox would just be airing it.

With a weekly series that could run five to seven years, it'll be fuel for five to seven years of constant merchandise revenue for Lucasfilm. They would have a steady stream of money coming in for the show just from that. And that doesn't even count whatever cut they get from advertising.

You see, the way Lucasfilm makes its money and survives as a 100% independant studio is by doing a big Star Wars release every so often (be it home video or theatrical) to fuel merchandise sales. The money made from the merchandise goes right back into the company to support it and eventually finance another major release.

The pre-SE home video release? They made millions from that and the new toys, which Lucas then used to do the Special Editions. Taking the money made from the films + merchandising, he was able to completely finance the PT from his own pocket. Most of the original Star Wars profits went into building Skywalker Ranch. The rest of the OT profits went into ILM and Skywalker Sound.

When Lucasfilm needs a shot in the arm of cash, they just drum up a major home video or theatrical re-release and get their licenses to support it with merchandise. That's why you see a ton of "Original Trilogy Collection" action figures hitting stores this month with the same packaging design as the DVDs. This is all to prepare for the marketing push for Revenge of the Sith, which begins in November.

Fox has a super sweet deal with Lucasfilm. They only have to worry about putting the movie in theaters. Lucasfilm pays for everything else due to the system that has been in place for almost thirty years now.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

budget would have to be massive to make a TV series....

If Enterprise can get away with $5 million an episode, I'm sure a Star Wars series will be able to get away with a mighty budget as well.

 

[jett]

Boba Fett has gained way too much importance. It's getting ridiculous.

 

[B'z-chan]

Boba Fett has gained way too much importance. It's getting ridiculous.

agreed way too much love for the Fett. I mean yeah he's cool and all, but there are better stories to be told with better charcaters and within the univers and time line given by the original trilogy.

FUCK why cant we get a Kotor show? Its star wars enough. Only two ways in my mind as a diehard Star Wars fan is either go with bounty hunters and shadows of the empire, or go with Kotor. Ones a different universe before anything star wars. The other happens before IV and goes up till episode VI which could prove to be beneficial to bringing back Star wars in a manner acceptable to me.

I want to hear more stories about what goes on in the universe not just stuff about Vader damnit. Vader has a nice back story and so does boba but not enough to warrant there own show, let alone a show just for one of those characters.

 

[teiresias]

Oh god, I can't imagine a full season of TV with dialogue and inept acting like we're getting from the prequel trilogy!!!!

 

[Tabris]

They should get Joss Whedon to write it.

 

[hobbitx]

Shadows of the Empire anyone?

*Pulls out tea cup* Oooo yes please!

I'd love a Dark Forces theme as well.


I'm so glad this is coming to fruition now, I remember I suggested a Star Wars tv show on the old GA and everyone was acting like it was the stupidest idea in the world, now it's all dandy. I love and hate this forum at the same time. :lol

 

[SKluck]

5 million for Enterprise? Shit, they cannot be making money off of that from advertising, what a waste. Just imagine what Firefly could have been like with 5 million.

 

[Dead]

They should get Joss Whedon to write it.

no thanks

 

[MetatronM]

They should get Joss Whedon to write it.

Yeah....NO!

Regardless. This will suck. I promise.

And yeah, it is absurd how "important" minor bit character Boba Fett has been artificially made recently. To the point that I've really begun to hate him.

 

[Dan]

If done right, I think a television show would have a lot of potential to be great. But this is LucasFilm, and Fox would be the most likely place for it to air, so I'll have to wait and see. I'm not sure it'd be something I'd like to watch with ads either... in that, it'd have to be crafted for those to fit in, and that can often really hinder the momentum of a show. That's why I really prefer HBO for dramatic stuff. It plays more naturally.

 

[Littleberu]

They should get Joss Whedon to write it.

"You know what happen when a Jedi is struck by lightning? The same thing as everything else."

 

[ManDudeChild]

"You know what happen when a Jedi is struck by lightning? The same thing as everything else."

Well if Jedi's are anything like frogs ...

 

[LinesInTheSand]

"You know what happen when a Jedi is struck by lightning? The same thing as everything else."

 

[AniHawk]

I just want VII-IX. Can't they get the guy who worked with Lucas in the first two (talkin' New Hope and Empire here) to do VIII-IX? Lucas wouldn't even have to work.

 

[Gantz]

It's going to be fucking Dawson's Creek.

 

[ManaByte]

I just want VII-IX. Can't they get the guy who worked with Lucas in the first two (talkin' New Hope and Empire here) to do VIII-IX? Lucas wouldn't even have to work.

They aren't and won't doing 7-9. Gary Kurtz can't do them because it's owned by Lucasfilm.

Mark Hamill was talking about what Lucas told him about 7-9 and said that Lucas basically wasn't doing them because he realized after ESB that he didn't want to do Star Wars movies for the rest of his life. Obviously he was going to do I-III since he already established IV and V, but he wouldn't do the third trilogy. So the events of 7-9 were condensed into ROTJ, Leia was made Luke's sister (the real sister wasn't meant to show up until Episode VII), and they killed the Empire in VI when it wasn't originally going to happen until IX.

Basically the story of VI-IX was that Vader dies in VI, but the Empire gets away, and Leia is crowned Queen. In VII, Luke's long lost sister is found somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. IX had a climatic battle against the Empire with Luke going one-on-one against the Emperor in the lightstaber fight, the Wookiees (yes) involved in a massive ground battle after which a group of them become the next generation of Jedi Knights, and the final scene was to reveal that the entire nine-movie saga was being played back from the memory banks of R2.

Obviously none of that is going to happen as Lucas changed the story to end in Episode VI. Those rumors you heard of NDAs for VII-IX were 100% false. The Force.net posted it as a RUMOR, and then retarded CNN and MSNBC printed it as NEWS. However, ILM DID have to sign NDAs about the live action TV series

 

[Spiritreaver]

However, ILM DID have to sign NDAs about the live action TV series

Heh, I gotta not get my hopes about this. I really had doubted it upon the initial rumor.. a couple of months ago? I can't remember. But eh, this can go well or badly. The characters and setting are logical, not many people are going to interested in a random character yet key characters jsut cannot be done for obvious reasons. Unless of course, they're in some kind of suit that hides their facial features. So I really don't mind a show about Boba, as long as they really don't try to screw up his character too much.

Also, I hope it doesn't end up cheesy. There's a good chance it won't since you can expect this will be slightly big budget and some resources will get put into it, but god if it does.. I'll shake my head in shame. How many of these kinds of shows have gone down the drain?

But I should honestly just keep my opinions to myself (too late!) until we've got more information and whatnot.

 

[COCKLES]

Who cares.

New series of Doctor Who >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ALL.

From the BBC Worldwide Publicity Promo:

Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is wise and funny, cheeky and brave. An alien and a loner (it's difficult keeping up with friends when your day job involves roaming through time and space), his detached logic gives him a vital edge when the world's in danger. But when it comes to relationships, he can be found wanting. That's why he needs Rose.

Rose is a shop girl from the present day. From the moment they meet, the Doctor and Rose are soulmates. They understand and complement each other. As they travel together through history and across the universe, the Doctor shows Rose things beyond her imagination. She starts out as an innocent, fettered by earthly concerns. But she ends up an adventurer who, by the end of the series, can never go home again...

As the two forge a friendship across time and space, brace yourself for some exhilarating experiences and deadly confrontations. Far, far in the future, Rose witnesses the natural end of the world, as the sun expands and the solar system dies. Journey back to Victorian times for an encounter with Charles Dickens and the mysterious Geith -- gaseous monsters with deadly plans for humanity. While back in 2005, an alien crash-landing diverts attention from a conspiracy that leads to the very heart of the government.

Wherever they go, whoever they meet, every story will come back to Earth. For all the danger and tension, this is a fundamentally optimistic series. The human race will survive - but only with the Doctor's help. Prepare for brand-new, spellbinding adventures in the human race...

 

[lordmrw]

Kind of sucks that they won't do Episodes VII-IX, but I've read the Star Wars Encyclopedia cover to cover many times, so thats good enough for me.

 

[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

Sorry, have to call bullshit on "Enterprise costs 5 million an episode". The 2 hour long pilot, "Broken Bow" cost $3.75 Million to produce. That's the equivalent of 2 episodes, and the pilot had more special effects than the average episode too.

http://www.geocities.com/tellytyme/startrekenterprise.html

Brannon Braga, the executive producer, says the average episode costs 1 million. "Does Braga think there's too much Trek? No, he said he thinks Star Trek is a viable franchise. When asked, he hinted that each episode cost in the neighbourhood of one million to produce."

http://www.treknation.com/articles/brannon_braga_ucsc_event.shtml


Where the heck did you hear 5 million?

 

[LakeEarth]

But if it's on FOX, it'll be cancelled after half the episodes go to air.

That's not true!! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!

 

[Spiritreaver]

That's not true!! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!

Don't worry, they'll just uncancel the show in a couple of years.

 

[Phoenix]

They aren't and won't doing 7-9. Gary Kurtz can't do them because it's owned by Lucasfilm.

Mark Hamill was talking about what Lucas told him about 7-9 and said that Lucas basically wasn't doing them because he realized after ESB that he didn't want to do Star Wars movies for the rest of his life. Obviously he was going to do I-III since he already established IV and V, but he wouldn't do the third trilogy. So the events of 7-9 were condensed into ROTJ, Leia was made Luke's sister (the real sister wasn't meant to show up until Episode VII), and they killed the Empire in VI when it wasn't originally going to happen until IX.

Basically the story of VI-IX was that Vader dies in VI, but the Empire gets away, and Leia is crowned Queen. In VII, Luke's long lost sister is found somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. IX had a climatic battle against the Empire with Luke going one-on-one against the Emperor in the lightstaber fight, the Wookiees (yes) involved in a massive ground battle after which a group of them become the next generation of Jedi Knights, and the final scene was to reveal that the entire nine-movie saga was being played back from the memory banks of R2.

Obviously none of that is going to happen as Lucas changed the story to end in Episode VI. Those rumors you heard of NDAs for VII-IX were 100% false. The Force.net posted it as a RUMOR, and then retarded CNN and MSNBC printed it as NEWS. However, ILM DID have to sign NDAs about the live action TV series

After reading what you just wrote - I think Lucas made the right move to stop while he was ahead.

 

[Celicar]

sounds totally awesome.

i can't wait.