Star Wars Live Action TV Series News

[Robimus]

Posted on MTV.com:

A live-action TV series set in the “Star Wars” cosmos has been an elusive, tantalizing prospect for years. News of the potential production first surfaced in 2005 while George Lucas was promoting “Revenge of the Sith.” Work on the “Clones Wars” animated feature film and Cartoon Network series, though, took creative precedence.

In late 2007, Lucas revealed that he and his team were about to begin writing scripts for the live-action show. Now MTV News has learned that casting for the series is currently underway.

During the junket for the Nicolas Cage thriller “Knowing,” star Rose Byrne let slip that Team Lucas is casting a wide net for actors to join the show. “A lot of my friends have been auditioning for it,” she said.

According to Lucas, the show will focus on minor characters from the saga and be set in the time period between “Revenge of the Sith” (Episode III) and the original “Star Wars” (Episode IV). The action will follow the Rebel Alliance as it slowly gains strength against the Empire. There will be Stormtroopers, but no Jedi or Darth Vader will appear on screen. As he did with the “Clone Wars” series, Lucas will write and shoot an entire year’s worth of episodes before looking for a cable channel on which to air the series.

Thus, with casting just now moving forward, it looks to be quite some time before fans will be able to catch some live-action “Star Wars” on the small screen.

Bryne couldn’t have been more pleased about her time working with Lucas on 2002’s “Attack of the Clones.” “My experience was wonderful,” she said. “George is a great guy. I was just there for a week, standing behind Natalie [Portman] looking very demure and supportive. 95% of the fan mail I get is from ‘Star Wars’ and I’ve never seen them.”

As much as she enjoyed the “Star Wars” experience, Byrne, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work on FX’s “Damages,” will not be auditioning for the live-action series. “I’m on a show,” she said. “I don’t know if I look that good in space.”

Here's the link (http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/03/09/exclusive-star-wars-live-action-tv-series-casting-underway/) to the original article.

[lars573]

Colour me interested. Let's see how it goes, the only problem I see is that it might end up like Star Trek: Enterprise. That is locked into pre-existing cannon. And can't do as much with narrative because of that.

[Super_Megatron]

Cool, glad to see this actually happening.

[Robimus]

Colour me interested. Let's see how it goes, the only problem I see is that it might end up like Star Trek: Enterprise. That is locked into pre-existing cannon. And can't do as much with narrative because of that.

Star Wars canon is always in flux. Clone Wars Animated has changed a lot existing EU canon as have several of the novels like the Republic Commando series and Darth Bane books.

Republic Commando completely changed Mandalorian history for the third time or so. (Between the changes from the pre-Episode 2 canon, to the source book retcons, to more recent changes in the RC series itself.)

The only thing Lucas himself views as untouchable canon are his own films, and he at times has even contradicted himself.

Star Wars EU canon will be a non-issue with the Great Flanneled One's involvement.:)

[lars573]

I have a basic rule for properties that have litterary spin-offs. Screen>Print. I can forgive Lucas contradicting himself. Even though the 1000 years gaff from ep. 1 was pretty bad. :eek: He created Star Wars and it's his to with as he sees fit.

[GMfan101]

Interesting to say the least. I'll definately watch it but knowing me I'll watch the first half and buy the DVD to watch the last half all in one shot :P

[Robimus]

More rumors from internet land. Take this with a raised eyebrow ;) Though I do find it interesting that we are suddenly being deluged with news about this after and long, very quiet stretch. Something could be up.


From SciFi Wire Website:

New Zealand actor Jay Laga'aia is talking to George Lucas about a role in a live action Star Wars television series next year, the New Zealand-based newspaper the Dominion Post reported.

Lucas had previously cast Laga'aia as Captain Gregar Typho, Amidala's head of sercurity, in Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith. It's unclear if he's in talks to reprise the role or to play a different one.


The series will reportedly follow the Rebel Alliance as it slowly gains strength against the the evil Empire. The newspaper also reported that the show is a basic cable TV series and that it will feature stormtroopers but not Jedi knights or Darth Vader. Lucas is currently casting for the series.

The fact that Laga'aia may be cast suggests that Lucas is considering shooting the show somewhere in Australia or New Zealand. Lucas shot parts of Episode II and III at Fox Studios in Sydney.

[counteresperanto]

Captain Typho could be an interesting character to base a show around. He seems to be a good guy who would want to help the fledgling rebellion however he can. Being a pilot and a warrior also means he's ready for whatever action the plot requires.

I'd rather see this than a show about Boba Fett, that's for sure!

[Robimus]

This popped up online today but I'm thinking its more fiction than fact: Fact being probably only the Prague mentions(Lucas is also filming Red Tails There), fiction being everything else from Obi-Wan to Daniel Logan(though I'd love for him to reprise the role), to Quinlan Vos to 2010 as a date............

Lucas wants to film the live action series covering the "dark times (http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/10-965/Star-Wars-Dark-Times-1--The-Path-to-Nowhere)" period of Star Wars lore between Episode 3 and Episode 4, in Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic. He hopes to get a tax break from the government there. The series is intended to elaborate on the rebellion against the Empire whose head is Palpatine, a Sith Lord, (the Jedi's greatest enemy, an anti-Jedi), but supposedly will not feature either the emperor or Darth Vader. However, there is always the possibility the series will focus on Vader's hunt for the remaining Jedi that survived the purge in Revenge of the Sith. In any case, the primary characters will not be Jedi but ordinary beings from the Star Wars universe whose roles are usually overshadowed by the pivotal Jedi characters in all of the six movies.

There will be appearances by Obi Wan Kenobi and at least one other Jedi - Quinlan Vos (http://www.jediquinlan.com/), who never made an appearance in any of the prequels, but is a well known character in Star Wars universe graphic novels. It is unknown if Ewan McGregor (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000191/) will be the one to don the beard and cloak again to reprise his role of Obi Wan from the Prequel movies, but it seems unlikely since he has not been contacted to play the part. Boba Fett will also be a recurring character and Daniel Logan who played the young Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones is being considered to play the adult Boba.

Lucas plans on writing the first season and will then hand it off to a worthy successor, at this time it is unclear who that will be. Not only will there be one Star Wars (http://www.starwars.com/) television show for fans to relish, but eventually there will be several with plots that connect all of them together and tell the story of the dark times mentioned by Obi Wan in the first Star Wars movie ever made, A New Hope.

Rumors abound about whether or not they have started casting calls since George Lucas said he wouldn't start casting until the script had been written, and it is unclear whether principal filming will take place in Prague or Sydney. However, the series will debut in 2010, a year earlier than planned, so it is likely the script is done and the casting is underway.

[Robimus]

Here's Maybe some more new news on the Live Action Front.

http://www.sandwichjohnfilms.com/2009/12/george-lucas-talks-star-wars-and-red.html

He doesn't deny Daniel Logan as Boba Fett....nor does he confirm it.

[Prowl_2009]

I seriously can't wait for this show! I mean, Star Wars on the small screen? Not including Droids and Ewoks j/k, can you seriously go wrong with Star Wars? :p