A two-part episode would have involved Darth Vader descending into the lower levels of Coruscant to personally quell a rebellion. Cool material to think about.
Lucas was always ahead of his time. I think forget that sometimes. He was ALWAYS pushing for new technology to aid storytelling. I have so much respect for his work and definitely miss his hand in Star Wars.
Lucas wanted to have 100 episodes, each an hour long. The problem is that the episodes were going to cost 50 million dollars each. Lucasfilm didn't have that kind of money. They were trying to invent new technology which would allow them to radically bring costs down. Allow them to shoot an hour of VFX-driven storytelling in a cyberpunk city on a budget closer to 5-10 million. Star Wars has always been suited to longform TV storytelling. It's why Clone Wars works so well. But Lucas and his team dreamed of being able to have VFX as good as -- actually better than -- something like Revenge of the Sith, but with a much lower budget and several hours to tell each story arc. The test footage isn't a great film, but it's not supposed to be. It's a tech demo showing how they could create these amazing looking environments and blend actors into them. There's also some really interesting intimacy to the camera work, and the instant replay means that they know how it's going to look as they're shooting it. A really, really impressive tech demo. Supposedly some of the scripts for SW: Underworld were really, really good. Corey Balrog has said he got to read some of the scripts: “Probably the really small beginnings of this idea, the germination of this - when I was working at Lucas, I was allowed to go up to the ranch and read the scripts for the [canceled live-action Star Wars] TV show. It was the most mind-blowing thing I’d ever experienced. I cared about the Emperor. They made the Emperor a sympathetic figure who was wronged by this fucking heartless woman. She’s this hardcore gangster, and she just totally destroyed him as a person. I almost cried while reading this. This is the Emperor, the lightning out of the fingers Emperor. That’s something magical. The writers who worked on that, guys from The Shield and 24, these were excellent writers” The StageCraft technology is a bit of a successor to this tech, I think. Except StageCraft has a circular screen that displays Unreal 4 visuals and the lighting on the set matches the visuals, which is great. This tech is seen in stuff like Oblivion, Interstellar, The Mandalorian.
@Leonardo Bautista What if Lucasfilm were to release each episode in theaters to offset costs before airing them on tv. Do you think that couldve worked?
Thanks for the great recap what could have been it makes me sad as being a Star Wars Ron Moore from Battlestar Galactica worked on some of them Scripts
This was really a passion project, both for GL and us at Stargate studios. Used to work for them back in 2009 and from what I saw behind the scenes, this was going to be a massive project. So many sets and costumes and new vehicles were aldready designed and Lucas really wanted this to be the Star wars story he would be remembered for. He would often talk about how dissapointed he was for what happened with the prequels. This was going to be his redemptio so to speak. But the since there was no way in hell we could get the costs of shooting this epic down to a affordable budget it had to be scrapped. It was part of the reason why he sold Star wars to Disney. With that money he would be able to fund the entire show himself, as long as Disney and Kennedy would get onboard as producers. But they of course let him go shortly after aquiring Star wars, and now he has no stake left in SW and the show will probably never happen. Really sad.
In an article about the new VFX tech developed for The Mandalorian, someone working on the show mentions how older technology wasn’t good enough for Star Wars to be fully realized on a TV budget.
What exactly do you mean by his "disappointment for "what happened" with the prequels?" You mean fan reaction. Or Lucas was soured on them. Or he was not happy that he didn't get to do everything he wanted to do with them. I know the films had to be cut down a lot, and the earlier drafts were over 4 hours long. I don't think the prequels were bad at all, and I've always seen Lucas stand up for them and defend them in interviews. In what way was he disappointed?
@Seth Meyer Poor George. I really hate fans who were overly vocal about their hate of the PT. I think they are great. I just hope Lucas's disappointment was related to the fact so much had to be cut out. Because I think as they are, they are still great.
This recontexualises the selling of the franchise and his opinion on how it has been handled. I found it odd George was disapointed Disney miliked into the ground bc ofc they would, but if he thought he could make his project under their funding
Yeah, I was kinda thinking that it doesn't look that impressive watching the clip itself, but then I saw the behind-the-scenes and realized they were actually rendering the backgrounds while filming... Most impressive.
Same. I hope Disney goes back to Coruscant soon. I love the weathered desert look, but I'm getting really tired of it. They pulled it off really well in Galaxy's edge but it's time for something new.
My problem with Disney is that they've focused too much on making everything look 'cool' to the point where it all looks fake. The prequels felt more believable than the new trilogy even though the combat scenes felt fake. Bring back the old style of lightsaber fights, Disney!
@@DAZanimations it's really not bad at all. It's test footage, proof of concept. Just to show what is possible, and to get the vision across. Some of y'all need to learn the definition of "test footage"
Looks incredible. Supposedly, the seeds of Rogue One, Solo, and the Mandalorian (and maybe even Palpatine's romance and a granddaughter) were all present in the scripts. So we sort of have had some of them already. Kathleen Kennedy and co. didn't want to throw Lucas's work away.
@@idiot_city5444 I didn't say Disney didn't do something radically different, they did. I just said some of the story outlines/ beats were recycled from Lucas's notes.
I'm not a fan of the shaky handcam, but the overall idea is very intriguing. Deep level crime and powerplay in a world that's a blend between Star Wars and Blade Runner - that has a *lot* of potential.
I'm very surprised at how well they were able to do real-time green screen/virtual set replacement at this point in time. The acting and camera work is awful, but I'm assuming that was the last thing they were worried about. The point of this is to show the process.
@@banehog yes I do. For a TV series with decent looking virtual sets in 2010 for the price point they were seeking I think this lookes fine. Feel free to disagree but you can do so without attempting to degrade me.
I finally found it! Sheesh I can't believe this has been out this long. I was one of the 501st Legion Stormtroopers on the set. We spent all day and night doing this. I was one of the troopers that got blown back from the car. I must have spent 15 min on the cold wet ground as the scene was being shot to when someone finally picked me up lol. I've been searching for this ever since this was shot as we never got to see what they were shooting. Amazing!
@@A-Kira I never knew it was going to be a series at the time of the shoot. We were told by the production company it was just a test shoot to see if a TV show was even possible to do with the technology at the time. So we really didn't give much thought to it after we finished the shoot, had we known it was possibly going to be a show we would have been bummed out totally.
Truly amazing for test footage way back in 2010. Sadly, you can see that they simply didn't have the means back then to keep the costs down. But boy, what a show this would have been. Everyone whose read the Underworld scripts said they were amazing as Lucas basically got the best writers and told them to not even worry about budget, to just write whatever they wanted. Then Disney bought the franchise and the dream was dead.
It's so weird how even though this is a test, it immediately felt more star wars than any given moment in the sequel trilogy. there's something about George's approval of aesthetics that makes star wars into star wars
When I visited Skywalker Ranch back in 2003 if my memoir is correct, they were building many (many !) editing rooms. We were told it was for the upcoming series.
Do y'all know what test footage is? None of this is supposed to do anything other than give Lucas a rough idea of what the show would look like and how much it would cost. The actors, the dialogue, the action sequences, none of that would have been in the actual show. You get that right? This isn't a pilot, these aren't the stars, this isn't the story...? How much will it cost, what will it look like. That's it. Apparently it would have cost too much.
Not sure what your point is. They did the same thing with early Tron Legacy footage. It was still exciting to watch and gave a good idea of what the film would eventually look like.
@@lindamuvic8110 you guys apparently didn't read the comments. After the tenth "The acting is bad. Who wrote that dialogue? Why was that gun fight so bad?" Comment I simply thought maybe somebody should set some realistic expectations
It's also a test to show off the technology with the real time 3D environments being added during the filming - Technology which is now being used by all large scale FX movies.
I always wanted to see lower levels of Corusant in official media. Although IMO it would've been cooler if it was about the crime syndicates and all of that stuff. Still looks cool as hell.
That's what Coruscant is like. It's just a shame Disney insists on giving us fan service, skin deep tripe like The Mandalorian (I have never been more disappointed about something) instead of good stuff like this or Star Wars 1313. Disney have really ruined Star Wars.
@General Grievous there are beautiful pieces of film n tv out there from more than ten years ago that look 10x better than this. If you want to argue that it was only test footage, well so was Deadpool's test footage n it was amazing n hilarious from even the very beginning of the project. They chose a poor director for this series, y yo tiene hente que me amo
@@cia2293 Yeah, I agree with you, but I'd just like to point out that the beginning of Rogue One with Cassian Andor played with this sort of vibe in the city street, and the Mandalorian feels similar to that, so I don't think anything like this would be totally unexpected under Disney. Even Solo had this sort of vibe on Corellia.
It's not perfect. It's also test footage. I see the bones and makings of something great here though. I think it only could have gone up from there if they did run with it. However, the price to produce this at the time would have been too high. I understand why it didn't happen. Would love to see it revived/revamped though.
Apparently the stories/scripts of Rogue One and Solo, as well as Saw Gerrera, were originally developed for this show? I assume that, had we gotten Solo's sequels, they would give us more of these lost stories. I agree though. I'm very glad things are getting repurposed, but I especially want to see more of Coruscant.
But... there is no story, no characters, no plot, no action. This is no show. This is just test footage. I don't get it. 2 stormtroopers standing there and you are a fan of star wars again? What?
@@christianschmidt8476 this could have had potential but at the end of the day we would never know, i just wish we got a cyberpunk style show or video game cause i love the underworld oc coruscant, but we never got this show nor 1313 so at the end of the day im happy with what we do have.
@@christianschmidt8476 This could’ve had the potential to be one of the most groundbreaking show of all time. It already had 50 episodes written & this clip wasn’t even one of them, which is why there’s “no story, no character, no plot, no action.” It’s just a test scene to see if it would’ve worked or not. It’s also the reason for the way Mando is shot using the “ILM stage craft” which completely gets rid of green screens, which is based off tech Underworld was gunna use & they invented to cut down cost because it was gunna be $50 million per ep... & George wanted 100 of them...
Thank you for posting this! This is the reason GL and his LFL we're such geniuses and always at the top of cutting technology. WOW what could have been
Looks just right for 2010. A lot of other sci-fi shows wouldn't have been any better than this on release, in terms of footage filtering and effects quality. A bit more work in post, and this would've been pretty damn good.
@@Daniel-Strain no, he didn't believe the technology was legit I'm guessing. Seeing how advanced it was helps believe that it had some serious money behind it.
1:44 the text on the screen says "Hey there this is a really spiffy star wars style email that is for some reason..." Then the camera cuts before we see the rest.
@@jasonlane7580 Im assuming you dont like the prequels and they have their flaws but you shouldnt ignore the many positive aspects of them. At least they added alot of new stuff to Star Wars and have their own unique feeling to them, contrary to Episode 7-9 which are just soulless cashgrabs in my personal opinion.
I didnt know there was this much green in the whole galaxy........ Imagine thinking of being involved in a Star Wars series just to see it getting cancelled.
I spit on the critics who bashed the Star Wars prequels for using "too much" CGI or for not using "real" sets. I absolutely love the way CGI environments and backgrounds open up the potential of a sci-fi or fantasy film to look like absolutely anything the filmmakers can imagine. CGI environments are much more impressive than anything that could ever be built for real.
@@jacktheflash8478 "Every single shot has a digital effect." -Rick McCallum "[The greenscreen] it's everywhere." -Hayden Christensen "Pretty much every set has a blue screen. I think I have been on one set without any greenscreen." - Natalie Portman "It's a nightmare." Ewan McGregor Well, I guess the actors and producers know better how much practical effects were there. LOL.
@@jacktheflash8478 Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahaha sure bro. Damn, this is so funny. I need a screenshot of this.
Wow the real-time VFX is extremely impressive in its scope. Interesting it’s shot unlike any Star Wars media before it too. I can see how they wanted to manage cost by keeping the show street level with (hopefully cheap) vfx heavy environments that took little time to produce.
From what I understand real-time VFX was used in the shooting of The Mandalorian. That show was also practical effects heavy; but there were reports that The Mandalorian crew rendered rough footage of shots on site so they could review how the actors would fit in with the VFX while shooting.
I think the real-time VFX tech was originally developed for Avatar. Now that Cameron working with Disney (after the Fox deal) I hope he and his team can bring more to the table.
@@DecafKauffee That's right, I remember there was something about Avatar mentioned in the behind the scenes articles. Say what you will about current Star Wars; but I have loved how they have been blending old school practical effects and CGI in the newer films/TV. I still don't know which shots of The Razorcrest in Mando are CGI and which are shots of the filming model they made.
Jacob Lyman You’re right I remember hearing that too. I also believe they did the same thing on Rouge One to a certain extent. At the very least I remember Edwards “shooting” fully cg shots with a physical camera that was operating in digital environments they’d created.
2010: The costs and time commitment to use so much CGI or visual effects is just not worth the investment. 2020: The costs and time commitment to build physical sets and practical effects is just not worth the investment.
This looks and feels more like Star Wars than anything Disney has put out in the recent years. A show taking place in the Underworld of Coruscant - instead of bringing to us one more unsignificant, backwater underdeveloped dustball in the Outer Rim - would be more than welcome. One thing I'm sick and tired about Disney Star Wars is that even though they have the resources to spare, they spend on taking us to a planet with one or two run-down settlements on it, instead of a thriving, urban and complex environment like the Core Worlds. And even though this still has some corny dialogue and some bad acting in it, it feels like Star Wars, much like the prequels - and I'm a huge defender of those films as I grew up with them and their simplicity and lack of pretentiousness is what made me learn to love them. It has George's trademark on it and I respect that. I miss the hell out of this man in charge of the franchise. To put it clear though, I'm not opposed to the "western" feel of Star Wars, neither I am to showing us Outer Rim planets and desolate places. 90% of The Mandalorian was that and I still could love the show. I just wish there was more diversity of environment in those films. The sequel trilogy has either jungle, desert, or ice planets. It feels so repetitive and hardly lives up to the potential of worldbuilding the saga has brought us.
@@mannypardo6509 It's because it isn't finished, and merely a test. But with the concept and the setting, if well executed, I bet it would be pretty good.
@@matheuss886 Im aware its a test.but I highly doubt this would ever look good, you ever see the Star Wars prequels. What a boring convoluted mess. Everything is just the same stagnant static shots cause they cant move the camera cause its all green screen. This just looks like a bad cut scene from a 90s video game. Funny enough Disney uses rear projection for the Mandalorian and you cant even tell they shoot everything in a studio and not on location.
@General Grievous I am not. I find most of their movies mediocre and lame. I just like Thor. You failed on that bro. I am really excited where this is gonna go, ironically kids always try to offend you for something instead of argue... Lmao.
I feel like Mandalorian was the successor to this and does everything in this video and more. We’re finally at the point where we can have movie-quality visuals for a TV show which is what Lucas always wanted.
You know for 2010 this could of been really impressive for a tv show. I can see techical similarties between this and the mandolorian use of real time digital backgrounds. Sort of ahead of it times.
And thanks for the document in the description, it's really useful and informative! I bookmarked this into my favorites and the document all about Star Wars Underworld, I think it could definitely happen one day , look at the amazing technology used to film the really amazing "The Mandalorian" series, It's a shame we never had Underworld happen, Nor The Force Unleashed 3 , and a video game about Darth Maul too I believe!
Now this is the Lucasfilm I remember!! Always trying to go bigger and better each time and trying to push the limits of technology! If they would have gotten this off the ground it would have been revolutionary. Its so nice seeing coruscant again even if its just in some test footage. di$ney on the other hand are so complacent and rely on nostalgia instead of really trying and pushing themselves. The mandalorian was ok at best but the acting and dialogue in spots was pretty bad and they kept things really small scale.
This reminds me of Doctor Who when it first came back. This is old remember that, and it looks great! (Edit: Okay, the action could of been better lmao)
George alluded to his ST when making Mortis and the Wellspring of Life. I wonder if he did the same thing with Underworld. His ST would have been about Maul being the godfather of crime so I don't see it as an impossible theory.
It straight up fooled me with the green screen & it was test footage. Plus a new vehicle that’s never been seen before is a plus in my book. Now I can see the influence of later coruscant episodes in the clone wars cause of this.
Sure it was test footage but it does give us a glimpse of what Star Wars: Underworld would have looked like. I just George Lucas sold the show to HBO or Showtime since premium cable networks have tons of money needed to make this show work.
Test footage though it may be, my attention was captured right from the get go. It would've been so interesting to see this come to fruition. I feel like it could've been George's "Twin Peaks" or something like that
Idk if this was leaked on purpose but hopefully this goes back into production in the near future! Potential for great Star War stories to tell after Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm and Disney...make it happen!!
Definitely impressive on a vfx level. Basically all other aspects are weak af but I get what the test was for. Very impressed that none of the sets were real beyond props to interact with (and yet most shots look pretty good, the environments look a lot more convincing in parts than even the prequels, it's only when they focus on like the flying Droid that I can see the cg noticeably.). Overall for effects from 10 years ago well done, though tbh, kinda glad this wasn't made yet. I'd love to see them go back now, cinematic visuals in tv have gone way up in terms of actual camera work. Also I always have wanted a gritty coruscant (maybe we'll go there in the mandalorian one day).
If people want to learn more about the underworld of corrisant, than just go to the south end of Boston. (I’m from that area and it is just like the underworld)
@@reckergamer1879 Hell yeah it is, ok the ending was fun i give you that, but not that special. However i would rather watch pretty much anything else, like this video, then ever OUATIH ever again. The Movie sold only cause, the still big names like Pitt, Dicaprio, Margot Robbie and ofcourse Tarrantino was attached to it
The second episode of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" looks a lot like this...even the TV series of "Willow" is using a concept that was abandoned from the movie as the director didn't like how the effect turned out...
A two-part episode would have involved Darth Vader descending into the lower levels of Coruscant to personally quell a rebellion. Cool material to think about.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn
I guess there is no test footage of that too, right? xD
With Better budget and acting, maybe this show could have been one of the best and most expensive looking ABC Star Wars series.
It is.
No. We can have Star Wars and no Vader.
Nonsense
Lucas was always ahead of his time. I think forget that sometimes. He was ALWAYS pushing for new technology to aid storytelling. I have so much respect for his work and definitely miss his hand in Star Wars.
Lucas wanted to have 100 episodes, each an hour long. The problem is that the episodes were going to cost 50 million dollars each. Lucasfilm didn't have that kind of money. They were trying to invent new technology which would allow them to radically bring costs down. Allow them to shoot an hour of VFX-driven storytelling in a cyberpunk city on a budget closer to 5-10 million. Star Wars has always been suited to longform TV storytelling. It's why Clone Wars works so well. But Lucas and his team dreamed of being able to have VFX as good as -- actually better than -- something like Revenge of the Sith, but with a much lower budget and several hours to tell each story arc.
The test footage isn't a great film, but it's not supposed to be. It's a tech demo showing how they could create these amazing looking environments and blend actors into them. There's also some really interesting intimacy to the camera work, and the instant replay means that they know how it's going to look as they're shooting it. A really, really impressive tech demo. Supposedly some of the scripts for SW: Underworld were really, really good. Corey Balrog has said he got to read some of the scripts:
“Probably the really small beginnings of this idea, the germination of this - when I was working at Lucas, I was allowed to go up to the ranch and read the scripts for the [canceled live-action Star Wars] TV show. It was the most mind-blowing thing I’d ever experienced. I cared about the Emperor. They made the Emperor a sympathetic figure who was wronged by this fucking heartless woman. She’s this hardcore gangster, and she just totally destroyed him as a person. I almost cried while reading this. This is the Emperor, the lightning out of the fingers Emperor. That’s something magical. The writers who worked on that, guys from The Shield and 24, these were excellent writers”
The StageCraft technology is a bit of a successor to this tech, I think. Except StageCraft has a circular screen that displays Unreal 4 visuals and the lighting on the set matches the visuals, which is great. This tech is seen in stuff like Oblivion, Interstellar, The Mandalorian.
It really was promising
Jacob Soper wow, thanks for this insight. They really screwed my boy George.
But we at least got a few episodes of Clone Wars showing this environment.
@Leonardo Bautista What if Lucasfilm were to release each episode in theaters to offset costs before airing them on tv. Do you think that couldve worked?
Thanks for the great recap what could have been it makes me sad as being a Star Wars Ron Moore from Battlestar Galactica worked on some of them Scripts
People saying this is corny or whatever, it's test footage for the visual effects, that's it.
Sangth I like the visual effects, the cinematography though is so jarring to me. It actually gives me motion sickness lol
It all sucks
I agree with you. They should have done less camera sway.
Christian B nope
it's not corny because its test footage, it's corny because Lucas wrote it. Sorry to pop your bubble but Lucas is corny as fuck
This was really a passion project, both for GL and us at Stargate studios. Used to work for them back in 2009 and from what I saw behind the scenes, this was going to be a massive project. So many sets and costumes and new vehicles were aldready designed and Lucas really wanted this to be the Star wars story he would be remembered for. He would often talk about how dissapointed he was for what happened with the prequels. This was going to be his redemptio so to speak.
But the since there was no way in hell we could get the costs of shooting this epic down to a affordable budget it had to be scrapped. It was part of the reason why he sold Star wars to Disney. With that money he would be able to fund the entire show himself, as long as Disney and Kennedy would get onboard as producers. But they of course let him go shortly after aquiring Star wars, and now he has no stake left in SW and the show will probably never happen. Really sad.
In an article about the new VFX tech developed for The Mandalorian, someone working on the show mentions how older technology wasn’t good enough for Star Wars to be fully realized on a TV budget.
What exactly do you mean by his "disappointment for "what happened" with the prequels?" You mean fan reaction. Or Lucas was soured on them. Or he was not happy that he didn't get to do everything he wanted to do with them. I know the films had to be cut down a lot, and the earlier drafts were over 4 hours long. I don't think the prequels were bad at all, and I've always seen Lucas stand up for them and defend them in interviews. In what way was he disappointed?
@Seth Meyer Poor George. I really hate fans who were overly vocal about their hate of the PT. I think they are great. I just hope Lucas's disappointment was related to the fact so much had to be cut out. Because I think as they are, they are still great.
awesome comment thank you it's really sad an awesome show get canceled same with1313 ..
This recontexualises the selling of the franchise and his opinion on how it has been handled. I found it odd George was disapointed Disney miliked into the ground bc ofc they would, but if he thought he could make his project under their funding
Looking at how they shot The Mandalorian, this should now be achieveable.
They’re making the book of boba which might be a bit similar
@@Bone_Chaser This didnt age well
@@Yakura66 nope
@@Yakura66 why? is amazing
@@hectorsaez3315 I like the show, it’s just that it’s not much like what this show was supposed to be
Reinventing visual effects since 1977, damn that real time rendering is so cool
LoganHundred they are using it on mandalorian it’s called stagecraft now
@@cbspock1701 it's a bit different but it's pretty cool too
Yeah, I was kinda thinking that it doesn't look that impressive watching the clip itself, but then I saw the behind-the-scenes and realized they were actually rendering the backgrounds while filming... Most impressive.
They are rendering only simplified previsualization backgrounds while filming. Still requires a ton of manual work after filming.
I miss the "cyberpunk vibe" from George Lucas
Eduardo Stella He had a unique touch, interesting and appealing visually.
Same. I hope Disney goes back to Coruscant soon. I love the weathered desert look, but I'm getting really tired of it. They pulled it off really well in Galaxy's edge but it's time for something new.
Agreed
My problem with Disney is that they've focused too much on making everything look 'cool' to the point where it all looks fake. The prequels felt more believable than the new trilogy even though the combat scenes felt fake.
Bring back the old style of lightsaber fights, Disney!
Personaly I don't like it, it feels a little bit out of place in the star wars universe.
This feels like star wars even if the camera man is completely drunk
you must have been drunk writing this because this is so bad xD
Wait, really?
@@DAZanimations it's really not bad at all. It's test footage, proof of concept. Just to show what is possible, and to get the vision across. Some of y'all need to learn the definition of "test footage"
@@DAZanimations its not really supposed to be good, it’s kinda like a video game tech demo, it’s just to show the technologies they made for the show
@@CasualKrieger this comment was a year ago
Looks amazing. Especially for test footage from 2010.
I really want for this series to be actually made.
Looks incredible. Supposedly, the seeds of Rogue One, Solo, and the Mandalorian (and maybe even Palpatine's romance and a granddaughter) were all present in the scripts. So we sort of have had some of them already. Kathleen Kennedy and co. didn't want to throw Lucas's work away.
2003
@@ealing456didn't want to throw Lucas's work away...? Are you serious? Have you seen what they've done to SW...? Lol
@@idiot_city5444 I didn't say Disney didn't do something radically different, they did. I just said some of the story outlines/ beats were recycled from Lucas's notes.
I'm not a fan of the shaky handcam, but the overall idea is very intriguing. Deep level crime and powerplay in a world that's a blend between Star Wars and Blade Runner - that has a *lot* of potential.
1313 was canceled too :(
@@jh-ij4by :'(
u mustve hated Cloverfield then
That's how I hear some describe Andor, I wouldn't mind if Andor lasted 100 episodes
It’s test footage for the sets and feel of the world not going to shot like this
I loved seeing Coruscant again in "live action" (even though it's mostely CGI)! I hope we will revisit it again in live action.
Star Wars BLADE RUNNER, why I kinda hate Star wars because they steal from all other franchises to make his own shit
Just watch Blade Runner where old George got the idea from.
Coruscant was always mostly CGI, especially in the prequels.
@@mannypardo6509 Star Wars came out before Blade Runner
@@Necrometalfist What does that have to do with the fact that Coruscant from Attack of the Clones is a direct rip off of Blade Runner?
imagine how groundbreaking this series would've been. I would love to see more of Coruscant!
Hopefully you are a little satisfied now after andor
@@bouncycow3010 yeah but seeing some underworld Coruscant with casinos, and streets with imperial activity would be cool:
@@paladinheadquarters7776 Yeah, totally, I hope we see that in a future star wars project
@@bouncycow3010 same
@@bouncycow3010andor is nothing to this masterpiece from George.
id have watched it!
Hello you!
i dont like the new disney stuff but your comment is bshit
@@fenewmedia9921 what
@@fenewmedia9921 what?
I'm very surprised at how well they were able to do real-time green screen/virtual set replacement at this point in time. The acting and camera work is awful, but I'm assuming that was the last thing they were worried about. The point of this is to show the process.
Yes, this is actually amazing for 2010.
You seem easily impressed. You do realize that 2010 was 11 years after the Matrix and the Phantom Menace right?
@@banehog yes I do. For a TV series with decent looking virtual sets in 2010 for the price point they were seeking I think this lookes fine. Feel free to disagree but you can do so without attempting to degrade me.
@@w4tkn you're right, there was no need for me to degrade you. You were doing a perfectly adequate job of that yourself.
@@banehog is something you do for enjoyment try to offend people?
I finally found it! Sheesh I can't believe this has been out this long. I was one of the 501st Legion Stormtroopers on the set. We spent all day and night doing this. I was one of the troopers that got blown back from the car. I must have spent 15 min on the cold wet ground as the scene was being shot to when someone finally picked me up lol. I've been searching for this ever since this was shot as we never got to see what they were shooting. Amazing!
Hi, how did you actually react to the series being canceled?
@@A-Kira I never knew it was going to be a series at the time of the shoot. We were told by the production company it was just a test shoot to see if a TV show was even possible to do with the technology at the time. So we really didn't give much thought to it after we finished the shoot, had we known it was possibly going to be a show we would have been bummed out totally.
That would have been quite the experience though! Were all of the TKs 501st Legion members?!
Truly amazing for test footage way back in 2010. Sadly, you can see that they simply didn't have the means back then to keep the costs down. But boy, what a show this would have been. Everyone whose read the Underworld scripts said they were amazing as Lucas basically got the best writers and told them to not even worry about budget, to just write whatever they wanted. Then Disney bought the franchise and the dream was dead.
Nobody forced Lucas to sell.
Lucas shelved this before selling.
I think the dream was dead when each episode was going to cost 50 Mil each
I think there’s always the chance some scripts could get new life. The troubles with Kenobi’s material prove they’re in desperate need of good writing
It's so weird how even though this is a test, it immediately felt more star wars than any given moment in the sequel trilogy. there's something about George's approval of aesthetics that makes star wars into star wars
I cannot express how glad I am that the general disliking of the sequel trilogy has never been stronger. Absolutely agreed, this feels like star wars
💯
Amen!
@niklasmalcharczyk it's despised, as it should be. The modern shows are just as bad
OMG, DECEMBER 14, 2009...That was shot more than 10 years ago
yea i feel old..
Bruh I would'nt have know this was a thing till now!
When I visited Skywalker Ranch back in 2003 if my memoir is correct, they were building many (many !) editing rooms. We were told it was for the upcoming series.
Do y'all know what test footage is?
None of this is supposed to do anything other than give Lucas a rough idea of what the show would look like and how much it would cost.
The actors, the dialogue, the action sequences, none of that would have been in the actual show.
You get that right? This isn't a pilot, these aren't the stars, this isn't the story...?
How much will it cost, what will it look like.
That's it.
Apparently it would have cost too much.
Not sure what your point is. They did the same thing with early Tron Legacy footage. It was still exciting to watch and gave a good idea of what the film would eventually look like.
presuminged2000 Think he was just being a Dick.
@@lindamuvic8110 you guys apparently didn't read the comments.
After the tenth "The acting is bad. Who wrote that dialogue? Why was that gun fight so bad?" Comment I simply thought maybe somebody should set some realistic expectations
Frank Severino Mostly reacting to your patronizing tone in the text, calling you a dick was out of line, however and I apologize.
It's also a test to show off the technology with the real time 3D environments being added during the filming - Technology which is now being used by all large scale FX movies.
Damn that real time rendering is mighty impressive even by today's standards. Can't believe they had something like that on 2010
It's only a few years ago 🤦♂
I always wanted to see lower levels of Corusant in official media. Although IMO it would've been cooler if it was about the crime syndicates and all of that stuff. Still looks cool as hell.
I miss so badly Coruscant. They made 5 movies and a series without it.
same i miss coruscant but hopefully we see ahsoka on coruscant with coruscant guards
It almost like they took Star Wars and put it in the Bladerunner world.
That's what Coruscant is like. It's just a shame Disney insists on giving us fan service, skin deep tripe like The Mandalorian (I have never been more disappointed about something) instead of good stuff like this or Star Wars 1313. Disney have really ruined Star Wars.
David a cyberpunk Star Wars sounds fucking amazing!
@@David-ud9ju it is objectively good at the very least
@@David-ud9ju Lol are you really hating on The Mandalorian?
Deckard aka. Han Solo
This looks pretty good for just being a test.
Um, no. It looks no better than the various fan-made films online.
@@matthewsaxman1028 It's a test. Mainly to demonstrate their new vfx technology.
litterally looks like a fan film
@General Grievous there are beautiful pieces of film n tv out there from more than ten years ago that look 10x better than this. If you want to argue that it was only test footage, well so was Deadpool's test footage n it was amazing n hilarious from even the very beginning of the project. They chose a poor director for this series, y yo tiene hente que me amo
General Grievous ese comentario en español jaja
This looks promising. Dark, gritty, and full of intrigue. It also looks like it could be made today.
Disney hates dark
@@cia2293 Yeah, I agree with you, but I'd just like to point out that the beginning of Rogue One with Cassian Andor played with this sort of vibe in the city street, and the Mandalorian feels similar to that, so I don't think anything like this would be totally unexpected under Disney. Even Solo had this sort of vibe on Corellia.
@@cia2293 they need to grow some balls
Back when this was made, CGI heavy TV shows were barely a thing yet. It's pretty amazing that they got this together at all.
Ever heard of Doctor Who?
Sure, and Babylon 5, too. CGI in shows existed. But this kind of "every shot a movie-level effects shot" ambition? That's a very different beast.
this live rendering test footage really laid the ground work for the mandalorian
The mandalorian was actually based on the canceled boba game which this was tied to
It's not perfect. It's also test footage. I see the bones and makings of something great here though. I think it only could have gone up from there if they did run with it. However, the price to produce this at the time would have been too high. I understand why it didn't happen. Would love to see it revived/revamped though.
the Mandalorian was pretty expensive too.
@@mcolottiboy But the way series are being watched and financed is completely different to 2010 considering the Mandalorian of 2019
Apparently the stories/scripts of Rogue One and Solo, as well as Saw Gerrera, were originally developed for this show? I assume that, had we gotten Solo's sequels, they would give us more of these lost stories.
I agree though. I'm very glad things are getting repurposed, but I especially want to see more of Coruscant.
Shows like this made me a fan of Star Wars again.
But... there is no story, no characters, no plot, no action. This is no show. This is just test footage. I don't get it. 2 stormtroopers standing there and you are a fan of star wars again? What?
@@christianschmidt8476
Because “DiSnEy rUiNeD mUh ChiLdHoOd”.
@@zenithproductions8307 Lol
@@christianschmidt8476 this could have had potential but at the end of the day we would never know, i just wish we got a cyberpunk style show or video game cause i love the underworld oc coruscant, but we never got this show nor 1313 so at the end of the day im happy with what we do have.
@@christianschmidt8476 This could’ve had the potential to be one of the most groundbreaking show of all time. It already had 50 episodes written & this clip wasn’t even one of them, which is why there’s “no story, no character, no plot, no action.” It’s just a test scene to see if it would’ve worked or not.
It’s also the reason for the way Mando is shot using the “ILM stage craft” which completely gets rid of green screens, which is based off tech Underworld was gunna use & they invented to cut down cost because it was gunna be $50 million per ep... & George wanted 100 of them...
Thank you for posting this! This is the reason GL and his LFL we're such geniuses and always at the top of cutting technology. WOW what could have been
LFL ?
@@jh-ij4by Lucas film Limited
Lol the slight zoom in to actors faces is giving me The Office mockumentary vibes 😅
So ambitious of a project. I'd love to see it brought back.
Looks just right for 2010. A lot of other sci-fi shows wouldn't have been any better than this on release, in terms of footage filtering and effects quality.
A bit more work in post, and this would've been pretty damn good.
Dr Who still looks like this today lmao
Stormtroopers and rebels shooting at each other from three feet away and everyone missing
Yeah that was worthy of a GI JOE cartoon firefight!
Lucas sticks to Lucas's creation best haha
Storm troopers always miss their shots ;)
that's the helmet i can't see!
The safest place to be in a shootout between these guys is right in front of them 🤣🤣🤣
I didn't actually believe this was legit... until I saw the "making of" footage...
Same.
Why would making of footage convince you this was legitimately ever associated with Lucas?
@@Daniel-Strain no, he didn't believe the technology was legit I'm guessing. Seeing how advanced it was helps believe that it had some serious money behind it.
1:44 the text on the screen says "Hey there this is a really spiffy star wars style email that is for some reason..." Then the camera cuts before we see the rest.
THIS is how Star Wars should look / feel like. One can sense George Lucas's presence. The force is strong with him.
Rei Ben He Created the Damn Force.
The Mandalorian is so much better
The three prequels were pure Lucas, and look how they turned out.
@@jasonlane7580 Im assuming you dont like the prequels and they have their flaws but you shouldnt ignore the many positive aspects of them.
At least they added alot of new stuff to Star Wars and have their own unique feeling to them, contrary to Episode 7-9 which are just soulless cashgrabs in my personal opinion.
@Rei Ben exactly, he's the force
While limited for its time. This has a sense of scale and Astetic that I truly miss from the post-prequel/pre-disney era.
lmao when theyre like literally three feet apart and everyone is constantly missing
It's stormtroopers, what do you expect? 😄
Stormtrooper aim my guy 😂 they've always been like that. Even poke fun at it in the Mandolorian 😂
This was ahead of its time for sure i allways loved how cozy the depths of corescant felt
Filoni and Favro should send Mando to Corrosaunt.
Oh God, I hope they re-visit this project and make it. I'm there!
This looks amazing we need this as a show
Must have gone to the Greedo School for Marksmanship
Ha, that's exactly what I was thinking. They were like, 5 feet apart from each other.
I didnt know there was this much green in the whole galaxy........
Imagine thinking of being involved in a Star Wars series just to see it getting cancelled.
4:20 star wars gunfight in a nutshell
So funny. A fire fight at 4 paces apart and no one able to land a shot.
@@vonshed reminds me of the shootout gag in "Police Squad!"
@@vonshed ua-cam.com/video/Tl57k1DOBEg/v-deo.html
Absolutely amazing! Thank you for uploading!
(SIGH) :( & sniffles. This looks, well, looked SO COOL. Criminal underworld, bounty hunters, and more. (SIGH)
I spit on the critics who bashed the Star Wars prequels for using "too much" CGI or for not using "real" sets. I absolutely love the way CGI environments and backgrounds open up the potential of a sci-fi or fantasy film to look like absolutely anything the filmmakers can imagine. CGI environments are much more impressive than anything that could ever be built for real.
People who think the prequels don’t use much practical effects don’t know what they are talking about
@@jacktheflash8478 "Every single shot has a digital effect." -Rick McCallum
"[The greenscreen] it's everywhere." -Hayden Christensen
"Pretty much every set has a blue screen. I think I have been on one set without any greenscreen." - Natalie Portman
"It's a nightmare." Ewan McGregor
Well, I guess the actors and producers know better how much practical effects were there. LOL.
christian schmidt you do know TPM has more practical effects than the entire OT combined Right?
@@jacktheflash8478 Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahaha sure bro. Damn, this is so funny. I need a screenshot of this.
christian schmidt how is that funny?
Wow the real-time VFX is extremely impressive in its scope. Interesting it’s shot unlike any Star Wars media before it too. I can see how they wanted to manage cost by keeping the show street level with (hopefully cheap) vfx heavy environments that took little time to produce.
From what I understand real-time VFX was used in the shooting of The Mandalorian. That show was also practical effects heavy; but there were reports that The Mandalorian crew rendered rough footage of shots on site so they could review how the actors would fit in with the VFX while shooting.
I think the real-time VFX tech was originally developed for Avatar. Now that Cameron working with Disney (after the Fox deal) I hope he and his team can bring more to the table.
@@DecafKauffee That's right, I remember there was something about Avatar mentioned in the behind the scenes articles.
Say what you will about current Star Wars; but I have loved how they have been blending old school practical effects and CGI in the newer films/TV. I still don't know which shots of The Razorcrest in Mando are CGI and which are shots of the filming model they made.
Jacob Lyman You’re right I remember hearing that too. I also believe they did the same thing on Rouge One to a certain extent. At the very least I remember Edwards “shooting” fully cg shots with a physical camera that was operating in digital environments they’d created.
So cool! Looks kind of Blade runnerish, which is good thing.
Cyberpunk.
2010: The costs and time commitment to use so much CGI or visual effects is just not worth the investment.
2020: The costs and time commitment to build physical sets and practical effects is just not worth the investment.
Syd Mead called, he wants his Blade Runner designs back.
Fritz lang calling Syd Mead, he wants his metropolis designs back.
@@ottoandnibbles Fritz Lang called C-3PO, he wants Maria back.
Interesting how we've been seeing leaks of SW stuff that never was (this, Trevorrow's E9) just now...
And yet, frustratingly, they're better than the main films we actually got.
@@matheuss886 bro this footage isn't even on attack of the clones' level
@@oldmate6005 implying that AotC is on a low level, wich is not true.
@@randomdude5558 lol ok
It is interesting. Are the leaks related? Why now after more than a decade?
This was the way.
I would really like to have had this show :(. I wish George were still in charge. Or if not George then Dave Filoni.
Whoa, this would've been frickin' cool.
This looks and feels more like Star Wars than anything Disney has put out in the recent years. A show taking place in the Underworld of Coruscant - instead of bringing to us one more unsignificant, backwater underdeveloped dustball in the Outer Rim - would be more than welcome. One thing I'm sick and tired about Disney Star Wars is that even though they have the resources to spare, they spend on taking us to a planet with one or two run-down settlements on it, instead of a thriving, urban and complex environment like the Core Worlds. And even though this still has some corny dialogue and some bad acting in it, it feels like Star Wars, much like the prequels - and I'm a huge defender of those films as I grew up with them and their simplicity and lack of pretentiousness is what made me learn to love them. It has George's trademark on it and I respect that. I miss the hell out of this man in charge of the franchise.
To put it clear though, I'm not opposed to the "western" feel of Star Wars, neither I am to showing us Outer Rim planets and desolate places. 90% of The Mandalorian was that and I still could love the show. I just wish there was more diversity of environment in those films. The sequel trilogy has either jungle, desert, or ice planets. It feels so repetitive and hardly lives up to the potential of worldbuilding the saga has brought us.
lol , it looks like every other shitty fan film
@@mannypardo6509 It's because it isn't finished, and merely a test. But with the concept and the setting, if well executed, I bet it would be pretty good.
@@matheuss886 Im aware its a test.but I highly doubt this would ever look good, you ever see the Star Wars prequels. What a boring convoluted mess. Everything is just the same stagnant static shots cause they cant move the camera cause its all green screen. This just looks like a bad cut scene from a 90s video game. Funny enough Disney uses rear projection for the Mandalorian and you cant even tell they shoot everything in a studio and not on location.
10 minutes of Lucas is better than 5 years of Disney! This opens up a whole new world of style and ideas. Damn, we were robbed!
Uhmm... this test footage was awful but alright.
@General Grievous Okay. The footage was still bad. Deal with it, kid.
@General Grievous What is an incel? By the way, I am 22. I don't know what an opinion has to do with the age, but whatever.
@General Grievous I am not. I find most of their movies mediocre and lame. I just like Thor. You failed on that bro. I am really excited where this is gonna go, ironically kids always try to offend you for something instead of argue... Lmao.
I feel like Mandalorian was the successor to this and does everything in this video and more. We’re finally at the point where we can have movie-quality visuals for a TV show which is what Lucas always wanted.
The behind the scene making of the this is just amazing! Who could have guessed how much work goes into it.
You know for 2010 this could of been really impressive for a tv show. I can see techical similarties between this and the mandolorian use of real time digital backgrounds. Sort of ahead of it times.
Some of y'all really need to learn the concept of "test footage" good lord
And thanks for the document in the description, it's really useful and informative! I bookmarked this into my favorites and the document all about Star Wars Underworld, I think it could definitely happen one day , look at the amazing technology used to film the really amazing "The Mandalorian" series, It's a shame we never had Underworld happen, Nor The Force Unleashed 3 , and a video game about Darth Maul too I believe!
And Star Wars 1313 😞
@@matthew2734 The best SW game we lost imo
Stormtrooper: "Well, this suspicious person is wearing a hood, so I may as well ignore them."
Daniel Logan was gonna reprise as Boba Fett.
I also think that IMDB showed Jar Jar in the cast. I could be wrong though...
The technology here is amazing.
This feels superb even for test footage
Now this is the Lucasfilm I remember!! Always trying to go bigger and better each time and trying to push the limits of technology! If they would have gotten this off the ground it would have been revolutionary. Its so nice seeing coruscant again even if its just in some test footage. di$ney on the other hand are so complacent and rely on nostalgia instead of really trying and pushing themselves. The mandalorian was ok at best but the acting and dialogue in spots was pretty bad and they kept things really small scale.
Thank your retro futurism and issac Asimov for creating the idea for these styles
Also this techonology is amazing literally jaw dropping
The Stormtroopers / rebels engaged in a firefight less than 10 feet away from each-other and missing was weird.
Wow this is pretty darn incredible
This reminds me of Doctor Who when it first came back. This is old remember that, and it looks great! (Edit: Okay, the action could of been better lmao)
This looks brilliant
darth vader would have been in one episode
Andor is so close to being my ideal star wars media, but this is it right here
Even when the target is right in front of them the stormtroopers STILL miss.
Well, other guys aren't really good shots either.
POINT BLANK
Yeah that scene felt like a comedy or something. Would have been horrible to have in there, but I guess that wasn't the point of this test footage.
That had to be the closest miss by a stormtroper yet maybe a new record 😆
OMG that atmosphere, could have been incredible :o
"Ben Kenobi: And these blast points, too accurate for Sandpeople. Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise."
when you overdose on death sticks
George alluded to his ST when making Mortis and the Wellspring of Life. I wonder if he did the same thing with Underworld. His ST would have been about Maul being the godfather of crime so I don't see it as an impossible theory.
Where did you read his sequel trilogy was going to be about maul...? That's completely false haha
5:27, damn that legs
Apparently a young Elizabeth Olsen
Looks amazing for a Test wow 😮😮😮
It straight up fooled me with the green screen & it was test footage. Plus a new vehicle that’s never been seen before is a plus in my book. Now I can see the influence of later coruscant episodes in the clone wars cause of this.
This looks far more interesting than anything Disney has done with Star Wars.
Sure it was test footage but it does give us a glimpse of what Star Wars: Underworld would have looked like. I just George Lucas sold the show to HBO or Showtime since premium cable networks have tons of money needed to make this show work.
I knew it would be on showtime because it looks showtimeish and i just remembered back in 08 i read on wikipedia that a star wars show was planned.
Test footage though it may be, my attention was captured right from the get go. It would've been so interesting to see this come to fruition. I feel like it could've been George's "Twin Peaks" or something like that
Idk if this was leaked on purpose but hopefully this goes back into production in the near future! Potential for great Star War stories to tell after Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm and Disney...make it happen!!
That classic Wilhelm scream @ 4:40 never gets old.
Man, stormtroopers are right in front of the counter and they still miss. Yup, it’s Star Wars.
apparently this is a studio shoot BraZZers
Wow this looks great for test footage.
Definitely impressive on a vfx level. Basically all other aspects are weak af but I get what the test was for. Very impressed that none of the sets were real beyond props to interact with (and yet most shots look pretty good, the environments look a lot more convincing in parts than even the prequels, it's only when they focus on like the flying Droid that I can see the cg noticeably.). Overall for effects from 10 years ago well done, though tbh, kinda glad this wasn't made yet. I'd love to see them go back now, cinematic visuals in tv have gone way up in terms of actual camera work. Also I always have wanted a gritty coruscant (maybe we'll go there in the mandalorian one day).
This looks insane
i think they hired the office cameraman.
I could not stop thinking the same thing! LOL
To everyone saying this looks terrible
This is a *_test_* as clearly stated in the title. Also, read the description.
My name is Fabi Yang and I approve of this footage.
If people want to learn more about the underworld of corrisant, than just go to the south end of Boston. (I’m from that area and it is just like the underworld)
This looks so cool. It's a shame nothing came of it. Maybe since Disney is making live action shows they could do something with this.
Looks more “Blade Runner” than “2049”
My thoughts too. Not a bad thing.
2049>Original tho
This is amazing! It looks and most importantly feels like Star Wars.
I would have watched this series!!
why?
@@migalorsdarwin1930 why not?
@@Goldilox1733 Ok youre right, it allready is more entertaining than Quentin Trarrantinos BS Movie "Once Upon a time in Hollywood"
@@migalorsdarwin1930 Once Upon a time in Hollywood wasn't that bad
@@reckergamer1879 Hell yeah it is, ok the ending was fun i give you that, but not that special. However i would rather watch pretty much anything else, like this video, then ever OUATIH ever again.
The Movie sold only cause, the still big names like Pitt, Dicaprio, Margot Robbie and ofcourse Tarrantino was attached to it
The second episode of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" looks a lot like this...even the TV series of "Willow" is using a concept that was abandoned from the movie as the director didn't like how the effect turned out...