TV Discussion Official Live Action Series Discussion Thread

That's why I think the comics are the optimal medium for such experimentation. They are low risk and cheap to make. There was some documentary I watched regarding the history of comics (I forget what it was called), and one thing that was said was that they originated as disposable entertainment. Something cheap that you could read and throw away, and that they were popular among the American troops during WWII for this reason. And that back in the 40s, a successful comic would sell millions of copies, while today it only needs to sell several thousand to be considered a success. I mean, even if one sells 100,000 copies, that seems to be like a phenomenal success anymore.

So when Marvel does something ultra gritty or dark and violent in its comics, it's low risk. They release a monthly comic and if people don't like it, they cancel it, and the amount of money lost on a monthly released comic is probably pennies compared to the millions of dollars lost if they decide to go for something like a Punisher film and have it flop. I mean, I think the rights to Punisher reverted back to Marvel Studios, iirc, and I think it was stated that they really have no intention of doing anything with the character in he immediate future, while instead they're making Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and focusing on family friendly characters.

Darkhorse or Marvel might (if they haven't already) someday make some grim and gritty comic line for Star Wars like Marvel sometimes does for its superhero properties, but adult Star Wars is something I would be incredibly surprised to ever see hit the screen. And while Underworld was said to deal with topics like crime and drugs in the Star Wars universe, I think the "adult" nature of that show was exaggerated, because even when Obi-Wan and Anakin visit the Pykes, we see the leader puffing on something (Spice?) and doing drugs, and having his hall seeming like its court was collectively doped up on something, and yet TCW remains a kid friendly show.

 

Seriously? I had no idea circulation was that low. That's actually pretty depressing to hear.

 

The point I am trying to make just to clarify it is very unlikely animated Star Wars show on something ABC would get off the ground very well because all animation has the stereotype that is for kids unless its like Family Guy. I know Star Wars is meant to be; fun, campy, escapism. Wouldn't want anything else from it. If I want ultraviolet violent messed up 'cartoon' I'll rewatch Elfen Lied. I want live action violence I can just watch the news.

 

I agree that there is an animation-is-for-kids stereotype, and that Agents of Shield probably would have been dismissed off hand by many, if it were animated, even if the cast and stories were exactly the same.

But Star Wars I think has other considerations unique to it, principally in regards to costs of CGI, set construction, and on location shooting.

Star Trek was another Sci-Fi franchise, but 90% of those shows seem to take place on the main ship (or space station in the case of DS9), so they could just re-use the same set over and over and over again for virtually every episode.

Same with BSG.

Trying to set such a high percentage of a Star Wars show in a single location I feel will make it just not feel like Star Wars. Star Wars has a great variety of locations that I think exploring in every episode would jack the price up to be prohibitive. I would be skeptical of the success of a Star Wars show, not because I think animation is better or anything like that, but just because it wouldn't require the same degree of cost saving compromises that I would anticipate for a Star Wars LAS.

Take a property like Batman. It works in a cartoon, it works in films, and I think it would work just fine in live action. It wouldn't be prohibitively expensive to make a suit, have choreographed fights that forgo any CGI, and shoot on location in some major city, or even in a studio.

But take something like Thor, and it works in a cartoon, it works in a multi-million dollar film, but I don't think you can really do all the same stuff in regards to special effects, compromises I think would have to be made, to quite a large degree.

I think Star Wars is more like the latter. The films have the money to pull out all the stops in action, CGI, shooting on location around the world, creating elaborate sets, etc. The animated series aren't limited by real assets like that and everything is generated on a computer, and the shortcomings there seem to be merely in the number of character models or the technological ability to emulate certain textures, but otherwise can have large scale battles, multiple locations, etc. for far cheaper.

A TV series is somewhere in between, and doesn't really have the strengths of either millions upon millions of dollars nor slower paced shooting schedule of a film, nor the luxury of generating everything on a computer like in animation. And the faced paced environment, more limited budget, and therefore more limited resources I think would make it more difficult for a Star Wars LAS to get off the ground, unless they do like Star Trek and set much of the show in the same location. Like if the entire thing takes place in the Coruscant Underworld and we never (or rarely) leave Coruscant, then they could probably just recycle the same sets over and over again as the characters frequent the same locations. But that would be unusual for a Star Wars property and to stave off the boredom of being "grounded" in one place, the writing has to be better and the character relationships very interesting to carry the show.

 

The prospect of a TV show was an exciting one when it was announced a little while back, and I must admit I haven't kept up to date with the status of that. I'm assuming they aren't going ahead with it now and are concentrating on the movies instead of making a TV series?

Personally I always thought the future of SW was still on the big screen and so its turned out to be the case. But I must admit the Disney news took me by surprise.

There are many cool aspects of the SW uiverse that could be brought to life. The problem I envisaged with a TV show is do they make is as sweeping and epic as the films or TCW cartoon? Or do they make it more centralised with the bulk of the story taking place in one main location (Coruscant for instance) with other smaller sub stories in other parts of the galaxy. Also there would have to be a main plot line consistently through the series, whether that be the rebellion effort or the sith control of the galaxy, but I think it would quickly become boring if it was just standalone stories every week featuring different characters, a s TV audiences I think need characters to identify with and grow to love.

Another question, is SW popular enough for a prime time TV show? A successful movie doesn't necessarily translate into a successful TV series.

 

I'd love a SW live action TV series just for me - I'm thinking something like the new BSG, which tackles a whole lot of issues and concepts within a fairly limited framework - but it wouldn't fly in a commercial sense.

 

I think one thing that makes Star Wars "Star Wars" is the sort of kaleidoscope of topics that are woven together without any one of them becoming too defining. There's crime, war, family drama, money and politics, romance, the religious/monkish aspects of the Jedi, investigation/quest elements, lightsaber duels, fast driving/flying, morality... but Star Wars isn't really "about" any one of those things. It's not even about war in the same sense that a Platoon or Three Kings is about war. It doesn't dwell on any one thing in the way that, say, an Iron Man movie dwells on technological innovation.

In a TV show, you just can't involve that many topics that fast, even if you had the money. Either the creators will go crazy, or viewers will. The Clone Wars fought hard against this problem at times, but even there, some arcs, to me, felt like way too much tight focus on one tiny thing. Star Wars thrives on the intercutting and interlacing of sub-stories, and that's not an area where TV excels, especially not live-action TV.

 

you can also get away with more in animation than in live-action. tcw had some gritty stuff like pre-vizla spoiler.

 

I might have checked out Battlestar Galactica if it weren't on the syfy channel. Syfy channel programs are horrid in my opinion. I enjoy the science fiction genre but I havn't ever been able to sit through something made from the syfy channel.

 

Go watch Battlestar, dude.

 

Battlestar Galactica is the only thing I've watched on syfy, and I can unequivocally recommend it for characterization, story and wise use of special effects. The old '70's show, while appealing, did not have the depth that this series evoked.

 

Battlestar Galactica transcends the SyFy channel, dude. Definitely give it a watch. From beginning to end, it is one of the most spectacular television programs I have ever watched.

The fact that Ron Moore was so heavily involved with the live action Star Wars series has me all the more upset that it never came into being.

 

Battlestar Galatica with X-Wings could be a way to do a Star Wars on a TV budget. But if they're doing the rampant planet hopping that happens in the movies, that would be way more cost prohibitive. There was planet hopping on Star Trek but the Trek-verse doesn't have the insane amount of diversity from planet to planet that Star Wars does.

 

LFL has a new TV head

http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/to...as-head-of-production-development-1201214151/

 

Wow. What an awesome hire. Immediately I wondered if this was the guy who co-directed and co-produced the BoB and The Pacific series'. It is indeed. This is terrific news for SW TV. Guy knows quality television.

 

All of this comes from Stephen Scaia, one of the writers.

http://makingstarwars.net/2014/06/star-wars-underworld-featured-han-met-chewie-lando-losing-falcon/

 

I would like a darker tv show set during the dark times, would be a welcome change from the more kid friendly version known as Rebels.

 

I hate hearing more about this show that never came to be... It's just depressing. Honestly, from everything we've heard, I would rather have this show than a sequel trilogy.

 

I personally wouldn't go that far, as the ST is quite literally the Star Wars story I've been waiting to see since 1983.

But that said, everything we've come to know about Star Wars: Underworld sounds absolutely terrific to my ears and, as much as I am looking forward to the new series this fall, I'd have gladly, gladly traded Rebels for the Live Action Show.

Please Disney/Lucasfilm, please try to get this show to us in one form or another.

 

That would be great.

And if it is ever green-lighted, I can't help but wonder how Disney/Lucasfilm may now view Underworld? The HBO-type of series George Lucas first envisioned, or a more network-friendly enterprise for ABC, like S.H.I.E.L.D.?

 

Colonel Gascon, the live action show!

You heard it here first!



Actually I would like a pre-prequels show about Count Dooku and a teenage Qui-Gon Gin. It could cover so much, we could occasionally see Count become enticed by the dark side, and we could see how Qui-Gon became the Jedi he was in Episode I. Count Dooku could be more political oriented (he is a political idealist) and Qui-Gon could be more force oriented. I will let the directors and the writers decided the rest.

If not a TV show, they need a Count and Qui movie!

 

I posted this in the "Empire in the Trenches" spin-off thread, but it's more appropriate for discussion here, I think.

"I know this is Legends material, but let's remember that Wedge, Tycho, et. al. (even Han) were trained for the Imperial military. Luke himself was eager to join up and see the galaxy at the beginning of ANH.
How many good young people like them enlisted or were conscripted, found the Empire was less than the ideal the propaganda had portrayed, but didn't find the opportunity to defect or desert that our heroes did?
I've always wanted to see a TV series focused on the crews of two ships, one Imperial and one Rebel, as they take parallel paths through the Galactic Civil War. (Kinda a Stark v. Lannister meets BSG thing, if you please.) Characters could defect from one side to another, with an idealistic rookie TIE pilot surrendering to join the Rebels, or an unsavory Rebel Sargeant growing disillusioned with the underdog's life and selling his friends out to join the Empire.
By the end of the series, many of the Imperial characters are ready to mutiny and take the ship, even as she's part of a task force set to crush the rebel ship and her comrades. A truly epic finale.
...
The pilot starts with two childhood friends from a poor mid-rim world who are in their last days at the Imperial Academy. (Let's call them #1 and #2.) They share misgivings about the Empire, maybe they've heard of a massacre (Alderaan? Ghorman?), or mass slavery. They have a plan to defect to the Alliance, and agree to put it into action the next day.
On a training patrol, the first makes a break for it and gets away, as planned. #2 hesitates and misses his moment. Realizing this, he has to pretend he was unaware, and that he feels betrayed by his friend.
The episode ends with #1 greeted by his Rebel contacts and being assigned to ship #1, while #2 graduates in a spectacular ceremony, the proud uniform and show of honor reassuring him that he's on the right path, and is assigned to ship #2.

There are so many opportunities for interaction between the crews. Maybe a spy on one ship is reporting to an officer aboard the other. Maybe both ships send away teams to a given planet, either with opposing goals, or eventually forced to work together against a particularly ruthless pirate gang. Maybe some of the Imperials are visiting a tapcaf on shore leave in uniform, when some of the Rebels enter the same caf in civilian dress; the Imps are unaware of their allegiance while the Rebels pry for intel, and all get drunk together (could lead to a barfight, a killing, or unexpected friendships/romance). I want this to happen."
It would also tie-in brilliantly to any live-action material set in the OT, and fan favorite characters could be given feature films set later once the series was over.