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ABC, Lucasfilm in talks to bring a Star Wars series to network TV

By Rick Marshall August 4, 2016

star wars tv series abc achievement in sound mixing the force awakens — Disney

It’s already a good time to be a Star Wars fan, with a new movie hitting theaters every year and new stories being told in comic books, novels, and other formats — and now there’s reason to believe it could get even better.

ABC Entertainment recently confirmed a longstanding rumor that talks are underway to bring Star Wars to the small screen in some form, and although it’s still far from certain that we’ll see the franchise expand into the realm of live-action TV, the wheels of speculation have begun turning again.

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During this year’s Television Critics Association press tour, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey was asked whether the network is indeed working on a Star Wars TV show with Lucasfilm, given that both production companies operate under the shared Disney banner.

“As a fan, I’d love to say yes,” answered Dungey (as reported by Business Insider). “The conversations with [Lucasfilm], we’ve had them, we will continue to have them. It would be wonderful to extend that brand onto our programming.”

Rumors regarding a live-action Star Wars television series have circulated for years, dating all the way back to 2005 when George Lucas announced plans for a show set between the events of Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV — A New Hope. Later dubbed Star Wars: Underworld, the series had over 50 episodes scripted by multiple writers — including Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore — before being put on hold in 2010 due to budget constraints.

It’s uncertain whether any potential Star Wars series on ABC would be able to move forward with the existing Underworld scripts, or if such an option is even being considered. Back in January, the previous president of ABC Entertainment indicated that there were no plans in the works for a Star Wars series, but the massive success of December’s Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and the surging popularity of sci-fi and superhero fare on television right now might have prompted a change of heart for the studios.

The next Star Wars movie to arrive in theaters is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which premieres December 16.

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