George Lucas has big plans for his successful “Star Wars” film franchise – a live-action television spin-off about “the life of robots,” the director teased.
George Lucas, 63, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times Tuesday that he had “just begun work” on a new live-action television series spin-off that will bring the film franchise’s more minor characters to the small screen.
“The Skywalkers aren't in it, and it's about minor characters,” Lucas told the Times. “It has nothing to do with Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader or any of those people. It's completely different. But it's a good idea, and it's going to be a lot of fun to do.”
While the famed director was discrete and would not reveal additional details, he did joke that the series would be about “the life of robots.”
He is additionally occupied with the making of another television series, the computer-animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Lucasfilm Animation has been working on the project for several months.
Lucas will shop the finished product to networks, for weekly television episodes, according to the Times. Star Wars prequel producer Rick McCallum is currently auditioning writers for the live-action series, which Lucas envisions running for at least 100 episodes, E! Online reports.
As to the absence of the Skywalkers in the forthcoming spin-off TV series, Lucas told the Times that he is “taking chances” by leaving the heroes out of the story and focusing on supporting characters.
Shooting wrapped up last week on the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” E! Online reports. Lucas is producing the Steven Spielberg-directed adventure film.
Filming for “The Kingdom of the Skull,” anticipated as a summer blockbuster for 2008, has not gone without incident. Earlier this month, a man was arrested by LAPD after computers and photographs connected to the much-anticipated fourth installment had been stolen from Spielberg's production office on the Universal Pictures lot.
Harrison Ford, now in his 60s, is set to reprise his role as the adventurous archeologist Indiana Jones. Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, John Hurt and Jim Broadbent are also part of the cast.
Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, Indy’s love interest and ally in 1981’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Sean Connery has refused to reprise his role as Indy’s father in the fourth installment.