Since it was announced earlier this year, we’ve learned virtually nothing about Jon Favreau‘s upcoming ‘Star Wars’ series. The series will be a live-action affair – a first for a ‘Star Wars’ series – and take place in the time between ‘Return of the Jedi’ and ‘The Force Awakens’. That sentence encompasses the majority of solidly confirmed information that we have regarding the series, which will air via Disney’s upcoming streaming service.
But every so often, we get some small new piece of information that we can fit into the puzzle. While the latest news from the project didn’t reveal anything that fans might consider major, it’s hardly insignificant. As part of a larger piece about Disney’s still-unnamed streaming platform, the New York Times has reported that the show’s first season will consist of ten episodes and be budgeted at approximately $100 million.
While that sort of price tag isn’t unheard of in ‘Star Wars’ circles – in which tentpole blockbusters have until recently been the dominant means of delivering content – it is a massive sum for television. With a budget that averages out to $10 million per episode, the series is placed in the same rarified air as ‘Game of Thrones’, which gives us an idea (vague though it may be) of what to expect.
Put simply, a $10 million per episode budget suggest a narrative with a grand scope and the involvement of top-tier talent both on- and off-camera. And of course, it also suggests that the show will have plenty of money to spend on special effects. Favreau has previously stated that the series will feature all-digital characters, and while such characters are easier to realize now than in the days of Jar Jar Binks (say what you will of the character, the technology that brought him to life was groundbreaking), they don’t exactly come cheap.
While none of this may be all that surprising in and of itself (this is a ‘Star Wars’ project, after all, and one that Disney is counting on to sell streaming subscriptions), taken together it underscores the studio’s commitment to the show.
Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on upcoming ‘Star Wars’ film and television projects – including the Jon Favreau series – as it becomes available.
