Reports: Are The Clone Wars over for good?

UPDATE: Apparently so.

The Clone Wars Season Five logoJedi News is reporting that ‘several sources’ have told them that the Star Wars animated series is at an end. Big Shiny Robot has heard much the same, and believes an official announcement is imminent.

The Clone Wars’ fate under Disney has been uncertain for some time now: Cartoon Network only had the rights to air it through season 5, and many expected – or hoped – that it would move to the Disney XD channel.

Disney has its annual upfront presentation of its networks’ programming for the 2013-2014 season on March 12, so this will be the right time for some news – either The Clone Wars will be on its list, or it won’t. If it isn’t on the Disney lineup, then hopefully we’ll have some announcement of what the future does hold for the show. While being popular, the show is fairly expensive to produce, and without George Lucas championing the show like a billionaire who does whatever he wants with his own money, it could be that the show’s budget (despite raising the bar on animation for a weekly TV series) could be working against renewal in the post-George era.

It’s not yet known what will happen to the completed episodes of what would be the sixth season: Jedi News believes a direct-to-DVD/Blu-Ray release of some sort is possible. Other sources indicate that an online distribution method such as through iTunes might be a possibility. With each production season creating a few more episodes than get aired in the broadcast season, and pushing into the next season for airing, there’s at least one story arcs that should be ready to go: The Clovis story arc originally slated for season five. We know that a lot of voice work has been recorded for season six, but knowing that it takes about a year for an episode to be produced from story to ready to air, it is not known how many season six stories made it out of the pipeline.

If this rumor proves true, a Clone Wars cancellation would be the second piece of major fallout from the acquisition. The 3D rereleases of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith were ‘postponed’ in January. Also in the “no news is bad news” department, Star Wars Detours hasn’t been on the radar at all, with its Facebook page last being updated in November.

Still, with 5 seasons and more than 100 episodes, you can’t argue that The Clone Wars hasn’t had a good run.

22 Replies to “Reports: Are The Clone Wars over for good?”

  1. Third* piece of fallout. Rumblings are that 1313 has also been set aside.

    Sources such as RebelForce Radio also say that work had begun into as late as seasons 7 and 8.

  2. Major fallout – in all fairness, I’m not a video game person so I forgot about 1313, despite linking that Kotaku piece last week. I wonder if that’ll ever get confirmed one way or another… At least with TCW you know they’ll say SOMETHING eventually.

  3. I honestly don’t for the series. I’ve seen improvement in animation, but I’ve seen a lot better when it comes to storytelling. All of this is my opinion, so please fans, don’t bash me.

  4. No news on detours is NOT a bad thing, I’m hoping that Disney can take us forward to the post-OT days and perhaps pickup with animated EU content that gets us caught up to the 2015 movie.

  5. This is the worst news. There’s so much left to do. There’s so many opportunities that are going to be missed if they don’t continue with the show or rebrand the show into something else moving into Order 66 and into the “the dark times.”

    This was by far the best show of its kind on TV. I am really bummed out.

    I heard it costs 2 million per episode to make 22 minute of The Clone Wars. To finish Seasons 6, 7, and 8, it would cost 120 million dollars. That’s probably how much a spin off film will cost and it will bring in 200-400 million before it ever even hits a home video format. I hope they care more about making good Star Wars than just making profitable Star Wars. It would be a shame to not finish what everything George Lucas started and not just Episode VII, VII, and IX.

    It would be such a shame to never see what happens to Rex, to see what happens to Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian Civil War, to see what Sidious’ plans were for Maul, or to see how Boba got his gang back and got his armor. We never got to see The Outer Rim Sieges or how Padme reacted to finding out and hiding her pregnancy. The stories that continued Ahsoka finding her path and probably uniting the rebels is something I was really excited to see, potentially.

    I get that not every arc was for everyone. But this is the worst Star Wars news I can remember. I hope everyone participates in the letter writing efforts. Because I’ll be damned if there wasn’t a movie (4 parter) for everyone in every season at least.

  6. I have enjoyed the series and the voice talent actors have been wonderful. It is sad to see it end, but with the impending new live action movies in the works….the end was inevitable. I still like the exploration of characters outside of the central lot and hope that maybe the series could take on that.

  7. Jason, if those numbers are true, I can see why Disney decided the show might not be profitable. I’m sad to see the show go, but it’s not a crazy decision. Frankly, the only really unresolved storyline for me is Maul. Most of the rest of the characters don’t really need any more resolution (Hondo, Bane, etc), but Maul was a major character from the movies and his status is still left in the air. As long as SOMEBODY resolves the Maul arc, I’ll be OK.

  8. Disney just announced late last week that Tim Curry would be doing the voice of Palpatine for season 6. WTH?!?

  9. If this is true, it’s definitely a huge bummer for TCW fans. That said, I think there is a silver lining that if the show really is ending, it ended the way it did.

    Yeah there’s a bunch of unanswered questions, but this last episode seems like it’s a functional stopping point that can be a good final chapter with perhaps the show’s most important character.

    There are worse ways for a show to end. Some get zero resolution whatsoever. Some shows overstay their welcome and become The X-Files. If this is it for TCW, at least fans can take solace that it went out on what many regarded as a high note.

  10. Jim, I have to agree with your statement about the animation. It’s quality and style are the main reasons I couldn’t get into it. As a 3D animator myself, I know none of that work is easy. But I expect so much more from LucasFilm.

  11. Gadzooks, I hope these reports are wrong. TCW is perfect for Disney XD… action-oriented, serialized, in their demo. Plus it’s got an established audience and is now entirely owned by the mothership. I kinda presumed that the quiet cancellation of Tron: Uprising meant that Disney was making room in its schedule/budget for something else. The Tron cartoon was terrific, but if it meant making room for TCW, I was okay with it.

    I also assumed that Detours was pretty safe, since it was only really revealed after the sale to Disney was known internally. (Though how many knew is another question.) If both those shows are suddenly on the brink… does that mean Disney might shutter all of Lucasfilm Animation? They do have their own animation and TV departments, but still. Depressing to consider.

  12. We’ve heard that they’ve done other episodes, so maybe they’ll at least come out on DVD.

    But I’m not heart-broken if this is where it ends. I like that Ahsoka could still be out there, somewhere, and that the clones we’ve come to care about are just going on….

  13. It would break my heart if true. I don’t watch much TV, but I’m a loyal viewer of TCW every week. It’s great animation, and despite what others’ have said, I’ve liked most of the storylines. Dave Filoni *gets* the world like few have, and as a Gen Xer who saw the original was I was 9, I’d miss this show like few other.

  14. I’m in the same camp as Jason.

    Up until October last year, TCW was the only new cinematic, G-level stuff we were ever forseeably going to get.

    And now that the new films will trump pretty much everything we’ve all read (which I’m okay with, since I’ll still enjoy our old EU), but the new movies don’t detract from the TCW in any way so I don’t see the reason to get rid of it.

    It does have a fan-base and fits well enough for the XD demo, as Jason said.

    If we get the content they’ve already made, that’ll lighten the blow just a little bit if it does get cancelled.

  15. This is terrible news, but the show can be saved. Shows have already been saved in the past. WRITE A LETTER to the following address:
    Walt Disney Studios
    500 S Buena Vista St
    Burbank, CA 91521
    Attn: Bob Iger
    Letters are the most efficient way to get your point accross!

  16. This really wouldn’t surprise me. 5 season is a long time for this type of show. I have loved it from day one, but have actually had a hard time getting into it this season. I think that is because they are running out of interesting things to do with it. A lot of it is starting to feel like the same thing over and over.

  17. All I know is that somebody better write something about what happens with ahsoka and her leaving the jedi order! it better not be like the sopranos!

  18. Well stated, Lane. I could not have put it any better. Ending now really does set up the movies as best as can be expected. I fear too much more really.

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