Star Wars has the benefit of a brand recognition that's tough to match. I mean, we're STILL talking about it 35 years after the release of the first film. The only other franchise that has had that kind of longevity is James Bond.
Rick McCallum really hasn't been saying anything crazy about what's holding up the show. Simply put, it's money. And advertising money in TV is down because of both the economy and the dillution of the audience by cable TV, Direct TV and services like NetFlix. Disney might be the right fit if the show can get onto the ABC television network. That might lead to big enough ad revenues that could cover production budgets of $5 million per episode. But other networks could make just as much sense. NBC Universal brings together the resources of a film studio, a broadcast network and multiple cable properties. If they could set up a schedule where the episode premieres on NBC, and then it has repeat airings on a network like SyFy, they might be able to generate enough ad revenue to make this show happen.
And then there's the creative control issue. McCallum has said that HBO would probably sign on for the show, but the degree of creative control and show ownership that HBO wants is a deal breaker.