Episode III news

[shinji]

Okay, so I've just spent a couple of hours scouring the net, and came up with all of this. It was a lot of hard work, so enjoy. As always, beware of Episode III Spoilers. Read away.



JUST THE FACTS PART I - EPISODE III





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March 2nd, 1997; Lucas said in a BBC Radio One: "...the third film will be the darkest of the prequels."

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March 4, 1997; Lucas interview for BBC Radio One: "...and the third one is the dark one - it will probably fit in really well with 21st century!"

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April 21, 1998; Lucas Interview: "Luke failed his challenge in Empire Strikes Back in that the only thing he lost was his hand. Anakin will fail his challenge but it will cost him his soul."

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October 11, 1998; TFN Spy Report: "Just got back from a lecture given by James Earl Jones at Penn State. He spoke about the arts and gave a throughly enjoyable speech. During the q & a session, he did happen to mention that his voice will only be heard during the last 5 minutes of episode #3. I guess we can all look forward to that."

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March, 1999; Lucas Interview: "The man Leia called Father was obviously not her father. He is part of the group that ends up having to fight Darth Vader in the film that will be out in 2003 [laughs]."

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April 23, 1999; Premiere interview with Lucas: (And the next episodes in the prequel series will be darker than Episode I?) "By their very nature. The next one isn't so bad. The third one's pretty bad." (That's when Anakin goes over to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader?) "Yes. Episode III will probably make half of whatever the others make..."

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May 2, 1999; Rick McCallum at the Denver Star Wars celebration: "George Lucas will "unquestionably" be directing Episode Three." McCallum also revealed the third prequel begins filming in June 2003 and will be released in May 2005.

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May 18, 1999; Rosie O'Donnell Show: Natalie Portman made it official: she's signed to star in Episode III.

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Feb 2000; Lucas MP3 from "Magic of the Myth": "The Empire is portrayed in very hard blacks and whites, most of the sets are dark grey and the emperor's in a black cloak, the stormtroopers are all in white and the royal guards are in a deep maroon - the significance of which will become more apparent when you're able to see all six films together. I tried to keep things very much in black and whites and greytones and not introduce very much color. The only colors introduced are basically red or maroon/dark maroon which is kind of reminescent of blood and also very royal kind of color."

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February 24th, 2000; McCallum Interview on the Prequels with InsideReel.com: "Dangerous. Dark in a gentle darkening way. But all to say it's the story of the fold. How do you get this perfect kid that, if you're a parent, is the kind of kid that any parent would love to be able to have and what happens to him. Is it ego? Is it pride? Is it environment? Is it genetics that actually turns him into who he becomes? What is it that makes somebody feel better than somebody else? What is the Dark Side in us? Why do we do horrible things to people, especially people that we love? And then, what are the consequences when we do them? Why can't we stop ourselves? All those are the central basic themes of what Episodes II and III are about. It's the downward spiral."

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May 31, 2000; TFN Spy Report: Jimmy Smits will appear in Episode Three. What's very interesting is the fact that Smits has been promised his character's part will be significantly expanded in Episode Three; again, very similar in nature to Jackson's role as Jedi Master Mace Windu in Star Wars, Episode Two which Lucas has said is an "emerging character".

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February 10th, 2001; Empire Magazine
Lucas Interview: "...if you start with Star Wars, then Vader’s just the villain, and that’s it. But you don’t realize that he’s a human being, that he’s got problems you don’t realize that he could have been saved, that he was tricked and can be resurrected."

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Mar 19, 2001; James Earl Jones spoke at a lecture: When asked whether he would do Darth Vader for Episode III "Are you kidding?" he says, which is a good point: Who else are they going to get? I saw George Lucas in Idaho and asked, ‘Do I work again?’ and he said, ‘Well, at some point in the third episode [of the new trilogy, which is about the transformation of young Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader], Darth will become bionic and he should sound like you then.’ He said there might be no more than five minutes at the end. "And I said, ‘Fine, I’ll take whatever you can give me.’"

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April 21st, 2001; Lucas Interview: "...the third film is very, very, very dark. It's not a happy movie by any stretch of the imagination. It's a tragedy. Ultimately the final story is between Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin and the Padmé. It's really their story. Those four characters."

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Mar 27, 2001; Rick McCallum interview in Australian SciFI magazine: "If fans of Obi wan were disappointed that he had a pretty low profile in Ep1, then they are going to be very happy with EpII, and ecstatic about EpIII."

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Aug 14, 2001; IMDB: Gabriel Byrne is in talks with George Lucas to appear in the third Star Wars movie. Byrne is set to take a starring role in the third and final Star Wars epic - which is planned for release in 2005. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones is due for release next year and is currently in post production. Although Episode 3 is four years away, the script is already being written for the final episode - with Natalie Portman already set to reprise her role as Padme Amidala, alongside Hayden Christensen, who will take on the role of Anakin Skywalker in next year's sequel. Byrne says of his talks with Lucas, "We're discussing it." But the 51-year-old Irishman confirmed that any decision was months away. He adds, "I think they're still writing the script."

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May 18, 2001; Brisbane radio station B105: Jay Laga'aia (Capt Typho) said he was approached by Rick McCallum about being cast in Episode III even though George Lucas has not written the script yet.

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Jun 06, 2001; OS Making of Ep2 Video about location shooting with an emphasis on using Tunisia for Tatooine: Lucas is asked out of nowhere while on the Tunisia set, "So why did you shoot a scene from Episode III today?" He responds with "you'll have to wait six years to find out", but then he goes into a bit more detail. He says that it's the only shot he'd need for Episode III at the Tunisia location, and shooting it now makes more sense than packing up a crew of 60 people down the line. When asked what he'll do if he ends up needing more shots in Tunisia, he replies "Then I don't get them."

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Jun 10, 2001; TFN Spy Report on Tatooine Scene Already filmed for Ep3: "The 'one shot' for episode 3 that Lucas got while filming in Tunisia was quite simple but needed for a more emotional scene probably towards the end of Episode 3. Additional interior shots will be added when shooting on the set of Episode 3. Lucas wanted a shot of Obi-wan arriving at Owen and Beru's hovel bringing a little delivery. There was no baby on the set of Episode 2. Just a simple prop that looked like the Jedi was carrying a baby wrapped with cloth. I'm assuming we will see the close ups of young Luke in Episode 3 but that is just speculation on my part. George didn't need to bring Ewan all the way to Tunisia for one shot! He just needed a shot of Obi-wan arriving at the hovel. So it was shot with a stand-in from a distance toward the end of the day. He wanted to get the shot while the sun was near setting. It will most likely produce a feeling of deja-vu with most of those that saw Star Wars years ago. Although Ewan was not on the set....if Lucas wanted to he would just add him in digitally....but I doubt it. Again....the majority of this scene will most likely take place on a set in Australia."

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August 15, 2001; TFN Spy Report on Lava Planet pre-production art work: "When we were doing [Jedi] I remember I had done a series of sketches of Vader's home, and there was a sea of lava that his house looked out on," remember Johnson. "I remember having trouble drawing it because everything was either orange or a shadow; it was very intense. But before we got too far, George said he would save this for somewhere down the line, and I stopped working on it."

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Nov 13, 2001; Interview with John Williams:

John Williams talks about the themes of Episode II and also mentions that George Lucas has told him the ending of Episode III.

"Not to worry", Williams says. "George Lucas has narrated the last piece to me. After I heard it, I told him, 'Just hurry up and do it, because that is a fabulous ending.'"

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Nov 16th, 2001; TV GUIDE Interview with Lucas on Episodes 7-9: (ANY STAR WARS MOVIES AFTER EPISODE III?) "There's nothing written and it's not like I'm contemplating something. I'd have to start from scratch."
(WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU TO DO A THIRD TRILOGY, WITH EPISODES VII, VIII and IX)
"Each time I do a trilogy it is ten years out of my life. I'll finish "Episode III" and I'll be 60. And the next 20 years after that I want to spend doing something other than "Star Wars." If at 80 I'm still lively and having a good time and think I can work hard for another 10 years between 80 and 90, I might consider it. But don't count on it. There's nothing written and it's not like I'm contemplating something. I'd have to start from scratch. (The idea of episodes VII, VIII and IX) was more of a media thing than it was me."

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Jan 14, 2002; Rick McCallum on the OS: "There will be no cameos of characters from the Classic Trilogy in Episode III. No Chewie, Mon Mothma, or Tarkin."

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Mar 16, 2002; Star Wars Insider: On page 12, it lists actors returning for Episode III. It mentions Christopher Lee returning for the next movie. It also states Jimmy Smits and Samuel L. Jackson will be returning. It also states that "some smaller parts, including another bad guy," are yet to be cast.

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March 27, 2002; Samuel L. Jackson in Calgary Sun newspaper: While speaking with The hinted at what's in store for his character in Episode III -- and the request he made to Star Wars creator about how Mace Windu should exit stage right. "All the Jedi die in Episode III during the Clone Wars," Jackson told The Sun. "I told George (Lucas) I didn't mind dying, I just didn't want to go out like some punk. George said that was fine and he'd see what he could do about a fitting death scene for Mace."

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May 03, 2002; SW CELEBRATION, TFN Report: C-3PO will be played by Anthony Daniels, despite the fact that Lucas has bragged to him that Threepio does exist in the computer so he had better be good. Also the film will be rated PG and the rocket technology seen in Epsiode II becomes obsolete.

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May 05, 2002; CELEBRATION: Episode III Hints: The first is that in the final prequel, "armageddon" will take place. It was also revealed that pieces of Darth Vader's armor will be seen on several different characters. It will all come together to make the final Vader armor in Episode III. It was also said that they'll start work on Episode III pre-production in either the middle of June or mid-September depending on how long of a break is needed after Episode II. Bonnie Piesse and Joel Edgerton both said they have not filmed anything for Episode III and that they are not yet signed for it either.

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May 09, 2002; Rick McCallum in New York Post on the Fetts: "Jango's the coolest dude in the movie," he says. "His gear is fantastic. He can fly. He’s got a flame-thrower." He’s also the father of the clone army, and the father of the coolest dude in the original trilogy, Boba Fett, who goes on to capture Han Solo, trap Luke Skywalker and back-talk Vader in front of his officers. Here, we see him as an ambitious young tyke. "You get to understand the relentlessness that Boba has," McCallum says. "Here, and especially in ‘Episode III,’ you’ll understand why he’s so obsessed with destroying any part of the Skywalker family."

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May 09, 2002; Stars of Ep2 talk Ep3 on OS: For Lucas, the time for reflection on Episode II has been short. "I'm working on writing the next one while this one comes out. I can only worry about what I'm doing today." The actors are eagerly anticipating what the final Star Wars chapter will bring, though thus far they've been kept in the dark on the details. "I hope I die on-screen," laughs Jackson. "We know that's what happens. There are only two Jedi left when the first Star Wars starts, Obi-Wan and Yoda. Unless the rest of us went on vacation, we're dead. I just hope I have a great death scene. That's what acting's all about -- dying great!" "George has told me nothing. Absolutely nothing," said Hayden shaking his head. "I'll have more mechanical parts in the next one for sure. I'm told I might get to sport the dark helmet. I'd like to kill Mace Windu. I love Sam. He's supposed to be one of the most powerful Jedi." Fans enjoying Padme's midriff in Clones will have a different perspective in three years. "I'm going to be with child," said Portman patting her belly. "The next one, according to George, is going to be a tragedy. It's going to be sad, but I'm looking forward to having more to do."

JUST THE FACTS PART II - EPISODE III



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May 13, 2002; Stars of Ep2 talk Ep3 at AOTC Premiere: Ahmed Best confirmed he will be back for Episode 3. Ewan McGregor answered in reference to a question about how much stunt work he would have in the new movie versus what he did in pt. 2. The end of the answer was "Obviously, it's no secret. But me and Hayden have this huge battle against each other in Pt. III. So I have to get ready for that." Ewan - talked a lot about the fighting style and how he didn't have to train as hard for this one since he learned all the basics while training for Phantom and that he couldn't wait for the next one. He's excited for whatever big battle will happen between him and Hayden and he mentioned they'll go back to work on it next May.

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May 13, 2002; Lucas Interview on sfgate.com: Part of the problem, Lucas concludes, is that some older "fans" -- a word that doesn't trip lightly from his tongue -- wanted him to start the prequel trilogy with a movie that was substantially less expository than "Phantom Menace." They didn't care to wait another three years for the hard-core mythologizing and breakneck action to kick into gear. In their impatience, these fans ignored the fact that Lucas had waited nearly 10 times that long for his complete "Star Wars" vision to emerge as one 12-hour story, broken into six more or less equal parts. The outline he wrote 30 years ago was very specific, Lucas said, so the segment of the story unfolding this week isn't much different from the one originally submitted to Fox executives. Because of budget restraints, Fox merely decided to shoot the end before the beginning. [i]" 'Episode II' wouldn't have made any sense without 'Phantom Menace,' " Lucas argued. "The prequel is intended to show the descent of a good guy (Anakin Skywalker) into the depths (becoming Darth Vader) in three acts, just like a play. The first act was there to set up all the relevant parts and introduce the characters. It's during Act II that the plot thickens, and Act III is when everything comes together. That's going to be the most fun to do."

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May 13, 2002: After the press picked up on what he said at the Star Wars Celebration, now McCallum's changing his mind about Hugh Jackman being in SW3. In an article published last week in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, the producer now says the Jackman rumor is "totally false". He also said that about 80-85% of Episode 3 will be shot in Sydney, starting June 2003.

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May 14, 2002; AP Interview with Hayden Christensen: Christensen said "Star Wars" creator George Lucas has not told how far the transformation will go in "Episode III." The actor has managed to try on Vader's helmet, just for fun, he said in an interview last week at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch. "Last time I was here, I went up to the archives and got shown around, and there was the dark helm," said Christensen, 21. "I asked if I could put it on and get a picture, which is pretty funny, because I'm wearing this gray track suit and had this enormous helmet on which is just completely disproportionate." Christensen has tried to pry more details about the next film out of Lucas, who begins shooting "Episode III" next summer for release in 2005. "I nag him every now and then about whether or not I'll get to wear the Darth Vader outfit, and he gives me a little wink-wink, nudge-nudge, that maybe I will," Christensen said.

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May 14, 2002; Empire Online Interview Ewan McGregor: (Has George told you anything about what to expect in Episode III?) "No, not really. I know that it'll end in a big fight between me and Hayden which will be fantastic, because Hayden also put a lot of work in the fighting stuff and is very good at it. So there'll be a big kick-off fight, I can imagine, when Hayden becomes Darth Vader. In terms of what leads us up to that, I don't really know. I was always hoping that it would be some kind of love triangle, fighting over Natalie, but I don't know if that's the case, because Obi-Wan doesn't have a look-in in Episode II. " (Is there anything else you'd like to know?) "What happens to the Siths? Because there are no Siths in the first three are there? Well, there's the Emperor and there's Darth Vader and that's it. Because there are always two, apparently. I don't know what happens at the end of Three."

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May 19, 2002; NBC Extra Interviews Stars of Ep2: Lucas: "Well in 3, Anakin becomes Darth Vader so that's about as dark as you can get." Ewan McGregor comments on his upcoming duel with Anakin Skywalker, "we want it to be the biggest baddest fight scene ever set to movies." Hayden on donning the Vader suit, "that will be amazing, to actually, really wear Darth Vader's outfit." The announcer reports about the birth of the twins, Luke and Leia, the rise of the Empire, and the fall of the Jedi for Episode 3. Samuel L. Jackson talks about his exit in EP3, "I don't think I'm going out like some, some girl. I gotta go down, you know, in a blaze of glory. It (EP3) will lead perfectly into what we know as, you know, the original."

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May 20, 2002; Movie Nights Interview with Hayden Christensen: (And you say George hasn’t told you anything –have you told him anything that you would like to do what you’d expect for the character?) "Not really - it’s his moulding of it really and how he sees fit, but I have sort of nagged him a little bit about getting to wear the dark helmet and Darth Vader's costume, and he sort of gives me the wink, wink, nudge, nudge that I will – so that would be really cool, but other than that they’re asking me to put on a little bit of weight or size – I’m not going to go De Niro and get real fat but just so I can be wicked with a light sabre, so I think there are going to be some pretty extensive fight sequences in the next one especially between Obi Wan and myself and that’ll be fun." (And are you practicing your moves in the mirror – do you sort of pose with a light sabre and see how it goes?) "No I don’t do that, but I’m constantly playing with it and trying to find little different things to do with it. Ewan and I have made a pact to go out to Australia a couple of months before we start filming the next one and just get wicked with our light sabres, just so we can really have a go at each other – and you know I get on really well with Ewan so I think we’ll have some really good fun doing that."

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May 22, 2002; Star Wars Insider Interview with Lucas: (Will any OT characters like Tarkin or Chewbacca might appear in Episode III?) ""There are some, if I can fit them in, but I won't say who they are. Some key characters are scheduled to be fit in if I can make it work. They are not so integral to the story--it's really done to say, 'Oh look, there's so-and-so.'"

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May 27, 2002: E! Daily News interviewed Star Wars creator George Lucas and finally got an answer on the mystery surrounding what R2-D2 and C-3PO should and shouldn't remember of their adventures in the prequels. "Well, one, his brains have, his memory system has been erased and so has R2's. So, they don't remember anything from the first trilogy. I'm telling you something from Episode III, but I shouldn't be telling you that, but I think most of the fans already know that."

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May 28, 2002; Interview with Ahmed Best: Ahmed shares some words on Jar Jar. First, it says he promises to be back in E3, after that it says, "George told me I'm going to be there."

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Jun 06, 2002; Lucas intervew on ET: "The Clone Wars would end at the beginning of the film, and it would then become very small and personal." Looks like the big battle will be at the beginning, like in ESB.

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Jun 24, 2002; Starlog Magazine Interviews Lucas:

STARLOG: And isn’t that Qui-Gon Jinn’s [Liam Neeson] voice we hear during Anakin’s attack on the Tusken Raiders who killed Shmi Skywalker [Pernilla August]?
LUCAS: "That’s a fan thing, isn’t it? It’s actually more than that. It’s a plot point. All I can really say is that you’ll find out [more] in the next film. If you thought really hard, you would probably be able to figure it out, but it really is a set-up for the next film. It’s connected with the whole ability to be brought into and become a part of the Force, but still be able to retain YOUR ability – which, up to this point, Anakin couldn’t do. We talked to Liam about [recording new dialogue], and we went back and forth [about it]. This [dialogue] is something we already had [from Menace]. Next time will be a little more complicated."

STARLOG: What about Boba Fett?
LUCAS: “Boba WILL be in Episode III, but his role definitely won’t be larger. He’s in a transition period of becoming a bounty hunter. The next film takes place two or three years later, so Boba would only be 13 and still wouldn’t fit in the suit."

STARLOG: And what about killing Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Mace Windu?
LUCAS: “Sam’s a little concerned that I make it nice and dramatic. It won’t be in the movie’s first scene.”"

STARLOG: What of all the plot threads and character tidbits that remain to be tied up in Episode III are you – the guy who created this whole universe – most excited to get on film?
LUCAS: "The scene where Anakin does actually become Vader is pretty good [as written in Lucas’ Episode III outline]. I mean, I like it. It’s a little in the vocabulary of…I don’t know how much I want to give away…but it’s in the vocabulary of a time – of the 1930s and 1940s. It’s a pretty neat little thing, I think, and hopefully it’s going to work."

STARLOG: Will we see more of Anakin or Darth Vader in Episode III?
LUCAS: "It’s mostly Anakin."

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Jul 16, 2002; Nick Gillard Comment at C2: When asked what he may have in store for the final Duel in Ep3 between Anakin and Obi-Wan, he said that he wasn't 100% sure that he'd be doing the choreography on Ep3 because he was starting to direct. Nick expressed how much he enjoyed directing, but also how he would probably not miss out of putting together what was sure to be the most memorable moment of any Star Wars film... the final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

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August 02, 2002; OS "Ask jedi Council", Rick M.

Question: Will Hugh Jackman be in Episode III?

Answer: "No, we haven't spoken to him.

I've heard the recordings on the net of a fan asking me that question at Celebration II in Indianapolis. What happened was that I couldn't hear the question, even when he repeated it, and the moderator said to me, "I think he's asking about Sio Bibble (Oliver Ford Davies)," so I replied, "Yes, as of now" or something like that.

I didn't realize he was asking about Hugh Jackman. That's a question I misunderstood."

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August 03, 2002; Interview with George Lucas in Film Comment magazine,p.32 Jul/Aug issue:

FC: One last question: In ANH, why don't R2D2 and C3PO tell Luke what happened in the first 3 episodes and tell him who his father is?

GL: "Should I really tell you why that didn't happen? Their memories will be erased at the end of EpIII. In the end when it's all finished, I'm sure people will spend a lot of time figuring out all the loopholes."

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August 27, 2002; Natalie Portman: "Forbidden Love"; starwars.com feature interview:

...Lucas had to give Portman a summary of all three prequels before she signed on to play Padmé for Phantom Menace. "He mainly told me the plot of the three films and where we were going," she said. "I pretty much knew the basic storyline of Attack of the Clones from the start, because George had given me the basic gist of what was going to happen when I decided to do all three movies at 14."

That means that Portman is one of the few people who has been given a heads-up on what's in store for Episode III from the man himself. "It's very basic--I think it's pretty much what everyone knows about Episode III," she said. "The children are born, and Anakin goes to the dark side. But that's pretty much all I know."

But does Natalie Portman know what part Padmé plays in Anakin's tragic turn? "I don't think you can say someone else's decisions or actions are caused by a particular person," she said, "but I think everyone's environment shapes them. So I have a feeling that everyone who ever came into Anakin's world had some effect on him that led him to where he ended up--and especially Padmé, being such a central part of his life, from such a young age, probably influenced him a little bit."

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JUST THE FACTS PART III - EPISODE III





Sept 04, 2002; Preparing for Episode III, McCallum Interview; OS:

With George Lucas busy writing the final film in the Anakin Skywalker saga, Producer Rick McCallum is mobilizing the rest of the creative team for the three years of work ahead.

A small team of artists, including Concept Designers Erik Tiemens and Ryan Church, and Pre-Visualization Supervisor Dan Gregoire, have already been doing some exploratory sketches. "They've been doing research on some different scenes and potential new environments," reports McCallum. "We meet with George once a week for review. These preliminary visuals serve as inspiration for writing, more than anything else."

The design team will be joined in the coming weeks by Production Designer Gavin Bocquet, Concept Artist Iain McCaig, Costume Designer Trisha Biggar, and others. "We won't be in full mode until the script is closer to completion next year."

Even the post-production crew at Industrial Light & Magic is keeping one eye on the upcoming project. "We're really going to pump up the 3-D matte department at ILM," McCallum said. "We're looking to cast for that in early September, in the next few weeks. We expect to have twice as many as we did for Episode II, where they did a fantastic job."

Perhaps the most activity for Episode III preparation has surrounded the design and testing of the next generation of digital cameras to be used on the film. "When we were in Japan to promote Episode II, we also had some great meetings with Fujinon, Sony and some other companies who are working on some great things," smiled McCallum. "We actually just finished testing a new generation of lenses from Fujinon last week. There are some small changes we want to make, but they will be done by Christmas so we're in really good shape there."

Shortly, McCallum plans to travel to Australia to finalize agreements with Fox Studios in Sydney where principal photography for Episode III is to take place next summer. From there, he will head to London to meet with the U.K. crew and stop by Elstree Studios.

Another task for this winter is the start of location scouting. "For Episode II we visited Spain, Italy and Tunisia. In the next few months we'll nail down what we need for Episode III, and then try to find it," said the producer. "I just got back from Croatia and Bosnia on a holiday. I found some really great spots, but I doubt they are right for this film. Incredible stuff that I'll file in my brain for some future project maybe. We'll start scouting for Ep III in the early part of November."

Look for most of the actors from Episode II to return with the story focusing on the characters played by Hayden Christensen (Anakin), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan), Natalie Portman (Padmé) and Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine). "Effectively, we're 95% cast except for incidental characters," said McCallum. "That probably won't begin until February or March of 2003."

"We're planning for a summer 2005 release," McCallum nodded, "and that's about all there is to tell at this point. Stay tuned to starwars.com for more as we have it."

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Sep 08, 2002; TFN SPY REPORT; Ian McCaig Returns for Episode III:

Ian McCaig will not be attending the Sydney sessions of Star Wars: Magic of Myth Industry Seminar or Conversations which begins September, 18th. Word has it that Rick McCallum has asked him to begin work on Star Wars Episode III. Ben Snow, Visual Effects Supervisor, will replace him instead.

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Sep 08, 2002; Sydney Morning Herald; Episode III to Film in March 2003:

...an article in the Sydney Morning Herald with some clues to Episode III's start date for principle photography and set construction:

A spokeswoman for Fox Studios said two top-flight crews were freed up when The Matrix sequels finished shooting last month.

And with The Fountain apparently in limbo waiting for another green light from Hollywood, the next definite booking at the studio was George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode III next March.

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Sep 08, 2002; SWMovies.net Interview; Doug Chiang will not be returning for Episode III:

...For fans who followed the production of Attack of the Clones, or who spent many hours watching the extra's on the DVD of The Phantom Menace, the face of Doug Chiang was a familiar sight. He easy manner and excellent communications skills really allowed the viewer to feel like he was talking directly to them. Could it possibly be true that he wasn't returning to head up the team for Episode III?

Glenn,

Yes, it's true that I resigned earlier this year to work on another film. It was a very hard decision especially after 13 years with the company. However, if my schedule allows I will try to contribute some designs for ep 3.

Best,

Doug

So it looks like Doug Chiang will definitely not be heading up the Concept Design Team for the final film of the trilogy. In this interview with 3DArtist FV from July '01 Doug referred to his time with ILM in the past tense.

While at ILM I was always striving to improve my skills, both as an artist and as a designer. I was happy with the work at ILM but a part of me felt the desire to keep growing.

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03 October, 2002; James Earl Jones to Voice Darth Vader Again at ORT Toronto:

...As for Star Wars, he really is coming full circle as Vader. Plans are to return him as the voice of Vader in part three of the new Star Wars trilogy, which currently has a release date of 2005. "George Lucas says 'When Anakin goes bionic -- that will be in the last five minutes of episode three -- they will hear you."

He gives his seal of approval to Hayden Christensen, the current Anakin Skywalker and the man who will be Vader. "Aren't you impressed with him?" he says. "I like his whole bearing, the spine, the neck ... he's like a snake."

Not that he feels at all proprietary about who plays Darth. "No," he laughs, "the little kid (The Phantom Menace's Jake Lloyd) got me over that."

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07 October, 2002; SciFi.com Interviews SLJ on Mace Windu's Fate:

Samuel L. Jackson told SCI FI Wire that he is preparing for his character Mace Windu's big death scene in Star Wars: Episode III. "I know what's going to happen," Jackson said in an interview. "I gotta go there. I gotta die."

Jackson went on to explain that he had a lunch meeting with George Lucas last month, during which time he tried to find out details of his character's impending demise. "We were just talking about stuff," Jackson said. "And then [Lucas] finally said, 'Okay, so you know you've got to die. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to kill you yet, because I guess you're the most important guy that's going to die. In the other ones, Obi Wan is still there and Yoda's still alive and Darth is still there.' So I become the most important character that can die. I guess it's got to be pretty dynamic. So he's working that out." Star Wars: Episode III goes into production in June 2003 for a May 2005 release.

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10 Oct, 2002; Ep2 DVD Commentary info from TFN's early DVD review:

His (George's) discussion during the arena battle sequence centers around Mace Windu, where George mentions the character's demise at the end of the Clone Wars. George also articulates that Bail Organa will be featured much more in Episode III, and that actor Jimmy Smits had to deal with just being introduced in AOTC. George at several other points reminds listeners of the importance of Episode II in that it is Anakin's move from innocence in The Phantom Menace to his complete downfall in Episode III.

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14 Oct, 2002; Countingdown.com Interview with John Williams:

(Can you give us a rundown of the film scores you have upcoming?)

"Well, I'm certainly busy as ever, which I enjoy. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is definitely in my future. Star Wars Episode 3 will follow that, which I'm very much looking forward to doing. It's like the completion of an epic journey."

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15 Oct, 2002; E! Interview with Samuel L. Jackson:

(Speaking of which, what can you tell us about Episode III?)

"Actually, I don't know much. I had lunch with George Lucas a couple of weeks ago, and we kind of touched on it. The most he would say is, "Well, sometime next summer, I guess I'll be killing you." I was like, "Yeah, I guess so." He'll tell me how I die later on. But I know I won't make it to the end. In the first Star Wars, there were only three Jedis left - Luke, Obi-Wan and Yoda. That's it. Everybody else is dead."

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Star Wars Insider Update; Oct 2002


Production Update

When Star Wars Insider asks producer Rick McCallum for an update on Episode III, the first thing he does is offer up a laundry list of what's about to happen:

"I finalize the deal at FOX Studios, Sydney in about a week's time; I've got our production designer starting in October; Our costume designer starts next month, and she starts shopping for fabrics. We're equipping the sound stages, sending in stuff from England back over to Sydney. So we're in real "go" mode now."

"We've been doing that [looking at concept deesigns] for three or four months now, so we're starting to collect the basic look and feel of the planets that are involved. It's probably going faster than George wants, but slower than I want it to. We're getting there."

"George says he's writing, so we're just moving forward, trying to make him feel as guilty as possible." The possibility that george Lucas will emply a co-writer for Episode III remains "impossible to tell" at this point, but McCallum expects the screenplay will be finished next spring.

McCallum hasn't started location scouting for Episode III. "I'll probably start doing that when [production designer] Gavin Bocquet starts, which will be in late October."

He can't even hint about specifics, but Rick McCallum expects that Episode III will again showcase spectacular lightsaber battles. "Im not only expecting it, I'm looking forward to it."

He demurs when asked how Lucas and stunt coordinator Nick Gillard could possibly top the Jedi fight scenes in Attack of the Clones, but reminds us, "Episode III is the last one, so no-holds barred now."

With that lofty goal in mind, the principal combatants have their work cut out for them. "Hayden's doing a small movie," says McCallum, "and he finishes that at the end of September and then goes into some serious training. He's got some serious work to do. He's going to be training a lot. He changes physically a lot. Our stunt coordinator will start three and half months before shooting, when he'll start working with Hayden and Ewan McGregor."

"Episode III is the last one," McCallum reminds us. "In many ways in terms of scale, in terms of what's going on, in terms of the story, everything, it's going to be the biggest one."

In addition to being the last Star Wars movie, Episode III also promises to be the darkest chapter in the Skywalker saga. Even without a script in hand, fans expect that certain events will happen

- ObiWan and Anakin will fight
- The Emperor will take control of the galaxy
- Anakin will become Dartth Vader
- Yoda will end up stranded on Dagobah
- Obi Wan Kenobi will change his name to "Ben" and become a hermit on Tatooine

"I can't promise a happy ending," says McCallum.

In addition to his own expectations as a fan of the series, McCallum has the advantage of overseeing the early concept designs, so he has had a preview of the story to come. It will not be limited to the events we expect to happen. "I think it will be reflected in terms of the design of the picture, the photography, the look. This is the downward spriral."

American audiences are notoriously unwilling to accept movies with a downbeat conclusion, but McCallum is not worried about how fans will approach the saga's most ominous episode. "I think we'll be given a lot of leeway there, because most people understand that this is just a chapter. Yes, the film has to work within its own context and work as a film complete unto itself, but when we're talking about the issues that we have to deal with, there's a lot of light there. Most people who know the Star Wars saga know that this is Anakin's destiny. In many ways, he is the Chosen One. Without him, the galaxy would never be saved."

Considering the tragic theme of this final chapter in the prequel trilogy, should fans expect it to be more violent than previous movies?

"No," replies McCallum. "I don't think so. The violence comes from within, it's betrayal. That's more violent than just about anything."

Despite these general predictions, McCallum remains carefully coy when asked whether fans should brace themselves for the deaths of important characters. "You should definitely brace yourself for that." he laughs, refusing to give any more specific hints.

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Oct 23, 2002; Star Wars Magic of the Myth in Sydney Industry Seminar:

Hosted by Anthony Daniels with guests Lorne Peterson and Ben Snow. Lorne stated that:


"...the history of the Millenium Falcon will be revealed in Episode III"
"...we will understand why Han Solo has a fondness for the Millenium Falcon."
"...a single catastrophic event will explain how the galaxy changed from those we know in the PT, to those in the OT."

Lorne Peterson was quickly reprimanded by Anthony Daniels and Ben Snow from revealing too much more.

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JUST THE FACTS PART IIII - EPISODE III






October 28, 2002 / OS Question to Rick McCallum:

Q: When can we expect to see the first trailer for Episode III?

A: "Timing from the last two films would suggest maybe around Thanksgiving of 2004, with the movie coming in the summer of 2005."

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Nov 009, 2002; LucasFilm UK was giving a small presentation to the Penguin Group, UK:

"...Episode III is going to be the biggest thing ever, partly because of it being 'real time'." When asked "You mean it will only cover 2 hours of Star Wars time?", she replied, "No. What I mean is that when Episode III opens in May 2005, the Clone Wars will be just finishing as the film opens. The Clone Wars last for three years. So the Clone Wars are happening now."

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Nov 10, 2002; Italian newspaper reports on local cameramna shooting volcano "footage" for Ep3:

Ron Fricke (considered an amazing cinematographer) has been on the Etna (volcano) for a week now, shooting for Episode III. The Italian cameraman explains how he was called for the job: "Lucas figured out it would be cheaper to film a real volcano rather than creating it digitally, and when Etna became "noisy" again a couple of weeks ago, Lucasfilm contacted the italian company Too Motion for which I work" (considered the best company for HD digital video in Italy).

The article says the cameraman was called on the 31st of October and asked to be in Sicily the following day. They should have finished shooting on the 6th, but he says they keep finding amazing new angles and images to capture on video.

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Nov 12th, 2002; Lucas Commentary from Ep2 DVD:

• "You start with the little characters, the same thing with Jimmy Smits, he's an evolving character. He's hardly in this movie but it's important that he be here so that he's established for the next movie where he actually gets to come into his own."

• "When we have the attack of the droids here it was important to establish these droids as slightly goofy, rather than ominous, and not very good shots, and they have absolutely no defense against a Jedi and a laser sword. They're just hopeless. So the idea was that as we go on, the problem of developing better combat technology is established in this movie and then it will be dealt with further in Episode II… the failings of a robotic army in terms of all being controlled by one source and not being as swift as a human is a theme that we play out through all the movies."

• "The lynch pin of this plot device of the droids being controlled by one source is based on the inability of the Neimodians to give up control to the droids, because if they could think for themselves and do things on their own, they would worry about having this giant army that might take them over, because they would assume that their way of thinking, which is greedy and power driven to consume and ravage…eventually the droids would do the same thing and take over them."

• "It wasn't until I started working on this script that I decided to make Boba the son of the Original Clone. Before he was just another clone who was for whatever reason had sort of broken loose from the stormtroopers. I didn't really go into detail at that point, even in my mind or in the backstory about any more of it other than that they were connected but early on the stormtroopers were meant to be clones."

• "In that scene also which we don't see we cut to Yoda who is meditating who hears this offscreen and we do hear a voice in there, and that voice is the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn. So we very subtely establish that in this rather intense emotional connection that Yoda is feeling the pain and suffering of Anakin and the Tusken Raiders he's also making a connection unwittingly with Qui-Gon Jinn and, up to this point, we haven't really established that you can make a connection with the departed in this world, and that will become a factor in the next one. Lots of issues sort of come out of that but this is the very beginning of that, Yoda making a connection with Qui-Gon Jinn in the middle of Anakin's pain."

• "The confrontation between Obi-Wan and Dooku originally was a confrontation between Padme and Dooku and it was a political thing. I decided after seeing the movie that I didn't need that scene with Padme and Dooku, it was in the wrong part of the picture, and this one with Obi-Wan would be more appropriate and would work better if Dooku would actually tell the truth about what was going on and then create a situation where nobody would believe him. It also allows you to kind of have some sympathy for Dooku in that he carries the sympathies of most of the Jedi which is that the Senate is corrupt and it's incapable of carrying on any meaningful actions because they argue about everything all the time. I accentuate that by introducing Darth Sidious again. Darth Sidious we refer to in the first film and he's a hologram and we see a little tiny bit of him but I needed at this point to say that there is a Darth Sidious, especially if you haven't seen the first film. I needed to identify that there is a Darth Sidious who is behind all this and who is the same Darth Sidious that was in league with the Trade Federation in the last movie. It's really important to set up for the very end scene here where Darth Tyranus and Darth Sidious come together in the end and you realize who's behind all of this."

• "The fun part about being able to set up a character like Mace Windu and Sam wanting to do the pictures is that we were able to set him up in the first film and actually use him in this film. And he's looking forward to the fact that he knows that at the end of the Clone War he gets killed so he gets hopefully a great death scene. So you kind of know where everything is going."

• "Here with Obi-Wan we get a little sense that Anakin has some relationship with Palpatine and that he likes Palpatine. In the last film we set up the fact that Palpatine was gonna watch after Anakin."

• "I had all these hints that Palpatine had been helping Anakin, but I needed an explicit scene that actually spelled it out and where you could see that some of Anakin's dialogue later on has come from Palpatine."

• "So we have this little picnic where Anakin brings out the uncomfortable subject of previous boyfriends which boys have a tendency to do, and then we get into this political discussion which allows us to get a little insight into Anakin and Palpatine's influence over Anakin and some of his thought process."

• "Someone in the Jedi order has been hiding this whole system from the Jedi Archives. It does come out eventually in the next movie exactly what's behind all this. I wanted to have it there in this movie but not so strongly that you asked a lot of questions about who is the one that erased the tapes and who started the army and how all that works because it's something that unfortunately doesn't get revealed until the third film."

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Nov 18, 2002; More Artists Join Episode III:

Feng Zhu has joined the work on Episode III. He's right in the mix on stuff, working on the final Star Wars movie ever to be made. Interesting is that they really don't have an art director for Episode III per se, really more or less just working as a team for now since the fallout. The usual suspects, Ian McCaig and so forth are back, and someone you haven't mentioned, Sang Jun Lee (a former ILMer) has also been asked to join up. They are producing conceptual artwork at the rate of several pieces a day, currently based on what Lucas has told them in generalizations, since there's still no script that anyone has seen yet. These people are pumped about this film. This is where the amazing visuals of the prequels meets the story we loved so much in the classics.

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Nov 18, 2002; StarWars Insider #64 Tidbits:

"We're really moving now," he says, "I just did a round-the-world trip. I finalized the deal at the studio in Sydney. We met some new crewmembers who will be joining us, including a new set decorator, Richard Rogers. Peter Russell, our Art Director, has already started, but the main bulk of the team will begin in January."

The magazine says that the concept designers are hard at work designing the worlds of "Episode III" and the images should be leaping into action as you're reading this. "We've got our animatics artists starting to work soon... They'll start working on the first of the action sequences for Episode III. Then the pedal will be to the metal all the way through to the time we start shooting."

All of the work, however, is proceeding without a finished script, but that doesn't stop the veteran producer. "Obviously, I would give anything in the world to have the script. But I don't have it. That's the reality I have to work under. That's the challenge for all of us - not to lose our minds before we get it."

The article goes on to say that Costume Designer Trisha Biggar has been hard at work with Concept Designer Ian McCaig at creating costumes for the next prequel. The costume department began work in mid-November in Sydney, Australia. "We'll probably make another 1,200 costumes, so it's a serious operation," says McCallum. "George has approved about 10 of them". Lucas only consults on those costumes designated for the principal characters.

Designer Gavin Bocquet has another big task to face. He recently visited Skywalker Ranch to confer with McCallum and the other filmmakers, and now he's off to work on two new vehicles at Elstree Studios. McCallum says that Bocquet has "lots of planets and vehicles" to work on. "Remember, everything has to be designed in a Star Wars world".


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Nov 21, 2002; Lucasfilm Casting Confirmation on Hayden:

Lucasfilm as always refuses to comment on rumors, but this is one time they were quick to squash the obviously errant rumors from around the 'net. Lucasfilm was pleased with Hayden's performance and "he definitely is in for Episode III."

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Nov 24, 2002; Variety Article on Lucas:

Lucasfilm editors supervised the cuts for the recent Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones IMAX release, with little involvement from George Lucas, says Fox distributing president Bruce Snyder.
"You don't lose the continuity of the story by the scenes that have been taken away or shortened," Snyder stresses. A Lucasfilm spokeswoman said Lucas delegated the scenes' editing because he's "consumed with writing 'Episode III.'"

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And with that, I collapse at my keyboard. It was fun compiling(yeah, right), so I hope you all can see how much I like you guys. Have fun, and May the Force Be With You.

[Green]

Originally posted by spacecowboy
I agree with sleeveboy. I've liked all of the SW movies and am extremely excited about finale. I'm just hoping that GL can match what LOTR is doing and make something that is great from beginning to end.

SC

I think the first two prequals are wasted peices of trash enjoyable on some levels. That said, Lucas has seen LOTR by now, and has apparently become friends with Peter Jackson (read it in some AICN article), so maybe he has realized just how badly he has failed with PM and AOTC and will try harder. I hope.

[Freeter]

Originally posted by Green
I think the first two prequals are wasted peices of trash enjoyable on some levels. That said, Lucas has seen LOTR by now, and has apparently become friends with Peter Jackson (read it in some AICN article), so maybe he has realized just how badly he has failed with PM and AOTC and will try harder. I hope.

Forget trying. The fool should just hand over Ep 3 to the director of Empire Strikes Back and save himself and the series further embarrassment.

[Megatron]

2005, what?, who?, what? , NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

[shinji]

Damnit, I just spent 4 hours putting all that together, and I don't even get a "thank you, shinji!", or,"you're a SW GOD shinji!"?

[SearchManX]

How about a, "You spend way too much time looking for SW info, Shinji?"

[sleeve]

Thank you Shinji.

And as usual, the Star Wars prequel detractors can go to hell.

[ChaoofNee]

Originally posted by Nemesis
They will die from picking up gernade that says "pick me up" on the side.

Light Grenade!

[Shine]

My guess is that Anikin kills Tyranus.

[shinji]

Originally posted by ShineAqua
My guess is that Anakin kills Tyranus.

That's a good guess, and one that is probably right. It will parallel ROTJ; Anakin will fight Tyranus, and have him down, defeated. The Emperor will look on, encouraging him to take Dooku's place as his apprentice. But unlike Luke, Anakin will kill him, therefore becoming the Darth Vader we all know.