ARCHIVE
This is the archive for all
the Episode II information that I receive. Most of what I
have will be mainly from the Official Site since this is
primarily for Episode III but if I hear anything
interesting it'll be posted. Remember if you have
anything you want to share either e-mail
it to me.
26/06/2000
Episode
II begins filming in Australia today. Let's hope it's the
beginning of a rumour filmed time until the movie finally
comes out!
27/06/2000
Official Star Wars site
updated with information about the first day of filming:
"Spirits were high
despite the hectic pace of a very busy work schedule on
the first day of shooting for Episode II. It was three
years ago, to the day, that Episode I began shooting on
June 26, 1997. One of the first scenes shot that day
involved Senator Palpatine in his apartment on Coruscant.
Three years later, Ian McDiarmid reprised his role as
Palpatine and a bluescreen-filled set once again became
the Republic's capital world.
Some of Episode II's key players freed a moment of their
time to give their impressions of Episode II's first day.
Casting Director Robin Gurland: "I felt like it was
the first day of school, except I knew everyone in the
class."
Editor Ben Burtt: "The thrill for me today was
seeing C-3PO reborn. I got to put the faceplate on
Anthony Daniels. The character suddenly came alive."
Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), commenting on the dominant
color on the set: "It's still very blue!"
Tim Lion, Production Runner: "I felt very weary on
the first day of shooting because I danced all night at
the pre-shoot party on Saturday and my back is aching!
But it was all good fun."
ILM's Animation Director Rob Coleman: "It looks like
smooth sailing to me!"
ILM's Jason Snell, Matchmover: "Stop zooming! It's
going to make our lives miserable."
Director George Lucas: "It's hard for me to remember
if I'm still shooting Episode I, the Special Edition, the
DVD, or Episode II."
For more on this go to the Forum...
29/06/2000
The Official Site has confirmed that
Joel Edgerton will be
playing Owen Lars, brother of Obi-Wan Kenobi and adopted
uncle of Luke.
30/06/2000
The newest Star Wars Homing Beacon arrived with an
interview with co-writer of the Episode II script,
Jonathan Hales.
"My personal goal was to make it the best screenplay
that ever was, so that it will be the best movie that
ever was. You just do your very best," Hales
explains of his approach. "I tried to forget, in a
way, that it was Star Wars, in a sense that I didn’t
want to think ‘Oh my God, there is a world out there
waiting to see this stuff.’ I just tried to
concentrate on it and what it was, and forget about that
terrifying dimension that’s out there." Episode
II will add to the Star Wars saga, says Hales, but not
just in the form of new characters, aliens, droids and
locales. "It will add political complexity,"
explains Hales, "but it will also add an interesting
and a fascinating love story."
07/07/2000
The
Official Site has updated once
again with new cast listings.
As the first days of principal photography for Star Wars:
Episode II are underway as planned in Sydney, Australia,
Casting Director Robin Gurland continues to select acting
talent from surrounding areas to fill the roles of the
film's many new characters. Bonnie Piesse will play the
role of Beru in Episode II, the woman who -- along with
Owen Lars -- will go on to raise Luke Skywalker on
Tatooine, Alethea McGrath has been selected to play a
Jedi academic, Young Matt Doran, cast as an unsavory
troublemaker and Susie Porter is set to play a waitress
in Episode II.
13/07/2000
The Official Site has confirmed that Jimmy Smits will be
playing Bail Organa in Episode II. Several days ago it
was also confirmed that veteran actor Christopher Lee
would portray a "charasmatic seperatist"
14/07/2000
Another Official Site update reveals
four more confirmed returning characters, some of which
were pretty obvious others make sense and add intrigue
into the story...Shmi Skywalker, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Watto,
C-3PO and Yoda (Most of which were already on the cast
list anyway)
The first Official Episode II Photo has been released -
its pretty dodgy (intentionally no doubt) but as well as
showing a member of the film crew it also has a Jedi
(looks like Anakin) with padawan hair style and a black
Jedi outfit (the one worn under the cape). It looks like
he's swinging a lightsaber too.
18/07/2000
The Official Site has updated once
more with news on new cast members in Episode II. They
include the much rumoured Temuera Morrison. For a full
list go here to check out the
updated cast list!
20/07/2000
Another Official Site updating now stating that Jimmy
Smits (Bail Organa) and Anthony Daniels (See Threepio)
have finished their scenes and have left Sydney. Samuel
L. Jackson (Mace Windu) has also left but will return
next month to film his action scenes.
28/07/2000
The latest Homing Beacon has been sent to e-mail boxes
over the world with the cast and crew talking about the
Episode II Experience:
"It’s like the big bang theory--a huge
explosion which is eventually going to create something
beautiful, but the only one who knows what it’s
actually going to be is the creator of the
explosion."
- Ahmed Best, Actor
"It’s like the traveling on the Titanic --
it’s incredibly exciting and romantic and we
won’t know whether or not it will sink until the
film comes out. You’re going along as the captain of
the ship saying everything is fine and wonderful and not
to worry, but you know as the captain of the ship that
there are many icebergs and treacherous obstacles you
have to cleverly weave your way through, without
upsetting or disturbing the passengers."
- George Lucas, Writer and Director
"A giant locomotive, fuelled by the imagination and
energy of so many, powering its way inexorably across the
galaxy -- to a theater near you... It’s like being
in a giant vat of minestrone and only the chef knows
what’s in it ... or perhaps like a lavish banquet
but only the chef really knows what’s on the menu;
I’d skip lunch if I were you."
- Anthony Daniels, Actor
For more, subscribe to the Homing Beacon at the Official
Site
08/07/2000
A new update on the Official Site has arrived with quotes
from the crew:
Ben Burtt: "On average, George can shoot one or two
scenes each day. Once the footage has been logged it
comes to me, which can happen the same day. I try to put
together one scene each day, so I'm not quite keeping up.
This part of the work is fun because the big pieces come
together and we start to have a movie. Sometimes George
yells, 'Cut' and there's someone with a crow bar starting
to tear apart the set before I've heard him say 'and
Wrap'."
Rick McCallum: "We've been shooting in Australia
five and a half weeks. But with about three weeks left it
seems that my mind has already moved on to Tunisia and
the other location shooting. We've settled in to a good
rhythm and things are going remarkably smoothly."
Gavin Bocquet: "I've started to pack up my office
today for shipping to the next locations, so I'm mainly
thinking about that."
Trisha Biggar: "A few weeks ago we reached our peak
number of staff in the costume and props department at
about 100 people. We have about 100 or so costumes yet to
go, compared to over 1000 we've made already."
George Lucas: "It's going very well... chugging
along. It's intense every day. Everyone has deadlines.
Every day we come across new challenges of one kind or
another. There's always something in our path that we
have to overcome to keep ourselves on schedule. So far
we've managed it."
28/07/2000
Another Episode II Select has appeared at the Official
Site and, just like last weeks, is taken during a break
between filming. It shows an alien - possibly Senator Orn
Free Taa from TPM - sitting down in an apartment. Sadly,
not much speculation can be made from this one as with
the previous two Selects. Well, bring on next week's
update!
17/08/2000
This
week's Select image had a scene
from Lucas' American Graffiti but with a new vehicle
added - a yellow hod-rod type with podracer-like engines.
Could this be the work of Mr. Skywalker? I hope so!
23/08/2000
The Official Site updated recently
with more cast members including Jack Thompson, who will
play a "modest farmer", Graeme Blundell, Trisha
Noble, Claudia Karvan and Christopher Truswell who will
lend his voice to several characters. Newcomers Keira
Wingate, 5, and Hayley Mooy, 3, are making their film
debuts in Episode II! Have we been given hints as to
their characters? Robin Gurland made references to a
tight-knitted family and, knowing we'll be seeing some
middle class parts of Naboo (along with the Visual
Dictionary which Padmé comes from a modest background) -
could they be Padmé's family?
25/08/2000
Recent on-set spy photos have revealed some pretty groovy
stuff (hope over to theforce.net to check them
out). One of Padmé's new costumes is white with silver
bands around the arms - similar to Leia's on Cloud City
in ESB. Temura Morrison has also been snapped revealing
the lower part of his costume - kind of a cross between
Boba Fett and a Stormtroopers. Other photos include
aleins such as Mas Ameda (from the Senate in Episode I)
and a large dreadlocked creature in Jedi-like robes.
25/08/2000
The latest Select image shows
Obi-Wan on the floor in pain - perhaps being attacked by
CGI characters or having fallen from a great distance.
One thing's for sure - he's been caught by surprise since
he still has his cloak on which Jedi take off before
battle.
01/09/2000
The
latest Select photo seems to be
of Padmé, back turned to the camera. She is wearing the
costume that we saw in recent spy photos but with one
noticable difference - there are some scratch marks along
her back. Perhaps she is attacked at some point during
the movie...
03/09/2000
UPDATED
T'Bone's Universe has discovered
that Lucasfilm have registered several new domain names
many of which could be important for Episode II. These
include:
ASKAAK.COM; BERUWHITESUN.ORG (Beru's
maiden name - cool); CLIEGGLARS.NET (Cliegg
is a name from the early drafts); DARKJEDI.COM; ELAINSLEAZEBAGGANO.COM; KITFISTO.ORG; KITFISTO.NET (Sounds
like Anakin's friend Kitster - it might have been a
childhood nickname...); KYBERDART.COM (a
shard of the famed Kyber Crystal?); LAMASU.NET; MADAMEJOCASTANU.COM; SENATORASKAAK.COM; SENATORLUMINARAUNDULI.COM; SHAAKTI.COM; SHAAKTI.ORG; SHAAKTI.NET; TAUNWE.NET; JANGOFETT.ORG; JAMILLIA.NET; JAMILLIA.ORG (Won't
the singer be slightly annoyed at Lucas for this?)
You can test them if you want but I'm not sure that
they'll take you anywhere. These sound pretty interesting
and the list does include several senators. Looks like
Episode II will be more politically driven than TPM. Oh,
I hope so. The Episode II section
characters has been updated with some
personal theories.
04/09/2000
TheForce.net has revealed that
more domains have been registered, this time to a
Lucasfilm employee John Koenig. It sounds a little suss
to me but here's the list in full (comments
in yellow):
DEXTERJETTSTER.COM; ELIANSLEAZEBAGGANO.COM;
GREATCLONEWAR.COM (confirmation of
the Wars?); KAMINOAN.COM; PK-4.COM;
KAMINOANS.COM; TYPHO.COM; LORDTYRANUS.COM (New
Sith!);
CLONETROOPERS.COM (Stormtroopers are
clones... we knew it); WATTAMBOR.COM;
BERUWHITESUN.NET; SUPERBATTLEDROID.COM; TOONBUCKTOORA.COM
(Buck Rogers, anyone? Well, they've got the uniform on
Padmé); DEXTERJETTSTER.NET;
R4-D17.COM; PONUDO.COM; RISEFORTH.NET; KITFISTO.COM;
DEXTERSDINER.NET (might just be me
but this sounds kinda dodgy);
INTERGALACTICBANKCLAN.NET (doesn't
sound Star Wars-y); ACKLAY.COM; DARWAC.COM;
CLONETROOPER.COM; RISEFORTH.COM (an
important quote from the script?); AMBUFETT.COM (Another
Fett?);
MASSIFF.COM; DEXSDINER.NET (Save
us!);
GEONOSIAN.NET; CLIEGGLARS.COM; RUWEE.COM;
RISEFORTH.ORG; SHMILARS.COM
(Shmi and Cliegg married - makes sense); TIPOCA.NET;
CLIEGG.COM; NABERRIE.COM; TECHNOUNION.COM (Now
THIS sounds like Star Wars); TAUNWE.COM; KOUHUNS.COM;
DARKROMANCE.COM (A title, perhaps?
I hope not! Doesn't have the 30s serial feel to it that
the other movies have); GEONOSIAN.COM;
SIDO-DYAS.COM; HERMIONEBAGWA.COM (Aggh!
Harry Potter in the SW universe? Nooooo!); COMMERCEGUILD.COM
(I like the sound of this); SUPERDROID.COM (Sounds
crappy, but so did Battle Droids when I first heard the
name);
QUEENJAMILLIA.COM (New Queen of Naboo?); DEXSDINER.COM (Somebody...
kill... Lucas... if this is real); PADDYACCU.COM;
LUMINARAUNDULI.COM; UVGIZEN.COM; DARTHTYRANUS.COM (Well,
if this is real we've found our new Sith); DOOKU.COM;
DOOKU.ORG; DOOKU.NET (Count
Dooku? Christopher Lee's character?).
09/09/2000
The New Episode II Select shows a woman in
black with a netting veil over her face and her hair tied
up behind her with the same material. It seems like a
funeral outfit and could very likely mean that someone
(perhaps Shmi) dies in the course of the movie. Further
analysis shows that the women in question could very
easily be Padmé making it her third Select appearance
(with Anakin and Obi-Wan on a tie with only one each)
15/09/2000
The Official Site updated with several quotes from the
location filming in Tunsia (Tatooine)
Producer Rick McCallum: "God, I love location,
because you never know what's going to happen."
Production Designer Gavin Bocquet: "It was
interesting, reproducing the homestead that John Barry
had produced so brilliantly 25 years ago. You always fear
you weren't going to get it quite right. That's for
others to decide."
15/09/2000
Select 10 came out today and
it proves Mr. Lucas has a sense of humour. It shows
Temura Morrison as Jango Fett (in full armour) holding an
umbrella on the same set as the one of Obi-Wan in pain.
It's obviously a reference to the rumoured "rain
scene" in Episode II.
15/09/2000
The Official Site recently updated
with news that Natalie Portman (Padmé) and Hayden
Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) have finished their scenes
in Seville Spain.
24/09/2000
Sites including TheForce.net have been
searching the Trademark Database and found some of the
domain names registered some time ago have officially
been copyrighted by Lucasfilm. These include: Count Dooku, Shaak
Ti, Lama Su, Zam Wesell, Cliegg Lars, Beru Whitesun, Kit
Fisto, Darth Tyranus, Jango Fett and Queen Jamilla
Well this proves a lot - the new Sith IS Tyranus (but the
question remains - who plays him/her), Count Dooku is
Christopher Lee's character, Beru's maiden name is
Witesun amd Jango Fett is definately confirmed - thank
you George!
24/09/2000
The most recent Select came out Thursday
night and has left many fans confused - me included. It
seems to be several lights of varying colours and the
silouette of a human character can be seen in the top
right corner - possibly Anakin or Count Dooku
24/09/2000
Another TF.N scoop - they've
got links to more on-set photos from the shoot in Sydney
- including more of Obi-Wan in costume (much better
quality than the last batch), Jedi Council Member Plo
Koon, a young Jedi Padawan and Count Dooku!
26/09/2000
MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!
I don't usually deal with spoilers of this nature that
require highlighting but this is major, and I mean MAJOR
news if it turns out to be true. Naboo Online have published a
story in which an insider claims to have obtained
storyboards for two major scenes in Episode II. If you
want to find out more highlight below:
The first scene is the much
rumoured battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jango Fett in
the rain. It takes place on a landing platform near Slave
1 where a young Boba watches the outcome. There's a lot
of grappling and martial arts with both competitors
giving and taking a lot of punishment.
The second scene is even more detailed and includes Count
Dooku, Mace Windu, Jango, many Jedi and droids (battle,
destroyer and super) and some CG characters. Dooku and
co. are in VIP boxes watching the Jedi battle the droids.
During the fight Jango attacks Mace and the outcome is
pretty shocking! During the fight a bull-like creature
called a Reek is set on them increasing the pace.
All I can say is if these turn out to be true we've got
one hell of a movie on our hands but I'm going to remain
sceptical for now. If you want to check both scenes out
with full descriptions hop over to Naboo Online.
28/09/2000
Both Aldera and NaboOnline published some of
the images from the storyboards but Aldera's were taken
down last night after a receiving a letter from
Lucasfilm's lawyer's. Without a doubt this proves that
the storyboards are genuine!
29/09/2000
Select 12 out this morning.
To the naked eye it seems like a yellowy blob on a quare
of blue but some pretty good artistic types at TF.N have
"unwrapped" it to reveal its a landscape of a
Tatooine moisture farm. Check it out for yourself!
07/10/2000
Select
13 is now available and at first sight the only shocking
thing is the lack of flannel shirt on Mr Lucas - instead
he is wearing a black raincoat (another hint to the now
unofficially confirmed rain sequence). Looking at a
reflection/shadow in the background at least one pair of
legs (possibly two) can be seen - maybe Jango and Boba
Fett...
15/10/2000
The newest Select image has become
available and shows a masked character holding a
long-barrelled blaster rifle. The outline seems to
suggest it's female. Could this be Leanna Walsman's
bounty hunter character?
02/11/2000
Two
completely different reports at TheForce.net reveal what may be
the first line of Episode II may be as well as stating
that Brian Blessed will be returning as Boss Nass if only
for a small appearance. Remember Episode I ended with
"Peace!"? Well Episode II is gonna begin with
the exclamation "War!". Cool!
UPDATE: TheForce.net has discovered
that Brian Blessed recorded the voice for a gameshow, or
at least the way I read the article. Still, it could turn
out to be true...
02/11/2000
Temura Morrison (Jango Fett) was interviewed in an
Australian newspaper explaining that he had a scene with
Obi-Wan as well as a chase through asteroids (obviously a
homage to the familiar one in Empire Strikes Back) and
reveals that he has the "immortal line",
"I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the
universe." Another line from Episode II? Excellent!
02/11/2000
An Official Site update deals with
the editing process and has an interview with producer
Rick McCallum. Here's an excerpt:
The production has moved from overseas studios and
locations back to northern California. Early next year,
more studio work is scheduled for any additional shooting
that is required. "We are starting to outline the
plan of our additional shooting in March," explains
McCallum. "We're also working out the moves with ILM
and setting up the schedule of how we're going to
proceed. There is an awesome amount of work that we have
to do, which we expect to go full bore in January and
deal with for at least 15-16 months."
Check out the rest at StarWars.com
03/11/2000
UPDATE on the Brian Blessed/Boss Nass article from TheForce.net. My good friend
Dave informs me that Brian has a gamshow on the UK
digital channel ".TV" - this is obviously what
it was recorded for (probably in homage to his Star Wars
line)
03/11/2000
The newest Select (17) is easily the best
so far - it actually shows a scene! It's definately
Daniel Logan as Boba Fett staring out of the rain covered
window of Slave 1 while watching the battle between his
father Jango and Obi-Wan!
05/11/2000
Updated character section after a
report in TF.N
Also - photos from the Official French Lucasfilm magazine
are there too - definately worth checking out. New photos
of Anakin, Padmé and Obi-Wan as well as the first pic of
Captain Typho!
09/11/2000
The Official Site has now confirmed that Jay
Laga'aia is indeed playing Captain Typho as rumours and
the registered domain name confirm. Let's hope there'll
be more to come very soon. The Episode II character section has been
updated.
10/11/2000
Aldera have released
information on the death of Shmi
Skywalker today which matches what I
have in my plot outline. Am I psychic? George Lucas' twin
separated at birth (over thirty years later...)? I dunno,
but I'm impressed!
10/11/2000
The newest Select is up - a close-up
on some sort of green robes with an ornate pattern down
the middle. It's almost a green version of Amidala's
Episode I robes. Could this be Queen Jamillia's royal
outfit?
16/11/2000
The Official Site has updated with
the nineteenth Select
image. It's a siloutte figure
that's pobably Anakin talking to a Jawa in the middle of
the desert, perhaps about the location of his mother. A
swoop is resting just to the left of him. Expect an
unpdate to my plot soon...
17/11/2000
The newest Homing Beacon arrived in mail boxes all over
the world with an article on the animatics department.
Here's a wee snippet:
Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers shaping
the Animatics Department, currently hard at work in
Episode II post-production:
14 -- Average length, in hours, of an Animatics work day.
4 -- The date, in May 2000, when the first animatic shots
were delivered. One by Matthew Ward, the other by Euisung
Lee. The set up of these shots began two days earlier.
"A few" -- Number of terabytes of digital
storage for the Animatics Department.
10 - 20 -- Animatics shots delivered daily
("We’re just getting started," says David
Dozoretz, Previsualization / Effects Supervisor).
2 -- revisions, per shot, on average.
1,000 -- Approximately the number of animatics already
done. Also, about how many there are still to go.
23/11/2000
Select 20 is now available
from the Official Site, a little earlier
than usual it seems. From the looks of it, it's a ship
flying through hyperspace but the picture is superimposed
over a copy of itself. Strange... I wonder what the ship
is...
01/12/2000
The
twenty first Select is now available
from starwars.com! It's a very good
photo of an alien, probably Senator Toon Buktoora.
Nothing much to speculate but a pretty groovy pic
nonetheless.
07/12/2000
WOW! StarWars.com have put up the first real,
honest-to-God, amazing, fantastic, wowicious photos here. Check them out.
It's like screenshots. You've got Anakin in the Coruscant
nightclub, Artoo and Threepio in the desert and Owen
Lars. It's the coolest official thing yet. And only a few
hours til the next Select!
08/12/2000
Well, just like most of the others, the 22nd Select is as confusing as
ever. At first glance I think some sort of space vehicle
but there appears to be a stone background on the middle
left. Could this be the cloning facilities on the rock
planet of Geonosis?
11/12/2000
The Spanish Star Wars site has been given
copies of the call sheets used during the shoot in
Seville back in Septemeber. They give a list of all the
crew during the time and therefore I've updated my cast/crew
section
11/12/2000
EXTRA: The call sheets also confirm the planet name Geonosis and give details
on several scenes including
their location in the movie amd characters involved in
them. These are [Highlight]:
7 - Chancellor's Office (Hologram)
-- Dur Wac
37 - Naboo Palace - Grand Courtyard
-- Anakin, Padme, R2-D2 (They cross
the piazza into the throne room)
71 - Mace Windu Office (Hologram)
-- Obi-Wan Kenobi
86 - Obi-Wan's Quarters (Hologram) --
Obi-Wan Kenobi
110 - Geonosis - Tower Entrance
-- Obi-Wan Kenobi (enters the tower
through a small blue window)
114 - Chancellor's Office (Hologram)
-- Obi-Wan Kenobi
132 - Tatooine (Hologram)
-- Obi-Wan Kenobi
152 - Geonosis - Control Ship
-- Ki-Adi Mundi, Plo Koon, 6 Jedi, 4 Neimoidian Pilot (Ki-Adi
leads a raid onto control ship)
154 - Geonosis - Control Ship
-- Cast as above (Ki-Adi reaches a
control panel and presses master switch...)
[End spoilers]
12/12/2000
E3Universe was the first to report on the character
"Dur Wac yesterday and, after sending a report to TF.N I (Noggins) has
got a mention. It also resulting in someone discovering
that the domain DARWAC.COM was registered with the
others. Probably a spelling mistake on the call sheet but
this is an Episode III Universe exclusive! Yay!
13/12/2000
Prequel Watch has revealed what
is probably the last major Episode II spoiler and deals
with Anakin's reaction the morning after his mother's
death. Check it out there or go to my updated Episode
II Plot and highlight the
appropriate section. Beware - you will be spoiled!!!
Thanks to Dave for telling me about this.
15/12/2000
Select 23 is of a man
sitting by a wall on Tatooine with a broken pit droid
next to him. He's not in costume but my theory is the man
is Andy Secombe (the voice of Watto). Lucas is giving us
a clue as to how we'll be seeing Watto in the next
Episode... penniless and on the streets begging for
money!
22/12/2000
Select 24 is one of the best
since the Boba Fett one and it's from the same scene! In
it, Obi-Wan is flipping Jango with his legs as described
in the leaked storyboards back in September!
29/12/2000
Select 25 is another vague
yet interesting one. It show a planet as it would be seen
on a starship viewscreen. There are three small spheres
around it linked together which could be some kind of
defense system while there also seems to be a thick ring
around the planet itself. I'm guessing it's either
Geonosis or Kaminoa (the former being more likely)
01/01/2001
TF.N has had a report
from a spy pretty much confirming that the last Select was Geonosis. The
planet itself has a ring of asteroids around it and could
even be where the asteroid chase between Obi-Wan and
Jango Fett takes place!
02/01/2001
TF.N's spies have found
that Austrailian actress Lara Cox could be playing Aurra
Sing in Episode II. It is rumoured to be a very small
part, probably much like the role she had in TPM but will
be expanded upon in Episode III.
05/01/2001
Select 26 is out and shows a
green skinned woman. A first I thought it was the same as
Select 18 which everyone thought was Queen Jamillia but
the nails arebn't painted and there's less details to the
fingers. It's just a normal, boring Twi'lek by the looks
of it (Go on George - prove me wrong)
09/01/2001
A report at T'Bone's Universe has got me to update the Episode II Characters section. It seems
Poggle is a member of the Geonosian race and "The
Lesser" part of his name actually a title! Makes
sense since GEONOSIAN.ORG was registered by Lucasfilm!
12/01/2001
Select 27 is now out. It
seems to be the table that Senator Toonbuck Toora was
sitting around in Select 21. It seems there
are several workstations with computer consoles in a
circle with a projector-type object in the middle similar
to the one in ROTJ used to show the second Death Star (in
this case possibly showing to the various senators
present what Clonetroopers will look like). Looking back
at the previous Select with this scene it seems to be
very murky with stone walls and ornate gothic carvings.
It screams Sith but why would Republic Senators be here?
21/01/2001
Select 28 has arrived and is
a pic of George in a set that consists of a black
background and several long white lights in rows. Nothing
incedibly exciting, I'm afraid.
26/01/2001
Select 29 shows what may be
a close-up of the control panel from Selects 27 and 21. I'm not
absolutely sure though, since there seem to be some
differences...
31/01/2001
There are several rumours that the first trailer for
Episode II will debut in July 2001 in front of the new
Planet of the Apes movie but some of TheForce.net's
sources inside LFL claim that it will be around November
just like TPM.
31/01/2001
TheForce.net seem to have got ahold of the opening crawl
for Episode II from several reliable sources. I have some
doubts but it's still pretty damn cool. Highlight to
read:
"There is unrest in the
Galactic Senate. Several hundred solar systems, under the
leadership of the Rebel Leader, Count Dooku, have
declared their intentions to secede from the
Republic."
"This separatist movement has made it difficult for
the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and
order in the galaxy."
"Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is
returning to Coruscant to vote on the critical issue of
creating an army to assist the overwhelmed Jedi..." [End spoilers]
02/02/2001
Select 30 is now out. It
seems to be Mace Windu walking through a room with ornate
pillars on either side. A doorway at the end leads to a
white area which will probably be filled in during post
production.
06/02/2001
The Official Site has updated with
pictures of character busts laser scanned during the
filming to create amazingly accurate recreations. They'll
be used by Hasbro for the Episode II figures and look
fantastic!
09/02/2001
Select 31 is out and shows Sevillve where some of the
Naboo exterior scenes were shot.
11/02/2001
Official Site confirmed Padmé's full name as being
Padmé Amidala in Episode II
16/02/2001
Select 32 is now available
at the Official Site. People at TF.N seem to think it's
a distorted view of a set (possibly a corridor or
starship) and have some pretty cool "unwraps"
of it. I honestly thought it was some more arches from
the last Select so that shows how
far off I am.
20/02/2001
Wow! Those amazing people at Episode-X may have come up
with the biggest news yet - the title of Episode II. The
spy who came up with the opening crawl several months ago
says that it's "The
Rebellion Rise Forth". Sounds a bit
grammatically incorrect but it uses the registered domain
name "RISEFORTH" so maybe it's genuine.
22/02/2001
I'm now coming down off my cloud. TheForce.net have been in
contact with Lucasfilm and have disproved the rumoured
"The Rebellion Rise Forth" title.
28/02/2001
TheForce.net have had info on the different types of
Geonosians. Some spoilers so go straight to their section
of the Episode II page.
02/03/2001
Select 34 is available and
it seems to be Anakin (from behind) standing on a
balcony. It seems to be Naboo, possibly Padmé's summer
house where he gets a vision of his mother in danger.
09/03/2001
The new Select is out. It seems
to be a tray of muffins being held by one of R2-D2s
mechanical arms. I think George is laughing at us....
12/03/2001
A photo in the Palpatine article of Insider #53 revealed
the identity of the elusive Sly Moore played by Sandi
Finlay - she is Palpatine's aide and can be seen in one
of the pics added to the gallery.
15/03/2001
The Official Site has an artical on
Gentle Giant Studios who created the busts of Episode II
characters. This time they've got a fantastic pic of the
scan of what will be the Anakin figure.
16/03/2001
Select 36 has arrived. It
appears to be two sepatate photos of someone holding sets
of Twi'Lek head-tails - possibly belonging to Senator
Orn-Free-Taa and a green Twi'lek. George continues to
laugh...
20/03/2001
The Official Site has updated with
information on a TPM actor returning for Episode II:
"Principal actors Hayden Christensen, Natalie
Portman, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee and Samuel L.
Jackson will resume the roles they started during the
first phase of production. Joining them is actor Oliver
Ford Davies, who returns as Naboo's governor Sio
Bibble."
24/03/2001
Select 37 has arrived. It os
Obi-Wan on Geonosis looking in at the Geonosian workers
contstructing the droid army. Pretty much a dead cert! No
guessing, just one hell of a good pic!
25/03/2001
The additional shooting began yesterday (Saturday) in
Ealing Studios, London. They should continue for 2 to 3
weeks.
29/03/2001
The Official Site has updated with a
new video feature that puts the old On Locations to
shame. The new Making-Of
Documentaries include interviews with the
cast and some very good screen shots. I'll be adding them
to the Episode II Gallery soon.
30/03/2001
At first glance Select 38 appears to be some
kind of cloning cylinder but upon realising the figure
inside is cloned I believe it could be a picture of an
alien "go-go dancer" from the waist down in the
nightclub that Anakin and Obi-Wan pursue Zam Wessel into.
11/04/2001
The
Official Site has unveiled it's
new look and boy is it great! The Episode II section has new pics
including Obi-Wan (with a blue lightsaber), Anakin and
Padme about to kiss and Anakin on his own. The cast
section also includes some pics of the actors in costume
- thses include Susie Porter as Hermione Bagwa and Jack
Thompson as Cliegg Lars. I'll leave you find the rest :)
17/04/2001
After a delay of four days the new Select is finally up. It
is three separeate photos of Obi-Wan falling from a great
height. Either from the second assassination attempt or
his fight with Jango on Kamino.
21/04/2001
Select 41 is here on time
this week. Not sure exactly what it is but it may be the
door that opens to release the Reek into the arena (just
flip it horizontally and vertically and I think you've
got what it looks like)
30/04/2001
I'm a little late updating but Select 42 is now avaiable
and appears to be an animatic of a Naboo starfighter with
the wing of another vehicle in the top right of it.
Probably from the opening scenes before the first
assassination attempt.
01/05/2001
A
new "Making
Of" documentary is up and features the
design of the Jedi Starfighter. Snippets of scenes
include Obi-Wan speaking to Mace Windu as he enters the
cockpit, flying the starship and getting out on Geonosis.
Pictures will be added to the archive soon!
03/05/2001
Select 43 is out (several
hours earlier than usualy, I might add) and it's George
Lucas watching the filming of a scene on Geonosis
involving Padme watching Anakin jump from a ledge!
05/05/2001
An interview with Rick McCallum at the Official Site has informed us
that 160 of the 2200 shots of Episode II have been
completed. 1100 are expected to be done by November.
13/05/2001
The new Select is up and depicts
an animatic that looks like a circuit but is more likely
a birds-eye view of Coruscant or Tipoca City on Kamino...
21/05/2001
Select 45 is available and
it shows the silouetted forms of Padme and Queen Jamillia
meeting on Naboo.
03/06/2001
The
Official Site has put up a
report on the design of "Anakin's" hot rod
speeder used in the Coruscant chase scenes early in the
movie. It follows it from the early sketches right up to
the CGI model for the effects shots. Great report and
some cool pics.
03/06/2001
I haven't updated for a while... sorry!
Select 46 was out last week
and showed a group of young Jedi apprentices. Nothing
major but a decent pic.
Select 47 this week was one
of the best in quite a while. An animatic shot of Anakin
on his speeder bike travelling across the Tatooine desert
as he tries to find his missing mother.
19/06/2001
The Official Site posted another Select last weekend. It
showed the shoot in the Lars homestead with quite a few
LFL people with cameras etc. on the set. The seat in the
middle may be Cliegg Lars' repulsor chair.
08/06/2001
The Official Site has had two major
Episode II updates this week. The first about the new documentary on the location
filming of the movie. A great watch plus it includes a
clear picture of Anakin's lightsaber.
And on another note, this week's Select features Anakin
and Padme walking up a series of stairs in Theed,
probably on their way to Jamillia's throneroom.
19/06/2001
The Official Site posted another Select last weekend. It
showed the shoot in the Lars homestead with quite a few
LFL people with cameras etc. on the set. The seat in the
middle may be Cliegg Lars' repulsor chair.
09/07/2001
I've
been away for a few weeks so there hasn't been much
updating!
Select 50 featured Mace
Windu from the arena battle as he tries to calm down the
attacking Reek
Select 51 showed a selection
of masks and headpieces from the prop department
including Jango Fett's helmet and some of Padme's
headpieces.
Select 52 showed Anakin,
Obi-Wan and Padme jumping in the arena as they try to
escape the battle happening there. According to insider
Sth Infiltrator they are jumping from the top of the
reek.
The fourth Making Of documentary was
also up last week and detailed Hayden Christensen and his
role of Anakin.
17/07/2001
Select53 showed Anakin in
the final battle. He is on the floor, lying on Obi-Wan's
leg (which has a clear lightsaber wound)
27/07/2001
Select 54 shows two, erm,
robust men in the nightclub.
Select 55 shows a close up
of Zam Wessell's armour from the nightclub scene,
probably as she's sneaking up on Obi-Wan from behind.
03/08/2001
There's
a new Making Of doc on the Official Site about the extras
and includes some pretty good pics of various aliens from
the nightclub and and other locations. Nothing spoilery
but it's worth a download.
Select 56 is officially the
best one yet! Anakin fighting Dooku in the Geonosis
hanger with Dooku's solar sailer in the background!
06/08/2001
The Official Site has announced the
title of Episode II:
ATTACK OF THE CLONES
Not
quite what any of us were expecting but I'm sure it'll
grow on all of us.
11/08/2001
Select 57 shows Mace Windu
in Palpatine's office looking incredibly thoughtful.
Also, the name of the file was "selectfin"
which could mean that this was the last Select. We'll
have to wait a week to find out for sure but a lot of
people are hoping that it isn't.
24/08/2001
As you probably know, the Select series has indeed
finished. The Official Site had a feature on
the design of the Rickshaw Droid that takes Padme
and Anakin to the Lars farm on Tatooine. This week there
was an article on costume props. Some interesting
pictures including Jango Fett's knee pads.
Another update was that for the databank on the Reublic and
included interesting information on Senators that reveals
several AOTC plot points:
Galactic Republic: "A
separatist movement, led by the charismatic Count Dooku,
began splitting the Republic, and it was all the Jedi
could do to maintain order. This chaotic political
climate precipitated the dark times that overcame the
galaxy. The Republic crumbled and was rebuilt in the
guise of the New Order."
Senator Tikkes: "Tikkes
felt that the established rule of the Republic was due
for a change. His controversial views caused him to side
with separatist forces that threatened to split the
Republic."
Toonbuck Toora: "Toora's
interests fell more onto the business end of the
political spectrum, and she sided with the engines of
commerce during partisan issues that split the
Senate."
Sei Taria:
"By ten years into Palpatine's rule, the office of
Supreme Chancellor had a cadre of new administrative
aides, including the ghostly Sly Moore and the Rodian,
Dar Wac."
Several new photos including those of Senator Tikkes,
Passel Artenge and his aide Twin Kee, Orn Free Taa and
Mas Amedda were also found in these updates and will be
featured in the next gallery update.
29/08/2001
The Official Site has updated with
an article on Threepio in AOTC. As well
as discussing the evolution of the design it confirms
that Padme Amidala is the one who completes his
coverings.
27/10/2001
HUGE UPDATE
Yup,
I know things haven't been updated here in ages but I
can't update from the computers in university - where
I've been for nearly the last 2 months. So here's a brief
outline of what's been happening:
Two Making Of docs have been
released - the first on special effects which had some
very good shots of Watto among other things, and more
recently one on the sound design (pretty crappy but hey,
the trailer's coming!)
TheForce.net has had reports on
Teaser Trailers A and C with detailed accounts of what is
in both. "A" will be seen with Mosters Inc. on
November 2nd and shows action scenes with Vader's
breathing in the background. "C" comes before
Harry Potter on November 16th and focuses on the love
story. "B" is an exclusive video for owners of
the TPM DVD on November 9th.
The Official Site ran an article on
the design of Palpatine's Office. Alsoon the site in 5th
October: "Composer John Williams
visited Skywalker Ranch this week to kick off his work of
scoring the music for Attack of the Clones ... Over 800
shots are now complete, with an additional 200 shots very
near completion... nearly half of the total required for
the film ... Lucas and Producer Rick McCallum are
preparing to leave for London later this month for a week
of looping (where actors record film dialogue in a sound
studio) and a week of pick-up shooting of new
material."
Daniel Logan has been confirmed
to be playing Boba Fett - something most
people have known for quite some time. (Oct 19th)
R.A. Salvadore has finished his first draft of the AOTC
novelisation. (Oct 23rd)
A recent feature details the role of James McTeigue, the
assistant director for AOTC (Oct 25th)
12/11/2001
The
release date of Attack of the Clones has been confirmed
by the Official Site as being on May
16th for the US, UK, Australia and other countries and
over the next week for the rest of the world.
12/11/2001
The teaser poster has also been
revealed by the Official Site. It features
Anakin and Padme back-to-back in what seems to be their
wedding outfits with the words "A Jedi shall not
know anger. Nor hatred. Nor love". The report also
goes on to say that "The
red-tinted image not only conveys a strong connection
between the two young lovers, but also an indication that
their destinies lie along separate, tragic paths."
16/11/2001
Novemeber has seen the release of the three teaser trailers for Attack of the
Clones. The first called "Breathing", as
predicted by many sites, came with Monsters Inc. and
featured various shots accompanied by Vader's breathing.
The second,"Mystery" available
with the DVD, focused on the action sequences and the
relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin. The third,
"Forbidden Love" is about the
love story of Anakin and Padme and the Jedi's opposition
to it.
21/11/2001
The Official Site report Ten Years Later contains new
information to the databanks of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme,
Yoda, Mace Windu, Bail Organa and Slave 1 as well as
adding several new entries for Jango Fett, Zam Wessel and
the Jedi Starfighter (Delta 7). The entries reveal
various plot points concerning the separatist movement
and the attempts on Padme's life as well as the roles of
the bounty hunters and Obi-Wan's opinions of politions...
26/11/2001
Outlines of all three trailers are now available.
27/11/2001
The Official Site has given a list
of the various books that are going to be released for
Episode II. These vary from novelisations and graphic
novels to childrens books and the Visual Dictionary.
28/11/2001
The Official Site posted an
interview with special effects supervisor Dave Young.
Here's a tidbit: "Aside
from the waterworks, Young and his crew helped animate
stationary vehicle props through the use of articulated
hydraulic gimbals. In addition to making Anakin's hot rod
speeder, Zam Wesell's wickedly forked dragster and Owen
Lars' beat-up bike rock and sway appropriately, Young
oversaw the creation of a number of bluescreen-skinned
creature simulators."
The Homing Beacon released today also pointed out how far
the AOTC production has reached: "We
hit the milestone," said Writer/Director George
Lucas; Industrial Light & Magic has recently
completed their 1,000th shot on Attack the Clones,
marking the halfway point in the post-production
road."
05/12/2001
Another
Official Site interview talked
to Peter Wyborn, the modelmaking supervisor on AOTC:
"For most of the props,
Wyborn and his crew were working from design sketches
provided by other departments. Other times, they would
have much more of a creative role. "They also come
along and say, 'okay, make us a dozen guns.' So, somebody
will sketch it in our department, and we just make them
up. When George Lucas came in, there were about 50 guns
for him to look at. He came along and picked about a
dozen. So, it's nice that we all get our own input. Not
every nut and bolt has been designed by the art director
or the designer.""
19/12/2001
An Official Site interview talked
to Peter Ty Teiger, Prop Master on AOTC:
"You'll break a script down, and you can sense what
props are needed. Their descriptions are in the script.
You then get into the talking with the designers and with
George Lucas. We tend to go straight for the action hand
props. You deal with all the background stuff
afterwards."
21/12/2001
Starwars.com has a new article featuring a character from
the expanded universe possibly making an Episode II
cameo: "We got the call from
production to supply reference art of Aayla," said
Chris Cerasi, LucasBooks editor. "It's exciting to
see a character from the comics be the inspiration of a
flesh and blood movie character, now matter how small a
part." The Aayla Secura artwork was sent to the
wardrobe and makeup departments to assemble a
blue-skinned beauty out of a physically fit female extra.
The character will have no dialogue and will be involved
in a combat sequence. Since the film is still being
edited, it's impossible to know what -- if any -- her end
screen-time will be."
27/12/2001
Fox News printed an article
on Liam Neeson that seems to have confirmed several
rumours about his character Qui-Gon Jinn appearing in
holographic form during the Jedi Library scenes: "[Liam]
Neeson already had another film in the can if he was laid
up any longer. Because he played Qui-Gon Jinn in Star
Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, Neeson is
guaranteed a reappearance in the following two episodes.
'I’m not supposed to say anything... but let’s
face it, Jedi knights never die.'"
27/12/2001
Sir Steve's Guide printed what seems
to be the info text that will appear on the back of
Hasbro's Episode II toy packaging: "Ten
years after the fight to save Naboo from invasion, the
galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership
of a renegade Jedi, hundreds of solar systems threaten to
secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi
master, his troubled apprentice and a queen turned
senator are drawn into the heart of the conflict... and
the beginning of war."
02/01/2002
No doubt you've heard this by now. Lucasfilm has
confirmed a cameo appearance in Attack of the Clone by
boy "band" N'SYNC. They'll appear as Jedi
during the arena scene where'll they'll get killed by
battle droids: "Lucasfilm rep
Lynn Hale, however, says that, while Lucas' daughters are
big fans, "that didn't have anything to do with
it." Hale says Justin, Lance, Joey, JC and Chris
were big Star Wars fans, so they asked producer Rick
McCallum if they could appear in the latest installment.
McCallum apparently found a spot for them, in "a big
scene with lots of extras." But Hale says they have
no dialogue, and they won't even be credited as extras
when the film hits theaters May 16." Remember, they'll
only be there for a few seconds so this doesn't mean
there's any point in bad mouthing the movie. If you've
followed spoilers you'll know that some boy band
appearing for a few seconds will not change the fact
it'll be one hell of a movie. And if you don't follow
spoilers, just take my own and others words on it - AOTC
will rock!
03/01/2001
Episode-X has printed a list
of what colour lightsabers (and how many) various
characters will wield during the movie:
Anakin Skywalker: Blue. At a
later point Green. Later wields both Blue and Green
simultaneously.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Blue. At a later point Green.
Mace Windu: Purple.
Yoda: Green.
Luminara Unduli: Green.
Barriss Offee: Blue.
Shaak-Ti: Blue.
Kit Fisto: Green.
Count Dooku: Red. At a later point wields Red and Blue
simultaneously.
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