news and rumors

Special Edition Again. It has always been a rumor on the net and among non-net users that Lucas would re-release Special Edition for the Episode 1. Remember this is just a rumor, and from the man, who brought us the 12 minute Super Bowl Special. So, we will have to wait and see.

Future STAR WARS EPISODE I trailer news ??? (Special Editions to be re-released?)
Glen the Coaxial guy here
Harry needs to stay away more, 'cause whenever he's gone, cool STAR WARS stuff happens - and I get to cover it.
As many STAR WARS fans may have heard, there is some indication that Lucas & Co. have asked theaters currently displaying STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE posters, banners, and trailers to send all that stuff back to Fox 'round the middle of January. Why this would happen has been a source of some confusion - "Why would someone launch an ad campaign then turn around and rip it out from the public's eye for no apparent reason?" is the question of the hour.
I've just come across some information which may provide some answers. According to my (Glen's) sources, theaters sending all of their EPISODE I promotion material back to Fox in mid-January *will not* represent a reversal of THE PHANTOM MENACE's ad campaign. Rather, it will reflect a re-alignment and re-organization of said campaign in preparation for some very special plans.
How so?
There is *some* indication (I would consider this extremely tentative) that Fox plans to re-release the Special Editions of the current STAR WARS trilogy ("A New Hope", "The Empire Strikes Back", "Return of the Jedi") to theaters before "The Phantom Menace" bows in May '99. A new EPISODE I trailer and artwork would accompany *each* film into the theater during its run. In essence: between January and May, the "frill" of each re-release would be the inclusion of new artwork and a new PHANTOM MENACE trailer along with each Special Edition re-release. Three more posters three more trailers then the real thing in May.
That's what we're hearing at the moment. My source wanted me to impress upon readers that and I quote "This isn't gospel". But that's what he's heard through various channels, and I thought I'd pass it on to AICN readers.

The Letter on dealing with the poster. A while ago I theater owners told web sites that Lucasfilms is ordering to get their poster's back, they might not get film Episode 1. I just copy the letter that was posted on Ain't It Cool News. I did not post up the complaint Harry made about how unfair this is. Yet, I believe it is fair to pay $19 for the poster through Star Wars Insider. Cheapskate!

Dear Exhibitor,
Enclosed are STAR WARS EPISODE 1 one-sheets for display in your theatre. These are the only one-sheets of this version you will receive. You will not be able to order additional one-sheets through our 800 number for this feature. Please make sure to display them in secured locations in your theatre. Twentieth Century Fox WILL NOT replace any stolen one- sheets.
If any of these one-sheets are damaged, and you wish to have them replaced, please ship the entire damaged quantity back to Twentieth Century Fox, [address removed]. Make sure to include the theatre manager's name, the theatre name, shipping address and phone number. We will ship your theatre replacement one-sheets once we have received the returned damaged material.
ONE-SHEETS SHOULD BE DISPLAYED IN THEATRES ONLY UNTIL JANUARY 14, 1999. ON THAT DATE, ALL ONE-SHEETS SHOULD BE TAKEN DOWN AND DESTROYED BY THEATRE MANAGEMENT.
The enclosed one-sheets are the property of Lucasfilm, Ltd. No sale, duplication, or other transfer is allowed.

A high resolution of the teaser poster. I always support anyone who gets higher resolution scans or captures of certain images. This image was by T'Bone.

Official Site Profiles Jayne-Ann Tenggren Script Supervisor. A small update was made, if you are interested then just check it out.

Episode 2 and 3 director rumors. I keep holding back my film director predictions. And it seems that some of the directors that I want to see will be a reality. Or that people are really reading my mind. Oh well, just read this RUMOR from Dark Horizons.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: 'Dick Hawk-Monitor' has heard a very interesting rumour (and I stress rumour!!!) about who will possibly helm the next two Prequels if Lucas decides not too. I'll let him explain:
"Whoever helms the next two prequels will be a director for hire - ruling out previously rumored Spielberg, Fincher or Besson, A-list filmmakers who originate their own projects. They'll have a diverse body of work and ideally, would also be able to work with an Aussie crew and shoot Down Under. My money is on Australian directors Fred Schepisi ("Roxanne", "Six Degrees of Separation") and Roger Donaldson ("No Way Out", "Dante's Peak"). Their filmographies are the most similiar to that of Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand, directors of Episodes 5 and 6, of any working director".
An interesting possibility, but meantime in more confirmed matters - if you live in the US and missed taping a copy of the trailer from TV, rest assured it will be played again in full on the December 1st edition of "The Howie Mandel Show". Thanks to 'Ian'.

Trailer to leave theater on January 15! An interesting article by the Force Net.

11/20/98: MORE TRAILERS COMING
2:07 am CST
One of our readers, Zee-Zee, works for a movie theater. Along with their copy of the trailer the theater received the following letter from FOX :
We know how many copies of this trailer you have. On January 15 you will pull these trailers and ship all of them back to Fox. If we do not receive all of the trailers, you will not receive any future trailers and be in very good chance to not receive Star Wars: Episode 1 itself.

There are two points of note here. First, the trailer will be playing potentially until January 15 before it's pulled. Second, FOX is already talking about "future trailers". Of course this was expected by many, but it's nice to hear. It would be a long wait until May without any more big screen footage.

Still Haven't Seen the Trailer? My father and sister are the only one in my family who hasn't seen it, so I assume that they are not alone. Movie List and Countdown are regularly updating their site with new links for the trailer and Bootlegged copies of the theater version (You have to love the audience cheering when Yoda comes up). I assume by now, the net has slowed down and it will be easier to get a trailer. Sorry for not posting all the links like Movie List and Countdown. I think that both sites are doing a fine job of providing all the links to everyone.

No Super Bowl 12 minute special. New York Time debunk the rumor of Super Bowl trailer.

SUPER BOWL AD RUMOR ZAPPED
By DON KAPLAN

PRODUCERS of the new "Star Wars" movie have quashed a rumor that they have bought a 12-minute block of commercial air-time during the Super Bowl.
The game is airing on Fox, and 20th Century Fox is distributing the new movie.
"There is no truth to that rumor," a spokeswoman for the "Star Wars" producer, Lucasfilm. "We haven't bought any air time during the Super Bowl.
The blockbuster movie, "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," opens May 21 and trailers for the movie hit theaters this week.
The Lucasfilm spokeswoman added that the film's two big promotional partners, Pepsi and Tricon (owner of restaurants such as KFC and Pizza Hut) also have no plans to air any "Star Wars"-related ads during the Super Bowl. "They may be buying airtime," the spokeswoman said, "but they won't be doing anything about 'Episode I."
If the 12-minute deal rumor had been true it would have represented a $36 million ad buy. Industry experts said a 30-second spot is estimated to cost about $1.5 million this year.
Madison Avenue experts were immediately skeptical of the deal.
"I don't think Fox would have had that much airtime left to sell during the game at this point," said an advertising executive who asked not to be identified.
"This is the most expensive, most in-demand real-estate on TV," the expert said. "They've also got the computer guys, the auto guys, the beer guys, soft drinks and fast food chains. Many of those spots have already been sold."
Meanwhile, it's been almost 15 years since the release of "Return of the Jedi," the last installment of "Star Wars." Experts say based on global anticipation for the new film, "Episode I" has the potential to break every box-office record.
"Titanic" currently holds the record with a gross of more than $1 billion in world-wide last year.

Explanation on Why the trailer is every where. I can only assume that the real reason is for the rating frenzy know as "Sweeps" where producers will do anything to get people to watch their show. And that's why you see on every channel the entire Trailer. The Prequel Watch posted this short quote from USA Today.

"...20th Century Fox has made the film's first coming-attractions trailer available to any TV show that will air the two-minute teaser in its entirety. Among the many signed on: Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, E!, & CNN..."

Siskel and Ebert judge the trailer. A posting on The Force Net's The Jedi Council has stated that this weeks episode of Siskel and Ebert will show off the trailer. Love them or hate them, see the 2 critics will give a short review of the trailer. Don't worry the if you have seen them before then you know that they are big Star Wars fans. Check you local listing for when the show will be on. If you missed the show the just head over to their official site. The give their movie review on Shockwave so make sure your browser is up to date.

Editor's Note. Hey, can anyone spot Yaddle in the Jedi Council shot? I assume he is the small creature that is three chairs left from Yoda. If you don't know what he looks like, some describe him as a younger version of Yoda. Email me if you can.

November 19, 1998

5:30 PM

Trailer will be on both shows. Yesterday it was announced on both Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight will be showing the episode 1 trailer tonight. The really BIG news is that Entertainment Tonight stated they will show the trailer "in it's entirety". What happened?!? I was expecting the trailer to be 10 minutes long with commentary of Kathy Lee Gifford and Tim Allen, and clips from the show the Friends for no apparent reason. I have not seen a complete trailer on Entertainment Tonight since they aired the trailer to Titanic. In fact last night they showed a trailer to Samuel L Jackson's new film Deep Blue Sea and they interrupted the whole thing. I am sure there are millions of people who did not get to see the trailer in the theaters (the way it is suppose to be seen) or they could not get a copy of the trailer from the internet. Too bad my VCR is busted, it ate my copy of The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition Widescreen. Rumor has it the trailer will also be seen on MTV, I assume on their news magazine 1515.

More Links for the Official Trailer. I assume right everything could be slowing down, but some might not be able to connect to the Official Site for the trailer. Sadly, Movie List has closed down its Trailer link page. But Countdown is still up and has a hefty load of trailers. Here they are.

Editor's Note. Sorry but Trailer links have been removed. Just go to Countdown or Movie List to see more up to date links

The Trailer's Grosses. This is from the Box Office Guru had to say about how much the trailer made.

The two-minute trailer for next year's most anticipated film, Star Wars Episode 1 : The Phantom Menace, made its way into 75 theaters in the United States and Canada on Tuesday for a sneak preview. Despite causing a surge in attendance at the selected locations, the advance peek had little effect on the overall North American grosses for the films it was attached to. The Waterboy's Tuesday gross of $1.64M was down a hefty 63% from the previous week's Tuesday while The Siege was off 49%. Even comparing Tuesday to Monday showed no sign of a significant boost due to The Force. The Waterboy was up 34% this week versus up 63% last week. The Siege had a Monday-to-Tuesday uptick of 29% this week compared to being up 37% last week. The other movie that the trailer was attached to, Meet Joe Black, experienced a 28% increase on Tuesday from Monday which is normal.
It should be noted however that moviegoing was helped on Tuesday of last week because the following day was Veteran's Day so many people did not have to go to work or school the next day. The Phantom trailer's minimal effect on nationwide box office is not an indication of lack in interest in the prequel though. Large numbers of Star Wars fans did not know that the trailer was being previewed and many did not have a theater near them to see it in. But all that changes on Friday when over 2000 theaters from coast to coast begin screening the trailer with their regular engagements giving movie fans a glimpse of the gargantuan hit that will close off the millenium.

'Phantom' Trailer
Boosts Sales
Okay, yesterday's estimate was just in fun, but the Hollywood Reporter breaks today with early news that ticket sales increased a whopping 1,147% at one theater showing the special preview of the Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace trailer on Tuesday. Prior to an early showing of The Siege at the Mann Village in Los Angeles more than 2,000 people paid for tickets (with a majority leaving after the trailer played) - up over the previous day's 175. The early line in the Insider's book? A $175,000,000 opening weekend and $500,000,000 domestic run…at least… "The best part about the trailer is that it stays in your mind while you watch other movies, and even a day after you have seen the trailer. The trailer really makes you obsessed about the new film."

Confirmation on Darth Maul's Name? Well, it is not like the official site has posted images and stated his name. I saved the image that they had of Maul and this is what the image files name was, "2_maul.jpg". This is the closest thing the official site has done to confirm his name... well, other then the www.darth-maul.com.

Jake Lloyd's review of the trailer. So this is not as big news, but I did find it entertaining. I got this from Ain't It Cool News.

Watching the trailer with Jake Lloyd in the AMC in Woodland Hills, CA
Jake Lloyd has officially become the coolest kid in the universe. Read this report and if can say, "Boy I'm Glad I'm Not Jake Lloyd!" Well... you ain't a geek, and that ain't a good thing.

I know this isn't exactly a big scoop or anything... but a little interesting, I guess. My friend and I went to the AMC in Woodland Hills, CA to catch the trailer screening.. of course. When we went inside the theater, I noticed that one row of seats was masked off. Before the lights when out.. a whole group of people walked in and took those seats. Masked seats are usually reserved for VIPs and likes, but I didn't notice anyone.. but then this little kid came in. It just clicked in my mind that it had to be Jake Lloyd cause I heard he lived in the area. A friend of mine who works at Bristol Farms says his family comes in all the time wearing Star Wars jackets, hats,....
Anyways, he's a hyper little guy. He kept yellin' "Star Wars! Star Wars!" until it came on. His family stayed for the movie (Meet Joe Black) leaving the theater once or twice to catch the trailer in other theaters, then coming back.
While the crowd was waiting for the trailer to roll again after the movie, I moved up to get a better seat and ended sitting right next to him. Man! He kept crawling around the seats, jumping over the rows, mumbling, waiting for the trailer! I asked him if he was Jake Lloyd and he answered with an enthusiastic "YES!" and then gave me a high five. He then said, "It was the funnest two years ever" or something like that, it was loud in the theater.
Afterwards outside, a group of about dozen gathered around him asking for autographs and asking him and his parents questions. They said they saw the entire movie and was simply "amazing... nothing like you've seen before." His sister, which looks around the same age, plays Princess Ellie (don't know about that spelling).
I've attached a JPG of his autograph (yea I know they're REALLY cheesy.. so what?). On a side note, I thought it was really funny that a theater of science fiction nerds and Star Wars geeks would sit a through a 3 hour Brad Pitt movie to catch 2.20 minute trailer!
-Pablo Honey

I was quoted at Dark Horizons. If you are a loyal reader of Dark Horizons you will know that when a film is release Garth sets up a short quotes from people who have seen it. The best part about the quotes is that you can get an idea to how a large percentage feels about a film. Well, this is what I said.

"The best part about the trailer is that it stays in your mind while you watch other movies, and even a day after you have seen the trailer. The trailer really makes you obsessed about the new film."

Editor's Note. I have made a few changes to the New Section. I have cropped it up the main news section a bit. I feared that the whole page made a drastic slow down to anyone who comes in with a slow Internet connection. And I have been planning to add some images onto the news section. But not too many, in fact, I was thinking of having these images temporary, in fact I don't plan to have images in Past news. I just want this site to run for everyone. By the way, I am also changing the cast and crew pages with new images from the trailer.

November 18, 1998

Trailer at the official site. Instead of viewing blurred and dark images from individuals who took them at the theater. The official site has posted up the trailers in different video formats. I think it was worth waiting a few hours to wait to get clear and clean images of the trailer. But still it is 10 times better to see the trailer in a theaters with a big crowd and cheer as you see Darth Maul light up his lightsaber or just to see Yoda or Samuel L. Jackson speak a few lines. Here is what the official has to say about the trailers.

IT'S HERE!

The teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode I was unveiled to the public in a special limited engagement on Tuesday, November 17th. The trailer will appear in general North American release starting Friday, November 20th. As a service to www.starwars.com fans, we are now presenting the trailer here on the site in several formats.

We encourage anyone interested in the trailer to go see it at a theater, because unless you have a THX-certified web browser, you won't be seeing with top-quality audio and visual presentation quality. We hope you'll see the trailer first as it was made to be seen, in a theater. But if you'd like to see it again, we want to offer you the best quality delivery that the Internet can provide. So, enjoy!

About the trailer

The trailer for Episode I runs over two full minutes, filled with a full spectrum of images from George Lucas' newest movie. "The trailer works together conceptually with the advance one-sheet and theatrical banner," commented Jim Ward, Lucasfilm Director of Marketing. "They are all united in how they speak about the film. We wanted to convey that Episode I is the beginning of the Star Wars saga. At heart it's the story of Anakin Skywalker, a young boy who must begin to face the destiny ahead of him. And without ruining the surprise of the film, we wanted the images in the trailer to introduce people to the amazing visions in Episode I."

Director George Lucas was closely involved in the development of the piece, which both reveals and conceals exactly what he wants for audiences at this time. Teams at 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm worked together to craft a trailer that conveys key aspects of the film and its story within a dazzling array of images. "It may look like this trailer gives away a lot," says the trailer's editor Mark Mrnka, "but it's only scratching the surface." Ben Burtt prepared special sound tracks mixed by Gary Rydstrom, offering at least one "special touch" for fans who notice subtlety. "We're excited about it," Jim Ward admits. "We can't wait for our fans to see it."

Editor's Note. Sorry but Trailer links have been removed. Just go to Countdown or Movie List to see more up to date links

Trailer on Television? Well, it seems that Access Hollywood announced on the show that the trailer would be shown in its "entirety". Is that an insult to Entertainment Tonight on how they deal with trailers? There are still rumors that Entertainment Tonight will have the trailer on the show as well. But that is not confirmed yet. So watch Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood all week long to see the trailer. Why would you want to do that when the trailer is on the WEB and it looks great at the theaters?

November 17, 1998 7:00 PM

My review of the trailer. The best part about the trailer is that I could not pay attention to the film that I was watching. In fact all that I could think about was the trailer and how I wanted to see it again when the film was over. And since I saw Meet Joe Black I had to wait 3 hours till I could see it again. I am sure that this will happen to everyone to whatever film they see. I mean it is worth the price of admission just to see one trailer.

I really don't want to spoil the trailer too much for everyone, but I will tell you that the Dark Horizon Trailer description is 99.5% accurate and the image that was floating on the net is 100% real. The only flaw in the trailer description is that the title is called "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace" and that the Star Wars tech does not look prehistoric. It looks similar with Episode 4-6. Even though the image that was on Natalie Portman: America Queen was in the trailer, the image was dark and blurry. Wait till the official Star Wars site releases an even better image of the trailer; trust me it will be worth the wait.

As for my favorite scene in the trailer, without spoiling too much it has to be the scenes with Darth Maul igniting his lightsaber. I just cheered to see I finally got to see what he looked liked.

I am not trying to sound like I have rubbed it in to everyone who had to go to school, work or is in their death bed. But it will be all worth it when your at the theater and you pay what ever film you enjoy if it is Prince of Egypt, A Bug's Life, Star Trek: Insurrection, or even Enemy of the State. Then you lean back and you see the 20th Century Fox logo and the Lucasfilms LTD. And then the screen turns to white... Nah, you not going to let me spill the beans to you.

Rumors of Entertainment Tonight will show off the trailer. Okay, no one has confirmed if this is even remotely true. So make sure to catch it TONIGHT!!!!!! I heard this from Ain't It Cool News, and this is what they posted.

Prequel Trailer to Air on ET Tonight?
Father Geek here with some possible good news for those Geeks that cannot make it to a theater showing the Prequel Trailer today. Set those timers fellow geeks, it will be better than nothing at all.
I was listening to Mancow(*??) here in Des Moines on the way into work today and he had a lady from Entertainment Tonight on for his morning interview. She said that they would be running the trailer TONIGHT on ET.
Agent Fro

Trailer images. Jedi Net has posted up a plethora of images from the trailer. If you want to see the images then go right ahead, but I have to admit that it was worth the wait to see it in the theater.

Trailer Location Corrections. I assume by now, all of you have called your theater to see if the theater is carrying The Phantom Menace Trailer along with the Waterboy, Meet Joe Black or the Siege. But when you say Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, most Theater managers say, "Huh?" , "Star Trek?" or "The Phantom Princess?" Either the movie has not arrived, They don't know what trailer is going with what film, they don't know the name of Episode 1 or that they don't know what they are doing. So when you go to a movie theater make sure you talk to the manager and make sure you clearly tell the title of the film (most people don't know that it is called the Phantom Menace yet). Sites on the web have already posted up errors in the theater listing that the official Star Wars site has shown. Some say that it is on the Siege on Meet Joe Black or that it is a completely other theater. So at the last minute the official site has listed some corrections on the following States.

More Images of Episode 1 figures. Okay I don't really want to fill up this site with images of the figures. I am more interested in image from the film, behind the scenes or even production sketches. Oh well, these images are from Master K Star Wars Homepage and SirSteve. First off Sir Steve posted up an image of Boss Nass action figure.

Other then Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace What other film do you want to see this summer. Cinescape has polled up this question. And too many of everyone surprise it seems that everyone wants to see Austin Powers 2 (rumored title The Spy Who Shagged me). And honestly I have to agree, Austin Powers Man on Mystery was a big surprise to everyone. I think it was the most influential film of 98, and I even voted in my circle of friends as the Best Film of 1998 next to L. A. Confidential and The Game.

Episode 1 on Superbowl Sunday. Superbowl Sunday is the biggest rated day in American Television, so it is logical that everyone would want to advertise anything they can. Ain't It Cool News Coaxial has posted up a description of the 12 minute Episode 1 advertisement.

Star Wars Episode I & the Superbowl (updated 11-14@2:15pm CST USA)
Glen here . . .

The hell that is being a STAR WARS fan might intensify somewhat with this next bit of news. As if the trailer for STAR WARS - EPISODE I (the forthcoming STAR WARS prequel - duh!) being pre-screened in theaters Tuesday the 17th hasn't caused enough of an uproar, try the following on for size:
Uncomfirmed reports (but from rather well-placed sources) indicate that George Lucas and company have purchased / negotiated a whopping *twelve minutes* of air time during January's Superbowl broadcast, intending to fill said time with a shit-load of coolness from STAR WARS - EPISODE I.

12:55 pm CST USA
Glen here, again . . .

ROOTIN' TOOTIN' LONG BARREL LOU ("Long Barrel Lou" sounds vaguely pornographic, but I'm sure he was only referring to the size of his . . . gun barrel . . . ) has just sent in a message indicating there *would* be some sort of Prequel material aired during the Superbowl, with a little more info to boot!
Here's what he said:

The STAR WARS account is correct.
The ads will feature an alien *not* in the actual movie, but rather one who was not good enough to make the film.
I understand it will give some account of the movie from his "not good enough" point of view!!!
Now is that coolness or what?!!!

2:15 pm CST USA
Glen here:

LONG BARREL LOU sent in another fast message, indicating HE could not confirm or refute the assertion that *12 minutes* worth of STAR WARS ad time would run during the Superbowl, but did indicate STAR WARS related ads *would* air during said broadcast, and reiterated the nature of the ads (the alien "host" described above).
He also wanted to remind readers that these spots could be tied into Fox, Lucasfilms, Pepsi - or could be a "cross-promotion" involving multiple merchandising & marketing entities signed up to push Prequel-related goods.
If so, *I* presume this would make the undertaking more cost-effective for all involved. The potential costs suggested here are quite staggering, even for big corporations.
More to come . . .

Optimism is for the week. Harry Knowels posted this interesting story about what he thinks will happen on the release of the film.

This is the beginning of something.... Wonderful. What this Trailer will bring...

Ya know folks, this bit from a theatrical exhibition type really kind of made me think about this. There really is a bit of fear for theater manager types... there must be.
Let's face it, THE PHANTOM MENACE, for it's initial weeks of release is going to be a madhouse. I've received well over 1000 letters over the last 6 months from people outside of the U.S. that will be flying in to see the films. That is, of course, a small segment of the group that will be going. As April approaches we'll begin to really get intolerable. Some darn fan will begin camping a month ahead of time. He'll be the focus of a DATELINE or a 48 HOURS that will paint fans as a scary lot.
Hallenbeck is fearing riots in the Westwood theaters of L.A.
Those theaters with reserved seating... hahahaa... yeah right.
Some people will eat only at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. At home, they'll be drinking PEPSI, DIET PEPSI, CAFFIENE FREE PEPSI, ONE, MOUNTAIN DEW and the others. Frito-Lay chips will be disappearing off shelves. Toys will become hunted like some sort of mad bomber.
When we begin to see regular television trailers. Oh dear god. Life will have ended. More people will be moving their hands slightly when walking though motion-sensitive doors while whispering "All too easy". The fan art on the net will continue to grow. STARWARS.COM will eventually run into server problems. And then... the week before the film is to be released. Insanity.
Lines will begin forming. People will deficate themselves in line, igloo coolers will arrive, the theaters with advance ticket sales will have no lines... no community... no event. But the theaters with standard ticket sales. Hahahahaha GLORY.
7 days of 24 hour radio broadcasts from a disc jockey in line.
TV Weather men saying, "The temperature for those people standing in line is awfully hot and humid with a 99% chance of thunderstorm." And the line will stay.
People with bunson burners will cook breakfast.
Some will stand in line with earmuffs, keeping all sound from entering their ears, they will meditate and their eyes will not stray to the plethora of
INSIDER images, and toy mags. Virgin filmgoers that stopped watching television two months prior. That bought no Pepsi products, that read the backs of no toy boxes.
Fathers and mothers with children, talking about how it's exactly the way it was when they were kids. Others saying it was better then. Others saying it was worse.
Conversations about FLASH GORDON, LOGAN'S RUN and JOHN CARPENTER'S THE THING will ring out. People will be tired.
And me. Well, hopefully I'll have a cellular modem and a lot of batteries, cause my ass is in line. It will be... wonderful.
And it really really begins with THIS trailer. After people, the ones that don't read this site, the ones that just exist not really buying film mags. People that see a movie every now and again. Well... they'll see this trailer and they will remember. Their 'adultness' will begin to shrink away. They will have perfectly centered pupils, their jaws will hang. They'll pump their arms in the air, and joy... pure and simple will rage in them.
Tens of Millions are asleep right now. Lucas is about to wake them up. Be afraid... smile more often. We know.

hey , i work at a local regal cinmas as a district manager, and i just wanted to give you some info,i was talking to the d.m. of south florida and he told me they already had theyre print in of the trailer for tuesday(i thought it was friday is there something i missed?)anyway i had to go there anyway.im not gonna give you this crap about the trip or whatever straight to the trailer,it was awesome!!there were some visual effects done that were just jaw dropping.Iwas kinda pessemistic about the sfx after seeing the work on the special editions which left me thinking,''how much more realistic can they get?!??!''you just could never imagine the stuff theyve done,like i said,jaw dropping.this film is years ahead of its time fx wise.ok enough of that.People around the movie theater buisness are NOT looking foward to this.They are expecting sellouts for the first 4 or five weeks,this is gonna be a HUGE event.I think this will be one of the first movies in history to have scalpers sitting outside the theater.All this stuff about the ticket prices being raised and a two part trailer is untrue,the one i saw was one part before the movie, not after.(by the way it was with the waterboy,funny as hell go see it if you havent)well, thats about it,im sure you prob. know this stuff already but i thought id give you my take on it,thanks

Editor's Note. I will be seeing the film Meet Joe Black and I have spoken to the manager of New Brunswick Lowels Theater. And they have confirmed me that the Phantom Menace Trailer will appear along with Meet Joe Black and the Waterboy. I should have asked them if I could see it early, but yet these are the things you think about 2 hours after you leave the theater. But I am happy enough that I will be seeing the trailer, and that is all that I can think about ever since the official site has posted up on Friday. Harry is right Tuesday is official "Geekday". So let's go and eat the heads off chickens.

November 14, 1998

10/17 Preview date has been confirmed. I really never thought I would hear this come out from the official site.

Exclusive for starwars.com fans! Episode I Theatrical Trailer Release Information

We've heard from fans around the Internet that they want to be sure to see the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace -- and preferably as soon as possible. The trailers are scheduled to be released in wide circulation on Friday, November 20th, 1998 across the U.S. and Canada. In advance of its general release and as a special treat for our Web site visitors, we've arranged a special screening of the Episode I trailer ON NOVEMBER 17th ONLY in selected theaters around the U.S. and Canada. On Tuesday, November 17th, if you go to one of the theaters listed below and see any showing of one of the films listed for that theater, you will see the Episode I trailer played twice -- once before the movie and once after the movie. Be sure to catch it on Tuesday -- after the Tuesday screening, we will not be able to provide information on which particular theaters and movies will be showing the trailer. Again, these special screenings will only occur on Tuesday, the 17th, and only at the theaters and movies listed below on that day.

In order to help you find the theaters carrying the showing, we've partnered with Yahoo! Movies, where you can find maps and showtime information for most of the theaters listed below. Simply follow the links provided to the theater in your area. (Neither we nor Yahoo! Movies can absolutely guarantee the accuracy of the showtime information, so be sure to verify times with the theater directly on the day of the screening. Also, not all screenings have listings on Yahoo! Movies -- please consult your local directory service if you need more information.)

More information will be coming on international trailer release dates, which we will post as soon as possible.

Thanks to the Official Star Wars Fan Club, 20th Century Fox, and our friends at the theaters who have helped us arrange this advance trailer screening for you. We hope that you enjoy the trailer, and thanks for visiting www.starwars.com!

Confirmation of Lucasarts screening. This was posted on the Force Net.

11/13/98: MORE TRAILER INFO - TPM OR NO TPM?
12:00 pm CST
We've received word from a source that LucasArts employees were able to watch the completed Episode 1 trailer not just once, but twice during a company-wide meeting yesterday. And the big news, according to our source, is that title "The Phantom Menace" is indeed used in the trailer!
We've also been told that the trailer was just finished on Wednesday, making the LucasArts employees among the first to see the finished product.

Interesting Interview with Samuel L Jackson. Just a quick interview of Sam, it was posted on the Force Net.

Myrden heard a cool interview on the radio

Samuel L. Jackson was just on "Canada AM" to promote his new movie (November 13, 1998 7:50am). He said a couple of interesting things that I thought I would pass on:

1. He said that his character was Mace Windu (as we all know), but that Mace is the head of the Jedi Council! I thought that was surprising.

2. Said that last week he was doing voice overs for the movie in the Bahamas.

3. Was asked by the interviewer (A woman named Valerie Pringle) if the lightsaber hummed when he used it! Jackson replied, "I don't know, I never got to turn it on!" - a really cute remark I thought b/c of the CGI.

4. He also said that he has NO idea what the plot of the movie is. Like Woody Allen, Lucas only gives actors/actresses the script for their specific part, so Jackson said he only received 5 pages of script.

5. Jackson said he was "real happy" that his figure was the first one to come out... he received one the other day that thought it was "so cool."


Note that doing the voiceovers in the Bahamas confirms Harry's Frank Oz report from a few days ago. Oz said he was doing voiceovers there recently, too.

Destroy All Posters. Newsdroid has come up with this original scoop on the teaser posters.

"Destroy your Star Wars Posters" - 07:54:58
13-Nov-1998

Theatre managers have started receiving their Episode 1 posters, along with an interesting notice/request. Here's the general message: You don't get any more posters, if any get stolen, tough luck. On January 14, 1999, remove your Ep 1 teaser one sheets and destroy them.
This tells us two things: The actual theatre-issued one-sheets are going to be VERY hard to come by, and we should be seeing new one-sheets (and possibly banners, trailers, etc.) by Friday, January 15.
submitted by Brad Fuhriman of NewsDroid

Editor's Note. Like I said before make sure to spot me, and say "Hello!" Other then that I just got STAP with Battle Droid, and like Harry I am a bit clueless on how this thing sounds or moves like. But it fun trying to make up sound effects for it, or even guessing how it sounds. Now, I need six UPC to get the new Mace Windu figure.

November 12, 1998

"Fucking incredible amazing." What better way to start the day then unnessisary use of profanity? For those who were offended, I would like to apologize for the foul language. But the language is neccessary, remember a while back when Spielberg gave his review for Episode 1,"Oh my god." Well, now it is another film maker and fellow Star Wars cast member Frank Oz. At a seminary in New York University Oz talked about Muppets, Star Wars and his style of filmmaking. Luckily a visitor of Ain't It Cool News posted up a summarization of the experience.

Frank Oz at a directing seminar in NY and his reaction to seeing 30 min of Ep !, plus the poster is here
Hey folks, here's the poster, which came from Starwars.com where you can also get a banner. Below it though is one geek's story about a Frank Oz Directing Seminar, where he talks about many things, including Yoda and the New film, plus his reaction to seeing 30 minutes. Interesting stuff.

Frank Oz gave a directing seminar here in New York City Monday night. There were about twenty-five people there, and it seemed to me that many of them were Muppet and "Star Wars" fans rather than budding directors. I asked him about his rehearsal methods, and he was very generous and detailed in his answer. Unlike most films, which only rehearse on set shortly before the cameras roll, Oz has the clout to demand a two-week rehearsal period during preproduction. He told us about the way he liked to work with actors, cinematographers, etc. Very interesting stuff for budding directors.
Anyway, a couple of cool seeming "Star Wars" fans did ask him about his work on the old "Star Wars" films, and again he was very generous with his response. During a break I mused aloud that I might ask him about the new "Star Wars" movie, and the two guys suddenly got rather nervous and claimed that they'd rather not know anything about it. One of them was being tormented by another fan who kept opening up a prequel magazine inches from his face. He looked as though he was in hell. "I want to Know! No I don't!" etc. I considered respecting their wishes for about two seconds and avoiding the subject, but of course the topic of the new film did eventually come up. Oz told us that he'd recently flown to the Bahamas to loop Yoda's voice. Since he'd also told us that he was only looping the new Muppet film and not performing the puppets of Miss Piggy, Fozzie, etc. himself I assumed that the same went for Yoda. The logical conclusion seemed to be that while Oz would supply the voice of Yoda, the character would be CGI. But he then told us that he did actually perform the character. He operated a new version of the Yoda puppet with four other puppeteers for two days during principle photography in England. The only details he supplied were that the eyes, facial muscles and other details were remote controlled as opposed to cable-operated as in the previous films, and that the head was not made of fiberglass like the old one.
He also told us several interesting stories about his involvment in the "Star Wars" films in general, working with Lucas, Kershner, Freeborn and Hamill. Most interesting to me was a story about how he got the job. After Jim Henson suggested to Lucas that Oz perform Yoda for "Empire" rather than himself, Oz was shown a sketch of the creature while resting in his "Muppet Movie" trailer. He said "All I did was look at that sketch and I got the character instantly." By contrast, Bert took a year to evolve(!)
But the most encouraging thing he said was that Lucas showed him thirty minutes of the new film, and that it was, and I quote: "Fucking incredible. Amazing."
I later told him that he should direct one of the new "Star Wars" films, and he responded by saying, "Fuck no. I don't want to do any more special effects movies after 'Indian in the Cupboard'. Too big a pain in the ass."
Not a great deal of news here, but it is encouraging to hear from a very honest and talented fellow who was involved in the film (believe me, he was brutally honest about other films he'd worked on, as well as powerful people he'd worked with) that the new movie looks great. It was also fun to hear a creator of childhood pop culture icons say "fuck" about ninety times.
Call me Little Lord Farkie.

Well after hearing this from Frank Oz, and the earlier quote from Spielberg, I did this up for the Quote Poster thus far...

Images of the Obi-Wan Kenobi figure. I respect the Japanese and admire their culture, but one of these days I better start learning how to speak Japanese. This Japanese site, Master K Star Wars Prequel Homepage, posted up some images of the Obi-Wan Kenobi Figure and packaging. The best part about this is that you get to Darth Mulan's face, the "Comm Talk" equipment, and you read a few quotes. Here are the images, there are 4 more images at the site

"A generation before Star Wars: A New Hope ... In a galaxy far, far away an evil [force is] gaining strength and threatens an entire civlization. Two courageous Jedi, a young queen, a Gungan outcast, and a slave boy named Anakin, band together to save a planet under attack as the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance."

"Do not defy the council Master, not again."
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"You will be a Jedi. I promise."
"?... granted me the permission to train you."

Kenner and 20th Century Fox gets a preview. I got this from the Force Net, just read on.

11/11/98: KENNER GETS PREVIEW
9:30 am CST
Today in Cincinnati, Kenner employees will be getting a special treat. They all get to go to a theater and get a special advance screening of the trailer. Then, right after that, they get to view 10 minutes of Episode 1 footage. Now we're all jealous. :)

11/12/98: FOX EMPLOYEE TRAILER PRE-SCREENING
7:25 pm CST
We received a few copies of an internal Fox memo inviting employees to "become a part of history in the making" by being "among the first to see the STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 TRAILER" on Thursday, November 19th. It's probably too late to get a job at Fox. I guess we'll all just have to wait the extra day.

Ewan Disses ID4. I have to say that I hated the film as well. And I thought the aliens should have won, because they have the technology and the experience. Plus the humans sucked in that movie. I got this from Cinescape.

Ewan Disses ‘ID4’ Ewan McGregor voiced his displeasure at the Hollywood scene during a recent interview with the Scottish Daily Record - singling out one pic in particular. "I can’t remember the last time there was a really good studio picture," the feisty Scot proclaimed. "They’re all b*****ds the studio executives, the studio people, the people who live in L.A. A film like Independence Day, that’s what I hate. Those are the people who don’t deserve to be making movies." Um, but Ewan, what about that Star Wars trilogy you’ve committed to that’s going to cost something like $350 million to complete? "Star Wars is a completely different ball game," he explains. "They stand on their own, they’re unique. They’re legends, a kind of modern fable - they were for me when I was a kid."

A Frog scene? The Force Net posted this out, just read on.

"11/12/98: RIBBIT!
4:00 pm EST
Some of you might have noticed the reference to "Frogs" in the latest "Making of..." diary on the official site. In fact you can see these strange creatures on that very page in the second picture down, in the body of the article. While Nick Dudman is talking to Mr. Freeborn he says, "...everyone has made a frog.". A fun little prop making activity for the crew. One wonders what in the world these frogs have to do with Episode I. Highlight the text below to find out:
We've received information indicating that there is a "Frog Attack" during our heroes visit to Mos Espa! Yup, you read right....a plague of sorts. I can't wait to see this one!"

Editor's Note. Man, time is ticking away and we had better get the episode 1 preview figures of Stap with Battle Droid and Mace Windu soon. I can't wait to get 3 Mace Figure; on I will leave alone but the other two I will make as Jules from Pulp Fiction and Ordel from Jackie Brown. Hey, why don't I get about a hundred of them and make on of each film he has made. One from Loaded Weapon One, another from Eves Bayou, and another from Jungle Fever.

November 11, 1998

Official Episode 1 Poster revealed. After the Entertainment Tonight episode air at around 9:30 to 10 o'clock of official Star Wars site posted images of the poster. The poster has a lot of feeling and emotions then in most theatrical posters that I have seen in the past decade. I would have to say that I was a bit disappointed that it was a computer altered photograph and not a painting. But I assume a painting will come up soon as May 21 approaches. Well read on what the Official Lucas Site had to say about the poster

Revealed!
November 10, 1998-The theatrical teaser banner and teaser one-sheet poster for Star Wars: Episode I are revealed here on www.starwars.com. They will begin to appear in theatres across the country at the end of this week.
The new designs partake of Star Wars origins and destiny in a symbolic and poetic image that draws upon the very heart of the saga, expressed in the isolated figure of a young boy, Anakin Skywalker. As the banner and poster designs suggest, Episode I is about momentous beginnings. "We want people to understand that this is not just one film, but the beginning of an epic saga," commented Jim Ward, Director of Marketing for Lucasfilm. "Episode I is a Star Wars film, and of course it is filled with excitement and spectacle, but it is also special in that it is the first part of the grand story arc that culminates in the classic Star Wars films. Episode I reveals events that will cast a long shadow in the Star Wars saga, clearly something that comes through in the banner and one sheet design."
The new Episode I images are the work of talented artist Ellen Lee of the Star Wars Art Department, under the creative direction of Jim Ward. George Lucas was personally involved in finalizing the designs, both of which will soon be made available to fans via mosespa.starwars.com.

Images of the Entertainment Tonight segment. I assume that some of you were annoyed at how Entertainment Tonight never has any real news. All they have is recycled news. The segment I admit was lame. No interview with anyone involved with the film or any past Lucas films. Instead they had images of the poster and clips from the Lynn Hale Video Diary that had interviews with Lucas. Tell me how lame is that. The Force Net got some images of the poster from the Entertainment Tonight, but then you could get the whole poster with out that annoying "ET" logo above the image. You know I think Entertainment Tonight cannot show a whole object without that logo, which's why they have the shaky camera work. But anyway if you want to have an image from it here are the images by the Force Net.

Editor's Note. You have to Admit that Lucas is showing off more on the his site then any other official film site is out there.

November 10, 1998

Poster Description. Well, I was a bit disappointed, I really was expecting to maybe hear that it was a painting. Entertainment Tonight showed a quick glimpse of it yesterday. All you could see what Anakin walking across a desert. His shadow stretches out and forms the body of Darth Vader. The odd thing about the poster is that instead of being titled, "The Phantom Menace" it is titled "Episode 1". Does this mean that the Phantom Menace was a name to fool Bootleg toy makers? Maybe, or maybe we will see another poster with the Phantom Menace title on it. Other then that the poster looks wonderful. Here are a few images from the force Net. Although these images do not show the poster in it's entirety, the poster as a whole were shown in tonight's episode of Entertainment tonight. When I get better image of the poster, I will make sure to post them up. Other rumors are going around that Entertainment tonight might get to be the first one show off the trailer on Television, I just hope they don't butcher it like they do with all the trailer or even new articles they have.

Inside Move Lucas, Fox guard 'Wars' posters
By BILL HIGGINS, November 9, 1998

Fox and LucasFilm were taking no chances with last week's print run for the Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace one-sheet.
At all times during what was called an unusually large print run at L.A.'s Kater Litho, either a Fox or LucasFilm rep was on hand to ensure print quality and that no extras were taken home by employees. If a poster was not up to grade, it was immediately torn into pieces.
The one-sheet, whose image includes a young man standing in a desert, was done with a special five-color process as an anti-counterfeiting device the Fox logo in the corner changes color beneath a blacklight.
Sources said the sheet should be in theaters by Nov. 20, the same day the film's two-minute trailer begins screening.

ONE-SHEET ORDERING
11/10/98: 12:58am EST: We've been getting lots of emails from people who are already clamoring for their chance to buy and own the upcoming theatrial one-sheet poster (due on the 20th). We've been told that the Star Wars Insider will be getting some soon. But when and how many is not yet known. We suggest calling them often. However, there are other outlets, such as some of the good one-sheet amd movie memorabilia mail-order outfits. One such place is Rick's Movie Graphics. Another is Cinema City, who has already been taking names for the TPM one-sheet waiting list. It's not too late to get your name on the list! Visit their website and/or give them a call at: 616-739-8303, and tell them you heard about them at JediNet Prequel Watch. And, no... this is not a commercial endorsement. I have been buying stuff from Cinema City for years, I like them, and they were one of the first big poster dealers to take names for Phantom Menace one-sheets. But, like I said... there will be many other ways and places to get a copy (or copies) of the one-sheet, such as other dealers (Rick's Movie Graphics, Theater Poster Exchange, etc) and likey even the Star Wars Fan Club very soon. Just don't be evil and start ripping off the one-sheets from theaters and bus stops, which is likely to get pretty ugly before May (especially when the different types of one-sheets start coming out).

More at the conference. I see that no one has been able to make a transcript out of the event. So it is up to me to read up on what everyone has heard so far. Here is some from Dark Horizons.

Guy Kreed here, I attended the second day of SPAA on Friday and boy was it great. OK, here we go. George Lucas gave a talk about special effects and he had the following to say:
- Episode 1 is 95% digital (most of that from the computer but some from Digital video)
- one of the main charaters is all CG and flys.
- Sony are busy developing a Digital Video camera which they will use to film Episode 2 and 3. They will play with the footage to give it a film look. He called it downgrading it to look like film because video is too sharp. (This is no bull, he said this.)
- They want to go Digital Video because it costs them a fraction of the cost to get this footage into the computer compared to film. ( They didnt shoot video for Episode 1 because the cameras are not good enough yet)
- He refered to Episode 1 as "The Phantom Menace" once.

Later in the day there was an intimate forum with Rick Maccallum. This guy is great, very open, passionate and energetic. This is what he had to say:
- Episode 1 is not finished yet but he is going to screen it soon to a select group of friends (about twenty) to gauge their response.
- The trailer will be out on November 20 in thousands of screens across the US. He called it a two minute teaser trailer but I thought teaser trailers were shorter than two minutes so maybe I didnt her that correctly. ( He laughed about The Siege as it is not the right film to attach it to and he laughed about all those rumors regarding focus problems.)
- Episode 2 will be transferred from Digital Video to film for release but some theatres will have special video projectors to screen prints straight from video. If these new projectors are successful than all prints of Episode 3 will be video projected. ( We aint talking about shity video projetors you see in bars but state of the art stuff that aint even invented yet but on the drawing boards.)
- He and George believe this is the future of movie making and are fast tracking the technology by about ten years. (Many other filmmakers are waiting for them to do this such as Zemekis, Howard, Spielberg and Cameron.)
- ILM have more computers than the Pentagon and slightly less tha NASA and they are all working twenty four hours a day to render all the shots.
- There are going to be 2000 effects shots in Episode 1 most of which are CG characters. Titanic has the record so far for effects shots which was 400.
- They went out of their way to not include hairy CG characters as they have not perfected CG hair.
- Natalie Portman twisted he ankle during the shoot so they have CG shots of her legs when she walkes in some scenes. (Dont ask how the hell they did that.)
- The main reason he and George dont want to film in the US is because of the restrictive unions and class system within film crews there.
- They will be taking over the entire Fox Studios in Sydney (which is fucking huge, it has one of the largest sound stages in the world, bigger than Pinewood and there are about seven other sound stages of varying size) and about four warehouses for props and etc.
- Sadly, there will be NO Episode 7,8 and 9. Rick joked that they will all be dead by that time and George wants to put Star Wars behind him after Episode 3 and concentrate on small experimental films.

Before everyone gets into a tizz about the Digital Video, remember that it wont look like video. They are only going to shoot it this way if it will look like film. Not almost like film but EXACTLY like film.

'Star Wars' History
So you've heard the stories that George Lucas was inspired to create the Star Wars universe after watching Kurosawa films, serials from the '30s and World War II films? The South China Morning News breaks with a revelation from Lucas, given during his press tour last week in Sydney, that Star Wars had as much to do with the Vietnam War than those other inspirations. The paper reports that it was the struggle between Ho Chi Minh and the United States that really inspired the movie with the concepts of a technologically advanced country taking on a smaller nation at the heart of the concept. "[Star Wars] was written during the Vietnam War and a lot of that deals with emotions and feelings I was going through in that period," Lucas said.

Interactive figures? SirSteve's Star Wars Universe Guide, has posted up that we might see the upcoming Episode 1 figures to have a chip that lets you interact with them. These figures can quote lines from a movie, interact with other figures and maybe interact with you. In my opinion this sound something strait out of Small Soldiers, will we soon seem them going to war with one another? You have to admit that this is light years away from the Darth Vader coin bank. I just hope that the sound quality will be better, because that Bank could scare you when you just walk near by it in the dark.

Faamba and droids previews. Milo an informant in London for Ain't Cool News got ticked off when he saw images of the Faamba posted on The Force Net. What he was ticked off was that the Force Net's artistic abilities were not up to par with Doug Chaing. So he wrote up what he knew about the creature, another droid that appears in the film and scanned in sketches of them by Lucasfilms. Milo also seems tick off about Lucas. All I can say is, "Let it go Milo, he is gone. He is heading towards Australia." Oh well, highlight some sections if you want to be spoiled.

A MILO Report on STAR WARS EPISODE ONE. SPOILERS ARE CONTAINED
Harry here with still more on Episode One. Well it's been a weird week to say the least, what with the rumors of the trailer, the mysterious picture that went up on that Natalie Portman site, but then (Allegedly Lucasfilm asked that) the site owner remove it. Well, now my email is being filled with people claiming to find action figures at TARGET with "BALANCE OF THE FORCE" as the title. True? I don't know, as my Target did not have them, and I haven't gotten scans of the packaging proving it's validity one way or another. But McCallum was swearing up and down that it was the title in Australia, so I'm likely to believe him. BUT WHO KNOWS? We'll all find out in a week or two. I've been getting a lot of email from Brits that feel they are being shafted by Lucasfilm, what with the movement from Shepperton Studios to the Fox Studios in Sydney, not to mention they're desire to see the trailer at least at the same time we Yanks and Canucks see it. And they're real curious about a release date in their country, and are hoping for one on the same weekend. Well MILO chimes in on some of this, plus pics and information. There are SPOILERS below, if you do not wish to read this... well then, DON'T. I'm warning ya! Ok, Here's MILO.....

I have been busy working on another film for the last couple of weeks. I did manage to catch something on TV Thursday that, well quite frankly, got on me tits! - George Lucas. He was in this interview in Sydney Australia that I'm sure many of you are aware of. He commented that London (Leavesden) was not to his liking and he was looking forward to working down under. Well George, another of my colleagues here from the set said something that, I think, sums you pretty much up. My associate and friend BEN-LUKE JEDI MASTER (and toys expert) claimed 'that Lucas has reached the giddy heights of appearing even more self-obsessed and arrogant than James Cameron in his infamous Oscar speech'. I believe this to be true. Why can't George realise that the best place in the world to complete his new Trilogy is not Australia, not Hollywood but right here in London, England. I, of course, am the exception with my 'spying antics' but London has the most professional, determined, skilfull and courteous filmmaking crews in the world BAR NONE! I'm not putting down Aussies but believe Lucas to be well out of order as do many of my colleagues in the industry here in London. Don't get me wrong, Star Wars is the dog's bollocks (tasty) but Lucas is a grouch to work with. Why can't he have a personality more like Rick McCallum!
I do want to do more than grouse about Lucas' recent tragic decision so, Harry, I will get on to the heart of the email. Recently I've seen some designs show up on THEFORCE.NET and your sites. It seems rather obvious to someone like myself that these designs come from a very early style guide. I recently procured one of these ancient artifacts. The designs came very early and were changed throughout production and are still being tinkered with. One thing that disturbs me about THEFORCE.NET's coverage are the 'interpretations' of these advance works. For example they recently put up a two-year-old's scribblings of what a Faamba looks like. These designs haven't changed too terribly much but why display the design in it's very worst light. Here is what a Faamba looks like.


A early Sketch of the Faamba 600 x 316 63.0 k
I must say though that this is a very early design from an early style guide. I include it only to give you a glimpse at whatever the artist saw, because their pencil did not capture that which the eye saw. To illustrate what I am talking about let me show you a bit on PK-4. A rather unimportant droid that greets Liam and Ewan at the beginning of the film before things get moving. This droid has but a few lines at the beginning of the film, but he's integral to the opening style of the film. According to the style guide that your and THEFORCE.NET's spies have access to, PK-4 looks like this:
A sketch of PK-4 droid 243 x 311 20.7 k
My favorite line of his is, "I'm not made to think." But that's unimportant. If you look at the above design you can see the rather obvious commonalities of the Battle Droid. Along the design phase it was decided to go in a different direction for this little chap. As you can see by Chiang's more up to date sketch here:
Another Doird 473 x 600 44.4
I believe this should show that there is a significant change from the style guide and the production sketches. With Lucas the words "final" and "decision" are far far away. As for my belly-aching about Lucas' abandoning of our beautiful isle, we do have Ridley Scott's GLADIATORS, Tim Burton's SLEEPY HOLLOW and the latest Bond film to keep us busy. And if he's leaving because of spies like me, Bothan Spy and the others. He's in for a shock. The Aussies love film and the web every bit as much as we do. I trust we'll see plenty of scoops from the land down under. I predict more.
Well Harry that finishes up this report. Please put the pictures where I indicate so that I don't look too much like an idiot.
CHEERS,
MILO

Rumors of early trailer. It seems that there are just a few rumors about the new trailer. First off some say that on November 17, they will be showing the trailer to test it out to in some theaters. The testing might appear on the Waterboy, The Siege, and Meet Joe Black. The main idea is to show off the film in front of an adult audience. Another rumor is that they might split up the trailer, a minute before the film and the other minute after the film. Some say that this is a special treat for those who actually stay behind wait during the credits. But no real reason has been explained. Hey, I am the kind of guy who does site through an entire film just to enjoy like a fine wine. I got this from several sources The Force Net and Ain't It Cool News.

Editor's Note. Sorry I had to make this in a hurry I just wanted everyone to read this before the Entertainment Tonight episode airs. Tomorrow I hope someone got an image of the poster in its entirety.

November 7, 1998

The OFFICIAL word on the Trailer. X-Files, Alien Resurrection, Sony's Godzilla, Titanic, and the Siege. You know all of these films, as movies that you went to in hope to see the trailer to Episode 1. The wait if finally over, on November 20, 1998 the trailer will be in the theaters. In what film? Well it seems like various films that are opening that day will have the trailer. Let's see A Bug's Life, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and Enemy of the State will be opening that weekend. Here is the official press release, from the Official Site, just to show you that I am not kidding.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WWW.STARWARS.COM FANS -- Trailer Release Date
November 6, 1998 -- On Friday, November 20th, Star Wars fans (finally!) can get a glimpse of the upcoming Star Wars movie, as theaters across the U.S. and Canada will be showing trailers for Episode I The Phantom Menace. The trailer will not be attached to any particular film, but will instead play on a variety of films opening that weekend. (To be sure you get a chance to see the trailer, keep checking www.starwars.com for more information.) With over two minutes of footage from the new movie, which is scheduled to open in the U.S. and Canada on May 21, 1999, this will be an experience fans won't want to miss.

Image of Episode 1 Trailer. Sorry, the image was taken away from Natalie Portman American Queen just recently. The site got a letter from Lucasfilms saying that the image was from the actual trailer, and requested the webmaster to remove it. The image will be back on this site after November 20, when the Episode trailer hits theaters. I spoke with Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons about the image. He says that the image is the same one that he talked about for the Trailer description. He doesn't know how someone else got a hold of the image, and leaked it to other sites. He told me not to post it on my site; I respect Garth so I won't post it on my site. But there is a Star Wars site that has posted it up on their site. I will not reveal the site name, you can find it on your own. I assume in a matter of time they will too have a problem and have to remove the image. If you can catch it in time keep it for yourself. But don't post it on your site or any other site. I assume that if Lucasfilms see this image on the net someone is going to be in big trouble.

Special Edition character in Episode 1. T'Bone Fender's Star Wars Universe posted up a little article on Special Edition characters that might appear in Episode 1. The article is interesting because T'Bone gets to talk about certain scenes in the film. I must warn you that this does contain spoilers

*** The Prequel/SE Connection ***
It has been said by many a wise sage that a lot of the technology, characters, devices, droids, ships, etc. were developed for the prequels in some way. Episode One, after all, has been in the works since at least 1994. Keeping all that in mind, I am very curious to see just how many of the elements added to the Special Editions rear their sometimes ugly heads in the Prequels. Here are a few possibilities to please those with speculative minds:

Probe/Patrol droid
Remember this little guy buzzing around the sandtroopers' heads? He is referred to as a Probe Droid in some sources and as a Patrol Droid on the Behind the Magic CDrom. Will he show up in the prequels? I'd say there is a fairly good chance. Darth Maul makes extensive use of some kind of Probe Droids in Episode One. I am not certain what kind or how many but I do know there are more than one. When he arrives on Tatooine, one of the first things he will do is send some probe droids out to search for the Queen and her party. It is one of these Probe Droids that eventually spots the Queen's ship in the desert and leads Darth Maul to the ship. There is also rumored to be a scene later on where Qui-Gon cuts a Probe Droid in half! Will the Probe Droids be these little guys from the Special Editions, ones like the Probe Droid in ESB, or a totally different design altogether? I think it's very possible that these little guys show up someplace no matter what.

Taxi/Airbus
One of the first glimpses of the Prequels came in the form of a great piece of artwork by Doug Chiang. This yellow craft has been called the Airbus and the Coruscant Taxi. It was seen at the end of the ROTJ:SE and is very impressive. What will its role be in the prequels? In Episode One, after all the Tatooine scenes (Pod Race, escape from Maul, etc.) the party consisting of Qui-Gon, Anakin, Padme and her handmaidens, Obi-Wan, Panaka, R2-D2 and Jar Jar arrive on Coruscant and are met by Chancellor Valorum and Senator Palpatine at the landing platform. From there, they take a taxi to their destinations.

ASP-7 droids
Whether or not these guys show up in the Prequels remains a mystery at this point but they do bear a striking resemblance to both the PIT droids and the BattleDroids. Were they prototypes for these droids? I do not know but they do share some similar features, especially the heads. They will probably show up in the background shots on Tatooine.

CG Jabba the Hutt
As stated many many times before, Jabba will most definitely be making a cameo in Episode One and in CG form. He has been rumored to look like a cross between the original puppet and the CG version from ANH:SE. He sits perched atop a throne watching the Pod Race and the pilots do bow to him before the race begins. There should also be Gamorrean Guards in this scene but nothing has been confirmed except the presence of the mighty Jabba himself.

Imperial Landing Craft
This transport ship was seen briefly in the ANH:SE during the CG dewback sequence. It is used for mass transport of troops and equipment. It's a cool looking ship and it's three-wing design echoes that of the Imperial Lambda-class shuttles. Will this craft show up in Episode One? I tend to say yes and here's why. If you go to my post below from 10/20/98 you will see my "Stowaway Theory". I think this theory is very close to the truth due to a few folks in the know who have reported in to me. In that post you will notice that there is a scene on the Federation ship where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan see a bunch of Battle Droids being loaded into a "landing craft". Could this be the same craft that was used in ANH:SE? I'd say that's a good bet. If so, then this is the ship Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan use to get to the surface of Naboo where they meet Mr. Jar Jar Binks. Pretty neat!

The Cantina Aliens
This one is a stretch and is purely speculative so stay with me here. In the cantina sequence in ANH:SE, we saw two new aliens. Where will they show up? One can only speculate at this point but my guess is that they will be background people. However, many folks have written me stating that they think the one guy with the turban might have been a prototype for Jar Jar or a Gungan. Well, he does have seem to almost have a duck-bill-shaped face like Jar Jar so I suppose that might be true, however unlikely. I tend to think that he will end up as another guy someplace in the background but there is another possibility. There is a character in a couple of scenes at the Pod Race that no one has really bothered with yet. His name is Fanta. He serves no purpose other than to view the race and interact with Jar Jar. I'm pretty sure he uses some kind of screen to view the race and that Jar Jar tries to look at it. He is probably sitting next to Jar Jar. Could this guy or one of those cantina aliens end up as Fanta? Of course the characters in the ANH:SE have been named and given their histories by West End Games already but that would not stop George from using one of the same aliens as this Fanta guy. I mean, it still bothers me that every Rodian male we've seen is dressed exactly the same. Fanta might even be just some human but I like this little theory. The cantina aliens are on Tatooine during ANH so maybe they stuck around for a few years after Episode One. Maybe they live there. Who knows? It's fun to speculate on the stuff but I wouldn't put too much stock in this one. I just thought you'd like to hear it and who else do I have to share these things with? Myself? Nah.

Rontos and Swoop bikes
I bet they show up. Someplace. Even if it's just in the background, I think we will definitely see at least one of them. They were a big success and looked great. How big a success? They made toys out of them so draw your own conclusions there. It shouldn't be too hard to throw a few into the background scenes.

The Victory Celebration Theme
This is another one that's probably a stretch. The new theme from the end of the ROTJ:SE was composed especially for the SE by John Williams. I really really love this theme and I hope with all my might that it shows up someplace even if it's in a different form or has another arrangement. The thing that makes me think that it is even remotely possible is that during the song we have the scenes where we see the Jedi Spirits of Yoda, Anakin and Obi-Wan together and at peace. It could subconsciously poke at the mind to hear some of the melody from the theme in the Prequels. It is not really necessary to include it, but it would be one more thing to link the "new" trilogy to the "classic" trilogy and I think it would be cool. I just love that theme. It's very "new-age".

Episode 1, Samuel L Jackson Quotes. I received a humorous email about combining Star Wars quotes with lines that Samuel L Jackson has said in Quentin Tarantino films. My source did not tell where he got this from, but T'bone has told me that this joke has been floating around many sites. Of course this is just for fun, and I do think we need a few good laughs from time to time. I should warn you, there is some harsh language, although it is really is just about the same about of swear words you would hear in a Tarantino film.

The TOP 10 Things We Want To Hear Samuel L. Jackson, "Jedi Master Mace Windu," say in the Star Wars Prequel.
[**Note: In case you didn't know, Samuel L. Jackson will be in the first prequel as the above character].

10. You don't need to see my goddamn identification, 'cause these ain't the motherfuckin' droids you're looking for.

9. Womp rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'll never know, 'cause even if it did I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfucker.

8. This is your father's lightsaber. When you absolutely, positively, have to kill every motherfuckin' Stormtrooper in the room... accept no substitutes.

7. If Obi-wan ain't home then I don't know what the fuck we're gonna do. I ain't got no other connections on Tattooine.

6. Feel the Force, motherfucker.

5. What ain't no planet I've ever heard of! Do they speak Bocce on What?

4. You sendin' the Fett? Shit, Hutt, that's all you had to say!

3. Yeah Chewie Rocky Horror's got a hair problem. What the brother gonna do? He's a wookie.

2. Does Jabba the Hutt look like a bitch?

1. Hand me my lightsaber... it's the one that says, "Bad Mother Fucker."

Editor's Note. I didn't post up the list of directors for Episode 2 and 3, because I spend all day thinking about should I upload the Episode 1 Trailer image. It was a hard choice to decide to keep it until November 20. I am sure some sites might post up this image soon. I could happily say that this image is worth the wait. I was totally amazed at how realistic the CG creature looks against real actors and a CG backdrop. Even though it is one image, I bet the trailer will really blow people out of their seats.

November 6, 1998

Episode 2 and 3 in Australia. I would like to thank Adam Gordon for helping my out yesterday. You see I had a memory issue on my PC, but I will talk about that later. Lucas had a meeting in Australia I assume after he inspected the 20th Century Fox Australian Facilities. And this is what was posted on the Official Site.

Star Wars
Comes To Fox Studios Australia SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, November 3, 1998 - Lucasfilm Ltd. and Fox Studios Australia today announced Star Wars Episodes II and III would be made at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney.
The announcement was made at the studios by Star Wars director George Lucas , producer Rick McCallum and Fox Studios Australia chief executive Kim Williams.
George Lucas is currently writing Episode II, with shooting scheduled to begin at Fox Studios Australia in 2000.
George Lucas: "Sydney is a wonderful location for the film - it's an exciting city, with a reputation for highly professional and experienced crews and now great production facilities. We're looking forward to bringing Star Wars here and working with talented Australians."
Kim Williams: "Lucasfilm is one of the world's pre-eminent production companies, and the ground-breaking Star Wars saga has a firm place in the hearts of movie-goers worldwide. They are magnificent stories told by an unrivalled storyteller - George Lucas. Fox Studios Australia is delighted and privileged to be part of these next chapters of film-making history.
Rick McCallum: "We have long been interested in working in Australia with its incredible pool of talent. We now have that opportunity at the wonderful facilities at Fox Studios Australia, and look forward to further developing the already strong relationship we have established with Kim Williams and Fox' Studios manager Rod Allan. They have been invaluable in providing support and knowledge, and have been instrumental in our decision to shoot here."
News Ltd. chief executive Lachlan Murdoch: "The next Star Wars chapters will introduce a whole new generation of movie-goers to this fantastic saga. To do so from the production base at Fox Studios Australia shows the care and commitment that has been taken through the studios' development."
The announcement comes after more than a year of discussions between Rick McCallum and Fox Studios Australia.
New South Wales will benefit from the hundreds of jobs created by the wide range of advanced skills required to mount a production of this complexity.
Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) was released by Fox in 1977. It was followed by The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) in 1980 and Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) in 1983.
A Special Edition of the trilogy released in 1997 marked the 20th anniversary of Star Wars. The films were digitally remastered and featured stunning new sequences, and the success of the Special Edition was without precedent in box office history.
Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace was filmed in the United Kingdom last year and is now in post-production in California. It goes back a full generation to reveal the origins of Darth Vader, and is scheduled for release in the United States on May 21, 1999.
Episodes I, II and III of the Star Wars films will be distributed by 20th Century Fox. Fox will also handle worldwide video distribution.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the leading film and entertainment companies in the world. Its businesses include George Lucas' film and television production activities, and the activities of the THX Group. Lucasfilm's feature films have won 17 Oscars and received 56 Academy Award nominations. Its television products have won 12 Emmy Awards.
Fox Studios Australia is one of the world's most sophisticated film production facilities, with six sound stages, comprehensive post-production services and tenants drawn from some of the leading providers in the film and television industry. A 50-50 joint venture between News Corporation and Lend Lease Corporation, it officially opened in 1998 and has already been used for the two largest films made in Australia to date: Babe: Pig in the City and The Matrix.

Lucas to direct Episode 2 and 3? Well, this is printed up in Sydney newspaper during the press conference. Now the article is in correct, Lucas never said he would direct Episode 2 and 3 in the conference. But I find this interesting anyway. I got this from that "Shag-A-Delic" site know as Cinescape.

Lucas To Direct Episode Two and Three?
Amidst a flurry of news reports streaming into the Insider’s computer comes an interesting report from the Sydney Morning Herald which reports that "Lucas anticipates directing [Star Wars: Episode Two and Episode Three], as well as writing and executive producing." This comment was made as part of a broader article on the announcement that the two prequel follow-ups would film in Australia and, while not directly quoting Lucas, do attribute such commentary to the director. Other revelations made by the paper included the claim that Lucas is building digital cameras that will allow shooting without film as well as the fact that "other roles will be filled with Australian actors."

Ain't It Cool News get the official word on the Trailer. Ain't It Cool News got this in from the press conference from the official source Rick McCallum. Just read it, I know everyone would kill to know where and when will it appear.

No more guess work regarding the Trailer for Episode One. Rick McCallum speaks to AICN Reporters in Australia!
Alright, these fellas talked face to face with the number 2 man himself, and here's the word. Here ya go...

'Tis us again, with some news that just simply cannot be held off any longer.
Let there be no more speculation, as we've just returned from a "face to face" session with Rick McCallum himself, where he answered a number of questions regarding production in general, with attention naturally focused on The Phantom Menace (and yes, this *is* the title, and *will NOT*, repeat, NOT, change)
After the session, he continued conversing with a small group of keen delegates, including ourselves.
We could not help but pop the question, "How's the trailer going?"
It's done. The teaser trailer had its final sound check this morning (Oz time). George and Rick viewed it via satellite, and according to Rick, the green light has now been signalled.
In his words, the teaser is "fantastic", "amazing" and numerous other superlatives. So, it's done kiddies.
When? Heh, as Rick said "The 20th". So we suggest you get yer butts to the cinemas on that Friday, and catch some new releases. And there's going to be something like 20,000 copies, so none of this nonsense about limited screenings...and the story ran on AICN earlier this week is all news to Rick (we asked him).
Oh and we'll slip in this other tidbit (which we'll explain in more detail after the conference). It is Lucas' intention to shoot Ep 2 and 3 entirely with digital cameras. In addition, distribution will be via both film and digital channels for Ep2, and *only* digital for Ep 3 in 2005 should digital distribution for Ep2 prove successful in terms industry acceptance.
Well, again we must fly. Thank god this nonsense with respect to the trailer is now over. If Rick's wrong, you can all slag Rick. :)
Producer BoB and CreepStar
PS. No sign of Spielberg...could be a hoax, however Katzenberg is in town, and happened to walk right out in front of us in with Val Kilmer, to hold a press conference re: Prince of Egypt.

Trailer rumors. These were posted on The Force Net. They are just rumors that I think that everyone should just keep an eye on and not too take too seriously.

11/4/98: UPDATE!!! - TRAILER RUMORS - TAKE 427 and PODS
12:30 am CST
UPDATE - Our contact that said there's no showings in Denver wrote to correct me. They didn't say there were NO advance screenings going to happen. There will be advance screenings, but it's just not going to be this weekend. Stay tuned for more details.
OK, here's the latest and greatest on the trailer. Overnight we received word from Philip Wise's contact (who also contacted Yakface.com and Nerf-Herder.com) that the trailer has been yanked from the Denver theater. It won't be showing. Apparently Fox was unhappy about word getting out about it and pulled it. Still, it sounds like Fox was/is planning to do test screenings SOMEWHERE in the U.S. But, of course, there's still time for them to change their mind.
We also had another reliable source contact us and say there are NO advance screenings of the trailer. It ain't happening. They said that an Official announcement will be made and you'll know exactly WHEN and WHERE you'll be able to see the trailer. Their advice was to forget all the rumors and wait for the official announcement.
So what are we going to do? Well, it's been a while since I saw a good movie, so I plan to see the Siege anyway. If the trailer is tested, great. If not, no big whoop. So keep watching the Official Site, cause it doesn't take much imagination to figure out that's where we'll be able to find out the final word on the trailer.

11/3/98: TRAILER WOES
11:30 pm EST
Kids..it's enough to make a die hard prequel news hound go cryin' home to Mama. The prequel news floodgates have come crashing open with trailer reports from all over...and guess what...they're all different. Not only that but they're mostly from seemingly reliable sources. So sit back, relax (if you can), while we shoot straight about the REAL "phantom menace"...the trailer!
This afternoon we heard that a theater in Denver was told by Fox that the Episode I trailer would be shown in their theater Friday with a print of The Siege (see the full report below). After obtaining verbal confirmation from the theater staff we ran the initial report. Since then, we've received specific information from seemingly more reliable sources indicating that the trailer will not appear anywhere without some sort of official announcement having been made in advance. This backs up what we had heard previously, but a memo at a theater from 20th Century Fox naturally changed our minds. What could have happened is that this thing was scheduled to go off this way and Lucasfilm pulled out at the last minute for whatever reason, or maybe someone jumped the gun somewhere at Fox. Fox wasn't anticipating a delay on the trailer's release and so maybe some memos got out...with this one in Denver arriving last Monday. In addition to this we've heard conflicting reports all night, from various sources. It's obvious that only a select few folks know exactly what's going on with this thing. We've heard it all tonight! So let's keep our eyes peeled for that official announcement, and our ear to the ground for more confused rumblings. Even though the location and release date for the trailer doesn't hold up between the reports that we've gotten, the one thing that does is the format. Several different sources have indicated that the trailer is in two parts. The first part to be show before the film and the last part, a true "trailer", being shown after the end credits. Does this jive with the trailer format that we read about on Dark Horizons? That scenario has checked out all around. So let's see if what ends up holding water. :) Stay tuned for more from the head spinning world of Star Wars fandom on the Internet.

11/3/98: PREQUEL TRAILER IN DENVER (& MORE???)
6:00 pm EST
Big news folks! TFN has it on good authority that the Continental Theater in Denver Colorado will be "test screening" the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I this Friday with their copy of Fox Film's The Siege. The Continental 6 is home to the largest screen in the state of Colorado and of course carries the THX certification. It's important to note that Denver is the home of the Official Star Wars Fan Club. The preview will apparently be shown in 2 parts, the first before the show (it's the only trailer to be attached to the film), and the second will be shown after the ending credits. Thanks to Phillip Wise at Rebelscum.com for the tip. We've also heard that this preview will show up in 5 other cities across the US.
Developing....

I have just received confirmation from the head of Fox Distribution here in Dallas that the prequel trailer will debut in two parts before The Waterboy and Meet Joe Black in select cities on November 17, and November 17 only. It will be released everywhere November 20. The select cities are still pending, but Chicago is a confirmed yes, while Dallas is a confirmed no (he did think Texas had a city selected, but was not sure which, except, it wasn't Dallas). It will NOT debut this week before The Siege (as rumored) due to its R rating (Star Wars has a base that extends just beyond the 17 and up restriction, it seems). Again, this comes directly from the mouth of Fox's head of distribution in Dallas.
(Harry)Well here's where things get goofy. I've corresponded with an alleged projectionist that absolutely swears that THEFORCE.NET's story is dead true, and that Denver will indeed get it. I guess the best thing to do folks is just to stay calm.... breathe in and out, and await confirmation or denial this Thursday. This speculative stuff will just drive you crazy otherwise. I have people with almost every production in the country swearing their film will be the one that has this trailer. Until you see it for yourself... DO NOT BELIEVE IT! You should only see a movie if you want to see that movie. And IF the trailer is out there. Places like here and THEFORCE.NET will be trying to let you know. We are all dying to see it ourselves. Stay tuned...

Just thought I'd clarify some of the stuff circulating about the Star Wars trailer, especially as it regards these supposed showings of the trailer in select cities on such films as MEET JOE BLACK, et al.
According to my source at Fox, only a select few top Fox execs have even seen the thing, much less been able to take steps to lock it into any theaters at this time. Fox' advertising and promotional campaign for Episode One does not officially commence until Thanksgiving week, and as per the terms of that arrangement, LucasFilm is obligated to provide the studio with a trailer no later than that week, and certainly no sooner. It will not go on THE SIEGE due to that film's R-rating and it's pre-Thanksgiving release.
At this stage, the trailer is 99.9% going to be attached to A Bug's Life, at least initially, and then spread out across a number of other features (Star Trek, Thin Red Line, etc) throughout the month of December. The "2-part" trailer (designed to keep people in their seats until the end of the movie) is a complete fallacy.
Booster Gold @ The Warner Commisary, Restroom, 2nd Stall to the left

LATEST ON THE TRAILER
11/03/98: 11:40pm EST: By now, most of you have surely come across te latest rumors concerning The Trailer That Matters (ugh)... Anyway, from all accounts the reports appear to be accurate. Supposedly, a "handful" of theaters will be getting advanced prints of THE TRAILER ahead of time as a "test screening" of sorts. Philip Wise as well as Yakface.com first reported this latest trailer news, and TF.Net and AICN also had reports. It looks like the trailer will ship initially in "5 or 6 markets" (that's cities) and then everywhere later on. Which towns will be the first lucky few? Well, the initial reports indicate that a theater in Denver has been "confirmed" as having the trailer for this weekend's opening of "The Siege". The strange thing is... the reports claim that the trailer will be shown in 2 parts: one BEFORE the film (basically a "set-up" for the "meat" of the trailer) and the second AFTER the feature presentation (if true, this would be a clever way for FOX to assure their film will be seen in its entirety). There have also been conflicting reports of Dallas being one of the "test" cities. Sources also claim San Francisco will "surely" be one. And if this is truly as "test" thing, then chances are an East Coat (New York?), a Midwest (Chicago?), and perhaps even a Southeastern city will get it as well. It's still a little early to tell exactly what its going on... but you can bet we (and of course the other prequel sites) will try our best to stay on top of this interesting bit of "news"...

THE TRAILER ON "ET"??
11/04/98: 12:05am EST: Received an as yet unconfirmed scoop from someone who claims to be from FOX and sent in the following. (Again, we cannot confirm that this person is really a FOX employee, or that this information is accurate... but it seems plausible, so here it is for your perusal):

"..There are some people at "Entertainment Tonight" who are VERY MUCH trying to get "exclusive Television rights" to the upcoming Star Wars : The Phantom Menace trailer. This is a common practice for them, and it doesn't mean that Lucas and News Corp. will grant them this, but it very well might happen. If it does, I am hearing that you can expect to see ET's "exclusive first look" at the trailer around the same time it ships to theaters nationwide, if not a few days sooner. They have done this with other "big" trailers in the past. It will be interesting to see if Lucas goes for it."

There you have it, folks. Again... can't confirm anything (yet)... but it might not hurt to keep an eye on "Entertainment Tonight" for the next few weeks, especially given their past (and current) relationship with Lucasfilm.

Press conferance information. This is information some people got that was not posted on the official site. I wish someone could get a transcript of the whole thing. First up is from Ain't It Cool News.

We've (thats CreepStar and Producer Bob) just returned from a press conference held right here in Sydney Aust. at the FOX Studios, where George Lucas has announced along with Rick Mac and Ken Williams (Aust. FOX Studios CEO), that not only will Episode 2 be filmed in Australia, BUT ALSO EPISODE 3!!!!
We'll do up a full report and forward you some more pictures that were taken very soon, but we've included a snap now to show our legitimacy.
Some nice little tidbits of info to drool over in the meantime (before the world press catches up, heh).
1. Set construction shall commence in Sydney in October next year (1999)
2. Shooting in April 2000
3. Release likely to be 2002 for Ep 2.
4. Production of EP3 in 2003
5. Major actors (bar Liam Neeson) will return.
Keep an eye on CNN and ET for media coverage...local stations for Australia.
More to come!!
Producer BoB and CreepStar

PLUS I JUST GOT THIS IN...

Harry, I know you've heard that there is a news conference at the FOX studios in Sydney today, I thought you'd like to see the first piece of news to hit the wire services:
NSW; Lucas to film Star Wars here
SYDNEY, Nov 4 AAP - George Lucas, the famed director and creator of the Star Wars trilogy, announced today he would film the second and third installments of his "prequel series" in Sydney.
Star Wars episodes II and III will begin pre-production in October 1999 and filming in 2000.
At a cost of $120 million a movie, Lucas said it had been a long ambition of his to work in Australia.
Lucas is currently putting the finishing touches to Episode I which reveals the origins of Darth Vader. It's scheduled for release in May next year.
"Sydney is a wonderful location for the film. It's an exciting city with a reputation for highly professional and experienced crews and now great production facilities," he said.
"We're looking forward to bringing Star Wars here and working with talented Australians," he said.
AAP jd/sb/bwl
Cheers-
JaseTheHack

More Info On Prequel Oz Filming
The trades hit this morning with some additional insight on Lucasfilm plans to film the next two chapters of the Star Wars saga at Fox Studios Australia. Episode Two is now on schedule to head into pre-production in October (although it’s logical to assume that some substantial development for the follow-ups has already occurred) with photography set to start in April, 2000. Episode Three is slated to go into production in 2003 with the budget for the next two chapters pegged at $120 million apiece.
"The time has come when we wanted to be closer to my side of the world rather than traipsing back and forth to the U.K.," explained George Lucas at a press conference. "Sydney is a wonderful location for the film. It’s an exciting city, with a reputation for highly professional and experienced crews and now great production facilities." The Fox Studio Australia facilities will also provide a post-production base for the films unlike The Phantom Menace which filmed in England and is being completed in California.

Lucas Talks Digital Characters
During his appearance in the land down under George Lucas made a number of comments about the impact that digital characters have made on the Star Wars universe. "One of the biggest problems I've had in the past is that most of the characters had to be made out of latex," the director tells the Associated Press. "It is very hard to direct around a large rubber thing that can't move very well. I've got digital characters [in the prequels] which can actually walk and talk with live action characters and do a performance," he said. Okay, okay, I know it’s nothing revelatory, but considering how little Lucas talks about Star Wars himself the Insider will take any quote I can get.

Episode Two’ Filming Date
Contrary to the trade reports that had photography on the second prequel starting up in April, 2000, the Australian-based newspaper The Age claims that George Lucas told them that filming would begin a few months earlier in January, 2000. Also, the ABIX news service in the land down under is reporting that Lucasfilm reps are believed to have scouted out "suitable lunar landscapes" in the Coober Pedy and Flinders Ranges areas of Southern Australia.

More Info On Prequel Oz FilmingStar Wars: The Phantom Menace: Weeks ago the rumours began that the second and possibly third "Star Wars" prequel would be filmed in Sydney, Australia. Well George Lucas officially confirmed it yesterday at a press conference, and within minutes a press release became available. The most important points garnered from both the release and the conference are listed below, and were compiled with thanks to 'Zeroin', 'NeMoNiC', 'Dac', 'scream trilo', 'Saccade', 'Carl', 'Tha Man', 'DaveyJones', 'Monkey Boy', 'Adam', 'Eric', 'Rhys', 'Matt', 'Kelpie242', 'Bellsy', 'Luv', 'Bubonik', 'Clint', 'Kim', 'Seth', 'Jukka' & 'Stuart':
- Pre-production on Episode Two begins in October '99 with shooting to commence in April 2000 (meaning it will wrap up about the time the Olympics start).
- The majority of filming will take place in soundstages in the Sydney FOX Studios or nearby outer locations. Some international locations will again be used (eg. Tunisia), and unconfirmed rumours have sprung up today that some shooting may possibly be done near or on Uluru (aka. Ayers Rock).
- Both Episodes 2 & 3 will be budgeted at $120 million each. The budget of 'The Phantom Menace' is just under that (around $100-110 million).
- While Lucas mentioned he wanted to shot here because of the 'good talent available', its unofficially thought to be mainly due to the advantage of using the studio's state-of-the-art facilities for a fraction of the cost of using the same gear in the US (ie. more bang for each buck).
- Post-production will likely be done in San Fransisco, if not then in Sydney.
- We will get to see Darth Vader wear his mask for the first time at the end of Episode Three.
- Hi-tech new cameras are set to be ready for start of shooting, their main purpose to be making the integration of digital & live-action characters/backgrounds smoother.
- 95% of 'The Phantom Menace' involved digital work of some sort, 50% of the characters were computer-generated.
- Episode Two will be released in 2002, Episode Three will be filmed in 2003.
- (Spoiler) It's been revealed Liam Neeson will NOT be in either Episode Two or Three.
- The script for Episode Two is being written now and Lucas said he was 'likely' to direct it.

Ain't It Cool News rumors on Williams and Episode 3. Okay like always these are just rumors; don't take them too serious. And I got these from Ain't It Cool News.

Hi this is Alex, that bowler hat wearing jock-strapped guy from London.
I've got a fantastic scoop for you: A friend of mine who shall remain anonymous, works at the Barbican where you will remember John Williams recently held some absolutely fantastic concerts. He was present along with just John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra at the get together after the last nights show in July, his parting words to the group were "Anyway I'll see you all soon in February for the Star Wars films"
This is good news as it means Williams will use the world best LSO for the prequels, rather than the inferior Boston Pops or a studio orchestra as he has been using recently. My friend will thus be present at the sessions in February as part of the sound tech crew and will be privy to the early demo recordings!

Call me 'Quark' for anonymity's sake. Anyway, I have some delightful little 'inside' information on a very likely title for Episode III of the prequel trilogy! I just finished a recent 3-month stint working as an intern (that dreaded word) at Lucasfilm, Ltd.'s Los Angeles-area offices. During my tenure, I had the distinct pleasure of filing and sealing numerous letters, invoices, spreadsheets, etc. Incidentally, one particular memo caught my eye: a freshly typed memo addressed directly to George Lucas, c/o Skywalker Ranch. The document contained an elaborate cost and budget schedule for the first episode and some projected data of a similar nature for Episodes II and III. Episode II was marked simply "Ep2," but Episode III was labeled "Ep3. Fall of the Jedi." As such, I have a feeling Mr. Lucas is leaning toward Fall of the Jedi for the title of his third installment. The title could be a tentative one, or possibly another elaborate hoax. Nevertheless, I'm willing to wager the farm (or Ranch, as it were) that George is going with it. One reason stands out in my mind: the continuity. Fall of the Jedi ties in brilliantly with Episode VI's title Return of the Jedi. George has often stated that the 'true theme' of the Star Wars series was 'redemption' (as in Anakin's). Fall of the Jedi would imply that Anakin experiences his "fall from grace" (we know George loves his mythological archetypes!) and that the last remaining Jedi "fall" from existence. The rise of Luke as a new Jedi Knight and the salvation of Anakin's soul in Episode VI would thus grant Return of the Jedi all the more depth behind its title. In short -- FotJ is too perfect not to be the title. I'll keep you guys posted if I find out any more. >=)

Nintendo gets Episode 1 not Sony. Star Wars Masters of the Teria Kasi seems to be the last game Lucasarts and the last Star Wars game to be on the Playstation. Lucasarts has signed a deal to make 2 games for the Nintendo 64 and Gameboy (I assume the color Gameboy will be out by then). And Lucasarts will make a PC game, no word on what type of game style it will be. I heard about this from various sources, but the following is from Next Generation. Next Generation is a site that I really rely on when it comes to my video game need.

LucasArts, Nintendo Deal Explained
In a deal that many have misunderstood, Nintendo and LucasArts have announced a worldwide five-year agreement for three new Star Wars games.
November 3, 1998
Two of the games will be based on the upcoming 1999 Star Wars feature film, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and will debut exclusively on home consoles for Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. However, these titles will appear concurrently on the Personal Computer.
According to the Nintendo announcment of this deal, Nintendo has "limited exclusivity" to the titles, which many mews sources (including NPR's All Things Considered) have reported as a complete exclusive for games based on the Phantom Menace to the Nintendo platforms.
However, according to LucasArts, this is not the case. Nintendo has no exclusive on any single game or any genre for its platforms vis a vis Phantom Menace. What they do have is the exclusive debut on home platforms for all LucasArts games based on the Phantom menace for a period of days. In other words, when a LucasArts game comes out on a home platform it will debut for home consoles on Nintendo first and after an undisclosed period will be available on other platforms.
Nintendo does have a five year "sales agreement" with LucasArts. A LucasArts spokesperson could not go into detail on the specifics of the deal at press time. We will have more details tomorrow.
We do know that under terms of the agreement, Nintendo will market each of the games and hold exclusive worldwide distribution rights for five years following the release of each game for the Nintendo versions of these titles. The PC version will be distributed by LucasArts (and Activision in the UK). No word is yet available on other platform availability, but plans are for other platform versions to be distributed by LucasArts (though that might change in coming days).
All of the N64 and Color GameBoy specific titles will be distributed exclusively by Nintendo. But again, Nintendo does not have an exclusive for all platforms.
"The Star Wars franchise is undeniably one of the gold-plated entertainment properties of the 20th century," beamed Nintendo of America's chairman, Howard Lincoln. "This agreement, launching new Star Wars video games surrounding the eagerly-anticipated new Star Wars movie, propels both Nintendo and LucasArts aggressively into the new century of interactive entertainment."
"When the Star Wars saga began on film, it existed only in a traditional narrative form," explained LucasArts president, Jack Sorensen, "but interactive play added a new dimension to Star Wars, and Episode I will further redefine what LucasArts can achieve in gaming. We believe these new high-resolution titles on Nintendo 64 will allow our fans to feel a part of the Star Wars saga as never before."
The Episode I feature film is scheduled to premiere next May. Like the film, the games will introduce a new cast of characters, new settings, and a new story line. LucasArts will develop and publish the Nintendo 64 versions of these upcoming games, while Nintendo will develop the same titles for its Game Boy Color.
The next Star Wars title to be released by LucasArts, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, will be available in North America on December 7th for N64.

More on LucasArts, Nintendo
We've learned more details on the LucasArts/Nintendo deal...and we have a hint at the first game.
November 4, 1998
Yesterday we reported on the LucasArts and Nintendo sales agreement. A number of news sources, including AP and NPR inaccurately reported that Nintendo had snagged an exclusive deal for all games based on the Star Wars Episode 1: the Phantom Menace.
NGO has learned from a reliable source that the first game to be released on N64 will likely be a racing game featuring ships from Episode 1. We'll use this as an example to explain the deal.
Nintendo has the exclusive right to premiere this racing game for home consoles (though a PC version can come out at the same time -- and will). After a number of days (not yet disclosed), the racing game can come to PlayStation or Dreamcast. But there's an additional catch.
LucasArts will not release any other racing game for any other home console during the exclusive debut period. So, though Nintendo does not have a permanent exclusive on the titles or the genres, their limited period debut exclusive does extend to both the specific title (say, "Anakin Skywalker Goes Fishing") and the specific genre (fishing sims).
However, this does not mean that LucasArts can't debut other games based on the Phantom Menace at the same time or even before the Nintendo titles. For instance, the day Anakin Skywalker Goes Fishing comes out, LucasArts might release Liam Neeson Goes Bowling for the Dreamcast.
Obviously, both Anakin Skywalker Goes Fishing and Liam Neeson Goes Bowling are in no way related to actual titles in development. God, we hope not.
A LucasArts spokesman told us earlier today that more details on the coming Phantom Menace titles will be available at the beginning of 1999.

Commercial of Mase Windu Figure. Okay I posted up a few images before of the Mase Windu figure advertisement. The Force Net has been cool enough to post up a video file of the commercial. Here is a link for it, if you don't have the time or the space.

Editor's Note. Thanks Adam for your help. I was unable to work on my PC, I have a about 300k in my primary drive. I have been about to remove about 50 MB, which will do for a while. But what I really need is a bigger hard drive. Hey if there is anyone out there who has any opinion on how to make room on a Hard Drive emails me; I can use the help. I did write up 5 directors on who I think who should work on Episode 2 or 3. Because of these memory issues on my PC. I was unable to save it, so I have to rewrite it. So I hope I can do that by tomorrow. Just for a preview I will tell you who I wrote up on, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Luc Besson, George Lucas, and Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. Don't worry you will see it up soon.

November 3, 1998

Just announced...news on Star Wars Episodes II and III. Star Wars Episodes II and III will be made at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. The announcement was made eariler today at Fox Studios Australia by George Lucas, Rick McCallum and Fox Studios Australia chief executive Kim Williams. Lucas is currently writing Episode II, and shooting scheduled to begin in Australia during the year of 2000. Episode III is schedules to begin shooting around 2002-2003. Lucas says: "Sydney is a wonderful location for the film - it's an exciting city, with a reputation for highly professional and experienced crews and now great production facilities. We're looking forward to bringing Star Wars here and working with talented Australians." Fox Studios Australia is one of the world's most sophisticated film production facilities, with six sound stages, comprehensive post-production services and tenants drawn from some of the leading providers in the film and television industry. The Phantom Menace isn't even out yet but I'm excited about Episodes II and III!! (comment by Adam) You can get the full press release from starwars.com here.

November 2, 1998

Another Lynn Hale Video Diary. I was in just total awe when I saw the Ree Ray's eye and mouth moving flawlessly. For those who do not know what a Ree Ray is he is one of the creatures that you saw in Jabba's Palace. And if you played Jedi knight then you have fought against them. In this video they talk to the Nick Dudman , who makes the creatures effects for the film. I am in total astonishment over how well detail and how original some of their creatures are. I always had a feeling that in Episode 1 the creatures would be simple not too much movement like A New Hope. And I assumed that Lucas would have added more movement with some CG. This video is not just about redesigning classic creatures, they also new creatures. One that I was really impressed with was a member of the senate. Oh well, look at me babbling on about this.... Why don't you check out the video and these great images?

T'bone reveals a funny moment in Episode 1. Like I have said before, T'bone reveal things in a certain time. It is not like he will tell the whole film all in one posting. He will do it little by little every day. Oh well, if you want to read it I must warn you it is a spoiler. And make sure to visit T'Bone Fender's Star Wars Universe

"*** Anyone Hungry? ***
Happy Halloween!

Here's a treat for you. New source Mr. Hankey (yes, I can vouch for his validity), reports in with a great scene description. This scene takes place after Anakin befriends Qui-Gon, Padme, Jar Jar and R2-D2 on Tatooine not long after they have met. Anakin takes the group home and after showing off his "droid" (C-3PO) to Padme (see previous post below) they all sit down for a humble dinner where they talk about slavery and the upcoming Pod Race. During this scene, something funny happens while at the dinner table amidst the conversation.

Behold Mr. Hankey:

Qui-Gon, Anakin, Padme, Shmi and Jar Jar are all gathered around the dinner table. The conversation is focused on Anakin, mentioning his skills as a pilot and that he is taking part in a Pod Race the next day. Anakin says that he is the only human who can actually fly a Pod Racer. Qui-Gon says, "They have Pod Racing on Malastare. I hear it's very dangerous". Anakin says that he will use his winnings from the race to help Qui-Gon and the others repair their ship. Leftovers are lying in a plate in the center of the table that everyone is picking from. Jar Jar flicks his long tongue out to grab a piece of food. As it stretches out, Qui-Gon, without blinking, snaps his hand out at lightning speed and catches the Gungan's tongue in mid air! He says calmy but firmly, "Don't do that again".

This is going to be one of those cool little comedic moments in the Star Wars Saga. You can liken it to when Han does a "Fonzie" on the Millenium Falcon or when Chewie growles at the Mouse Droid (though both of those were reportedly improvised on-set). It's a quickie, but a memorable one. Can't wait to see it! On a different note...where in the galaxy is Malastare?!??! Probably just some planet that gets mentioned in passing ala Dantooine or Ord Mantell. Still pretty neat though. Didn't see that one coming. Thank you, Mr. Hankey!"

Episode 1 Trailer news and rumors. Okay, I can't really say anyone of these are article is news. The only thing that would be news is that we might se a trailer before Thanksgiving. Of course you could also say that that is a rumor. But these are rumors of films where we might find the trailer. The first one is from Cinescape.

‘Phantom Menace’ Trailer Info
"It’s not true." That’s the blunt assessment from Fox studio exec Tom Sherak of recent rumors that the trailer to Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace would make its way onto the reels preceding The Siege. Although this info was tipped to Insider readers last week, the New York Times got the Fox honcho to go on the record about when and where the trailer will show up.
According to the Times report, citing Fox sources, Lucas is eager to grant fans their first peek at The Phantom Menace promo materials before Thanksgiving and include not only the trailer but "printed material on the film that will be appearing in theaters shortly." If true, this would shoot down the theory that the first theatrical release of the 2 minute and 5 second trailer could be attached to Paramount’s Star Trek: Insurrection or Dreamworks’ Prince of Egypt. The trailer will also NOT preem before A Bug’s Life or Babe: Pig in the City which will highlight Mighty Joe Young and Patch Adams respectively.
Sherak tells the Times that "We’re going to have fun with [the release of the trailer]," but the paper concludes with a "hint" as to where the trailer will debut. Where could that be? "Remember where the title was first announced," the paper questions. "It makes sense that the teaser trailer information will show up there too."

TRAILER LIKELY ON "THIN RED LINE"
Our source at FOX, "FoxTrot", has come forward to voice his support for the trailer description that was posted on Dark Horizons. Whatever it is, it is definitely the real deal, folks. Sources for other sites, such as TheForce.Net, are also "confirming" that the trailer report is accurate. And now "FoxTrot" has heard from several people within 20th Century Fox that, yes... this is the trailer that was/is being prepared for theatrical (and presumably online) release. Here is his report:
"1) The rumors of the trailer being attached to "The Siege" were true... sord of. SOME people at FOX reportedly preferred it to ship with "Siege" instead of another film, but it likely won't happen. As of 10/25... the trailer was still "in production"."
"2) Word has it that you can pretty much go ahead and pencil in "The Thin Red Line" as the film that will come with THE MOST ANTICIPATED TRAILER OF ALL TIME. It's the next big FOX release, but there are a couple of problems with attaching the trailer to this one. The first and most obvious is the fact that the film is Rated R and is going to be a 3 hour plus bloody World War II drama, much like "Saving Private Ryan" was, if not even more bleak. Also, the film is (right now, anyway) slated as a platform release, which means it may only open in a few cities on Christmas Day, and then everywhere else a week or two (or more) after that. Naturally, if an Episode I trailer is going to be attached on a film that is only opening in a few (or as few as TWO) cities... that might be a bit of a PR problem. Then again, it might be even better for publicity and drum up more interest in the trailer and the release of "The Thin Red Line". Also, there have been RUMORS that the people behind starwars.com would like the trailer to appear on the Official Website FIRST. But that's just rumor, and I doubt FOX would be giddy to do that, given the fact that the trailer will surely boost the box office potential of ANY film it debuts with, likely being "The Thin Red Line"."
3) As far as the speculation behing the title being different than "The Phantom Menace"... I did some investigating around FOX... it seems to be a touchy subject. That might not mean anything, could be that they (and Lucasfilm) are just getting tired of everyone doubting the title and asking if it's real. But you bring up an interesting point when you said that the trailer report said the title was different and that the official title announcement post has apparently been removed from www.starwars.com. We should know more soon, and definitely by Christmas."

Thanks for the report, "FoxTrot". Personally, I really do hope that the trailer ships with "The Thin Red Line". I've been looking forward to that film anyway. But here's to hoping we ALL get to see it on opening day, 12/25/98!! Also, let's hope that the trailer is at least finished by THEN. Sheesh.

Trailer rumors are a dime a dozen and several sites have given up on posting them. But we figure if you're here, then you want to hear what the buzz on the street is. So here ya go. This comes from Brent Lynch who may be known to many of you. And if you know him, you know he's generally up on his Star Wars rumors.
Add a really wacky trailer play-with possibility, Fox's WAKING NED DEVINE which goes into theaters on November 20th. Turns out the trailer in the works could never have been done in time for THE SIEGE, but it *should* be done in time for Fox's Searchlight division's FULL MONTY for this year. (Not exactly sure what he means by "FULL MONTY", but there it is - eds.)
Which actually makes a great deal of sense, WAKING NED DEVINE is a PG/PG-13 comedy as opposed to an Academy Award platform released R rated war film (and while it will be a limited release there will be a few hundred prints struck up as opposed to say, um, two) and that will allow Fox to make the trailer available unattached for the Thanksgiving Weekend (i.e. it can run pretty much on whatever theater chain advertising departments want it to run with) and all the following major winter releases.
Plus it's got people with funny Irish accents. ;)
I mean, undoubtedly the SW prequel trailer will run with THE THIN RED LINE no matter what, but the above allows a debut with a Fox film vaguely suitable and release with all the other fabled non-Fox holiday films (i.e. PRINCE OF EGYPT, A BUGS LIFE, STAR TREK: INSURRECTION)

Interesting theory! Hopefully it will pan out. No matter what, though, we've heard that there will be absolutely NO doubt where the trailer will be seen before it comes out, i.e. something like the Official Web Site will announce where you'll see it first. The latest report on Cinescape seems to back that notion up.

Episode 1 sneak preview playset. This was posted on the official Galoob site. In the playset preview you get a Gain Speeder, a section of the Theed Palace (a stairway and an arch, just like some of the pictures we have seen), 2 battle droids, a Naboo foot soldier and Captain Panaka. No availability date has been announced, but you can just check out some of the pictures they have. I do not want to post too many pictures of the figures that and we are having some memory issues here at the Star Wars Network. So I assume that maybe later I will post these images if I am up to it.

The Force Net script quote. If you were at The Force Net this Halloween then you would have seen the poll on what is the quote. Well this was the poll result.

The effects of Palpatine using the Dark Side become apparent when we see he has lost his hair and is wearing a wig to cover his hair loss. (324) 15%
We discover that Anakin Skywalker's nickname is "Annie". (467) 21%
Our first view of the Gungan people are during a tribal dance number in Otoh Gunga. (1027) 47%
In the ending celibration scene, Peko Peko birds are seen pecking battledroid heads like drums, similar to the Ewoks at the end of ROTJ. (357)

"So what was the answer? Well, if you read the quotes reported right below the question, you might have seen we accidentally gave away the answer. DOH!! Once and Aggie, always an Aggie. Anyway, the real report is that Anakin's nickname in the prequel is "Annie". Yup, that's correct! I'm personally visualizing a scene in the later episodes similar to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Anakin kills a bunch of guys, then turns to Ben and says, "DON'T CALL ME ANNIE!" Or how about one of the classic Lucas sunset shots, and Anakin singing, "The sun will come out....tomorrow!" :) Sorry about that. Anyway, who are we to question The Flanneled One. One of our favorite characters is called "Chewie" for cryin' out loud."

More The Force Net Episode information. The Force Net has also posted up more goodies.

Not much is known about Darth Sidious, but one of our informants has had the opportunity to see him. What does he look like? Highlight to find out:
He is seen in person and he looks almost exactly like the Emperor in the original trilogy. He has a black hood. Only lower half of his deadly white face is visible. Also his voice is very similar to Emperor's in ROTJ.

They also had some info on Jar Jar:
He's finished in almost all shots and looks really cool. I was afraid he'll be too cute, but he's OK. Your sketch looks really like him, except that your sketch looks like he has hair. In fact, he has two enormous flat ears (or even wings???) that cover his head and hang over his back like come sort of cape. They come almost exactly to his waist, but remember that his waist is much higher than normal human waist (see Barbie). I also saw some other Gungans that had completely different ears... Wait! It just occured to me! Jar Jar is probably supposed to be "wild" (he says he was banished from the city), whereas the others are "domesticated"! Their ears are cut at shoulder length and they even have some sort of decorative edge on them - so they really look like a hood.

It's also worth noting that Boss Nass and other underwater city officials look completely different. Not only much fatter, but totally different, although they have some vague fish characteristics like Jar Jar. They also have completely different speaking patterns from Jar Jar. It seems very unlikely that they belong to the same race. Also, in one scene, Jar Jar refers to "Da Bosses". The following is example of what Jar Jar speaks like. In writing it looks like this: "Mesa cause-ed mabee one or duey lettal bitty ax-adentes... yud-say boom da gasser, un crash Der Bosses heyblibber... den banished." Do YOU understand that??? I have some difficulties.


Hmmmm....we're not so sure about them being different species, but we do know that there seem to be variations on the Gungans. Keep watching for more details!

"Next up, Flaming Jawa has returned to give us some really cool news. They were able to get some lines from many of the prequel characters. We were able to confirm many of these with our other sources. They are really big spoilers, so you'll have to highlight them to read them:

Qui-Gon: "Anakin will become a Jedi, I promise you."

Obi-Wan: "Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word. I will train Anakin. Without the approval of the council, if I must." Plus, he also says "I have a bad feeling about this" :)

Anakin: "I had a dream I was a Jedi." Or: "I'm a pilot, you know, and someday I'm gonna fly away from this place."

Shmi: "Anakin, this path has been placed before you. The choice is yours alone."

Padme: "Many things will change when we reach the Capital, Annie, but my caring for you will remain."

Queen Amidala: "Our people are dying, Senator. We must do something quickly to stop the federation." Or: "I was not elected to watch mypeople suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee!" Or (probably the best one): "It is clear to me now the the Republic no longer functions."

Senator Palpatine: "To be realistic, your Majesty, I think we're going to have to accept Federation control for the time being."

Jar Jar: (sic!) "Mesa called Jar Jar Binks. Mesa yous humbule servaunt." Or: "Well, youssa Jedi not so special as yousa cracked to be."

Yoda: "The Chosen One this boy may be. Nevertheless, grave danger I fear in his training."

C-3PO: "Hello, I'm C-3PO, human cyborg relations. How might I serve you? ... Are you sure this floor is entirely stable?"

Darth Maul: "At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge."

Watto: "Don't get me wrongo. I have great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race, but Sebulba there is going to win, I think." Or: "I warn you, no funny business."

Mace Windu: "Go with the Queen to Naboo and discover the identity of this dark warrior. This is the clue we need to unravel the mystery of the Sith."

Darth Sidious: "Wipe them out. All of them."

Captain Panaka: "This is a dangerous situation, Your Highness. Our security volunteers will be no match against a battle-hardened Federation army."

Boss Nass: "Wesa no like da Naboo! Da Naboo tink day so smarty. Day tink day brains so big."

Sio Bibble: "The death toll is catastrophic. We must bow to their wishes, Your Highness."

Chancellor Valorum: "Will you defer your motion to allow a commission to explore the validity of your accusations?" - I don't have a faintest idea what he means, but it sounds cool. :)"

Information Episode 1 posters. I got this from Jedi Net's The Prequel Watch.

EPISODE ONE-SHEETS
"FoxTrot" also passed along news that there will be "many" more than just one "Episode I" theatrical one-sheet (poster) and that the first "advance" one-sheets should start showing up in theatres (and presumably in "Star Wars Insider" and poster dealers) around Christmas time. Cinema City, one of the longest-running and well-known movie memorabilia outlets, is currently taking names and addresses for their "Episode I" waiting list. To get YOUR name on the list, drop by their website or give them a call at: 616-739-8303, and tell them JediNet sent you.

Editor's Note. Like I said before, we are having a bit of memory issue. I have been able to upload only a few things, but I should keep an eye on what is important and what is not that important to post. This memory issue has also delayed a few things that I have been working on this site and Zombie Film Review. But the only thing that is not being delayed is the news section to Eye on Episode 1. Other then that my partner Adam has been considering moving the Star Wars Network to another site. What can I say whereever he goes I go? I will warn everyone where we will be in case we are moving. As for my Halloween it was rather sad, only 3 kids came to my door. So I gave them almost all of my candy. Man, I wish I knew some one as generous as me when I went trick or treating. Other then that a friend of mine bought me this kick ass figure of Admiral Ackbar. I have him right here next to my PC Monitor pretending it is the Second Death Star hologram...

"You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest Moon of Endor. Although the weapon system on this Death Star are not yet operational the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected be an energy shield, which is generated from a nearby forest Moon of Endor. The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while a fighter fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor."