Star Wars, Episode One

Third Archive

Scoops Up To the Date Principal Photography Is Completed:

(May 20, 1997 - September 21, 1997)

May 20, 1997... Lucasfilm has confirmed on their web site and in a electronic newsletter that they have approached Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman for roles in the upcoming prequels - but no definate casting decisions have been made. According to the Lucasfilm website, the pre-production image of Coruscant seen in Time is indeed from the prequel design team.

In addition The Hollywood Reporter ran an article speculating that child actor Jake Lloyd (seen as Arnold Schwarzenegger's son in Jingle All the Way, and not to be confused with early casting rumors about Eric Lloyd) may now be the frontrunner for the young Anakin role. The eight-year-old actor has, ironically (or fortuitously, maybe) had a re-occuring role in E.R. and appeared in Brent Lynch and the Bothan posse he travels with point out some really hard Double Jeopardy! Jedi trivia. The movie that Eric Lloyd appears in, Fox's Jingle All the Way, was the first TwenCen Fox picture to feature the wide-release SE Trilogy trailer (the ID4 one was limited and a test market.) You might not think this important or relevant, but I'm sure they said that about that book depository building and that "weird-lookin' puff of smoke over yonder by that grassy hill, or knoll, or whatever it is". Ya dig?

Additional commentary by Mr. Lynch: "If he and Portman stick as 'The future Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker' respectively, that would mean Portman (now 16, she won't turn 17 until filming likely wraps) would be twice the age of Lloyd in the first film. However, their relationship is said to be really pretty sweet and innocent in Episode I, with the recast leads (both characters will be about ten years older) who will play the roles for Episode II & III developing their relationship further (ahem) with their 'marriage' taking place at the end of II (the marriage bit from Rick McCallum).

Personally, I think, as far as pre-teen male actors go, he's as good as you could ask for. Generally, girls always beat out boys in the acting department around that age, though this doubtlessly is going to mean that in some measure, Anakin will be seduced by her. It won't be necessarily evil, as Palpatine would fill that role, hence completing the last 'missing' chain of Joseph Campbell's 'Hero's Journey.'" [Scoop by Brent Lynch.]

[Thanks to many, many, many scoopers, including (but not limited to): 'H.B.', 'agsys', Ted A., Brent Lynch, Sadie, Robert Brooks and the many others who were on the Lucasfilm mailing list.]

June 1, 1997... This fellow's friend who works in the editorial department of Calendar has heard a rumor that may be a significant plot spoiler if it turns out to be accurate. According to the rumor, the new character Liam Neeson is slated to play will eventually become Emperor Palpatine by the close of Chapter Two. We have also heard some fan gossip about this possibility from other circles. The reasoning behind this move is to throw another curve ball to filmgoers, as the revelation of who Luke's father was to audiences in The Empire Strikes Back. [Scoop submitted by John Butcher.]

June 7, 1997... Breaking the news first, the Friday June 6th Entertainment Tonight features an interview with Lucas and McCallum. In the report you can see two sets being constructed for 'desert scenes' (these may be scenes set on Tatooine, which would give strength to the slaver rumors that arose earlier.) Next week's Entertainment Weekly reports that Ewan McGregor has been officially cast as a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi. According to ET's report, McCallum only confirmed that McGregor was being considered (calling him a "mercurial" actor). The official Star Wars Episode One web site at Lucasfilm only lists him as as being "considered" (we think he's got it - but the gang at Lucasfilm are waiting for the official announcement before confirming this.) 1,500 special effects shots will be seen in Chapter 1, and the production will build over 50 sets for 100+ scenes. [Many special thanks to Lucasfilm for confirmation and providing some much-needed rumor control. Additional reporting done by Nat, Nick Corporon, 'widgett', 'Honest Soul' and Robert Nyberg.]

In the coming weeks a crew of about 700 artists at ILM will begin work on the first prequel. An inside source has told us that bluescreen and plate photography are nearing the final requirements to move into the greenlighted stage. The source also revealed that due to cutting edge nature of digital sets and characters for the prequel, ILM will labour on the project for at least eighteeen months. As of today, over a dozen sets have been completed at Leavesden. [Thanks to an anonymous source.]

Confirming some of the scooper's above info, while attending the premiere of the Star Wars Special Edition in Japan on Thursday June 5th, Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum disclosed that many of the alien characters who will appear in the forthcoming prequels will be completely computer generated. He mentioned that the "...form of the prequels is more like an animation film rather than a live action one." [Sent in by Al; taken from an interview conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun.]

London's Daily Mail newspaper mentions the involvement of Neeson, McGregor, Freeman, and Portman, and then go on to generate a whole new wave of rumors. They list Neeson's character as a Jedi knight who plays mentor to Kenobi (ok, that's confirmed by many sources), while Portman plays a rebel princess that Kenobi joins forces with in the second installment (she's a Rebel already?). The Daily Mail also reports that in the third film the Jedi will be forced to leave their 'homeland'. They list the three films as: Balance of the Force, Rise of the Empire, and Fall of the Jedi, respectively. (Note: these three titles were sent in and reported to CA last April, and are not confirmed by Lucasfilm...yet.) As the scooper says, "My question is: Is there anyone who has NOT been at some point rumored to have a role in this trilogy? They go through casting rumors like the Red Hot Chili Peppers go through members..." Usually we'd make a off-the-cuff remark about the Spice Girls being cast as a group of ace fighter pilots...but we don't want to see that in the paper next week. [Sent in by 'widgett'.]

In the special Star Wars Entertainment Weekly, the magazine reports that Samuel L. Jackson will make a cameo in the prequels. This may be further speculation from Jackson's earlier 1997 interview where the actor spoke about his desire to be in the prequels. [Sent in by Mark Stewart.]

The rumor about Charlton Heston being considered for a role in the prequels is denied by producer Rick McCallum. [Sent in by Brent Lynch; later called into doubt (see below).]

June 10, 1997... The first official casting announcement is made. Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd are confirmed for roles in the first picture. [Sent in by 'Mandalore', Jan, Marc, Uncle Ro, 'saundert, 'bmoshe'.]

Some CA readers point out that producer Rick McCallum never directly answered the question raised about Charlton Heston's involvement in any of the prequels. Instead, McCallum jovially pointed out that Heston would not be voicing Yoda in the films. This leads some to speculate that Heston may indeed be in the running for a unknown role. [Point made by 'JHenson105', 'carv', 'ghentz', 'Extreme', 'gt9340b', 'kivlehan'.]

At a recent Australian convention, Lucasfilm representative Steve Sansweet made it clear that the character names will not be made public until they are registered for copyright worldwide. This apparently only just happened a few days ago. [Sent in anonymously and 'funkster'.]

Because of the swelling amount of 'inside knowledge' anonymous emailers claim to have, we try to sort out which ones may have a kernel of truth to them...or just sound plain interesting. This one fits one of the two:

We're told that Neeson's character will not be the mentor to Obi-Wan as Yoda was to Ben (which would end the questions that have already begun from Star Wars sages who point out that Kenobi trained under Yoda, not Neeson's character as the early press reports hinted at...) According to this scooper, Neeson's character is is a mature Jedi, who has a "shade of gray" perspective of the force. This "grey" ability is not to be confused with a Dark Jedi, but this would seperate Neeson's Jedi from other Jedi who walk in the Light Side. Neeson would be the one who influences Obi-Wan to train Anakin prematurely. This would contribute a major factor to Anakin's fall into the Dark Side.

Also, the scooper reports that we'll see Krayt Dragons in the first prequel, and Neeson's Jedi Mentor will slay one to save others. The scooper also adds that the title(s) believed to be accurate are not. "I know George is definitely more creative than this," the scooper said.

"In the early scripts to A New Hope the origin of the Force is explained. Thousands of years ago, a man discovered the Force, and in turn, taught his twelve sons, who in turn passed on thier knowledge. There is a lot of evidence that the entire Star Wars saga has parallels to the bible." [Sent in by 'The Gatherer'.]

" I have a friend's friend (now I know this sounds fake, but stay with me here) who works with Lucasfilm. He says 'Balance of the Force' is a ploy and the actual current tentative title of the film is 'Jedi Squad.' I know a lot more info that I can't tell you now, but I'll keep you posted..."

....right. [Scoop sent in anonymously. It's like the prank phone calls you get, but we get gajillions of 'em.]

June 24, 1997... It's official: negotiations are final between Lucasfilm and the owners of the Royal Palace of Caserta (known in its home language as La Reggia di Caserta), situated in southern Italy and now a national museum. Designed by Italian architect Luigi Vanvitelli around 1700, filming will take place between the dates of July 22nd and July 27th. And what exactly are they shooting there for? There are only two cryptic words written at the top of the public request form seeking authorization for the shoot: 'Coronation Scene'.

A local newspaper, La Repubblica, reports that the production plans to utilize the building's great stairway and the royal hall in the upper level, as well as exterior shots in the palace's external park and miniature waterfalls. Preparations have already started on the grounds. The entire complex will be cordoned off during the dates leading up to the shooting date, and security will be abundant. Little do they know we have access to a spy satellite flying high above the Mediterranean about that time... [Reports sent in by 'widgett' and 'baldas'.]

June 30-July 1, 1997... The productions worst-kept secret, today Ewan McGregor was officially announced to have secured the young Ben Kenobi role.

July 22, 1997... As filming continues at the Italian Royal Palace of Caserta, Lucasfilm has announced that Star Wars creator and Episode One director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum and actress Natalie Portman will be in attendance during a scheduled press announcement this coming Friday, July 25th at 11:00 local time (that means it will be at least 12 hours ahead of North American time zones.) Here's the candy: the organizers of the press conference are taking questions via email at a Web address. Some questions will be chosen and Lucas will answer them himself.

We have no idea as to what the press announcement will focus on, but we're hoping that at least the name of the first prequel will be announced, along with the Queen's first name.

The Caserta web address is: www.comune.caserta.it/news/star_ing.htm. If you want to get your question or comments to the Episode One team members, do it now! [Sent in exclusively by Brent Lynch.]

July 25, 1997... Well, now that the Caserta press conference has come and gone, we should have more information about the first of the new Star Wars films, right? Wrong.

George Lucas and Rick McCallum didn't answer any of the pressing questions, such as what Episode One' title is, what the name of Natalie Portman's character is, or where the Caserta footage will be seen in the film (Coruscant?) What we got to read about is George Lucas' thoughts about shooting on digital means rather than film (he's looking into it), the standard Indiana Jones IV response (they're still working on it) and some vague answers about what's going to be in the new movie (some digital creatures.) In our eyes, only two significant answers were addressed about the new film and its storyline:

A rumor started that got repeated on Harry Knowles Ain't It Cool page a while back: the much-anticipated lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin over the lip of an active volcano will be filmed nearby the Royal Palace, at the edge of the Vesuvio volcano. Lucas denied that this will be taking place during their shoot.

Secondly, Lucas denied that his friend Steven Spielberg will be directing any of the following prequels. This would kill the rumor Entertainment Weekly printed in their recent Star Wars Special magazine.

Absolutely nothing was mentioned about other characters, their names, or additional scenes showing up in the prequels. We're starting to get the impression that if anyone else wants to cover the prequels and you're not Leonard Maltin or involved with Entertainment Tonight, you're not invited inside.

So leave it up to a Mr. David Letterman to break the weekend's only really good Star Wars news nugget. On his Friday program, actor Samuel L. Jackson stopped by to talk about his new feature, 187. At the conclusion of the interview, Letterman asked him what he was doing next. Jackson answered that after completing his work on Tarantino's Jackie Brown picture he'll be working on the new Star Wars film.

Remember, Lucasfilm has only bothered to officially confirm three actors involved with the prequels: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd. Even though they have a photograph of Liam Neeson up on their site and he's in the running for the Jedi Mentor role, he hasn't been confirmed. [Scoops sent in by 'Sundrift ', 'malexand', J. Clark, 'nuvs', 'cwl', 'eeilerts', and a big thanks to Samuel L. Jackson for actually telling the fans something solid. Hope it doesn't jeopardize your gig, man.]

Another person reports that actor Ahmed Best has joined the cast and that the character Terence Stamp will portray will be a younger Emperor Palpatine. Ewan McGregor will as well play Obi-Wan in the second prequel. By the way, the scooper also lets it slip that the second and the third prequel may not be shot back-to-back. [Scoop sent in by Jeff.]

And one rumor has been heard about the Queen's name: it might be 'Thenna'. [Sent in by 'widgett'.]

July 29, 1997... Again Samuel L. Jackson confirms his involvement with the first prequel. On the Monday Scott and Todd Big Show (a New York City morning talk show for those not in the know), Jackson said he's scheduled to start filming in August in London. [Scoop mailed in by 'rpouria'.]

July 31 - August 4, 1997... Issue #34 of the Star Wars Insider has arrived at the doorsteps of subscribers - and in the mag there's a list of confirmed actors appearing in the first prequel. What's amazing is that Lucasfilm's official SW web site hasn't updated its casting information in weeks...but the Insider is sanctioned by Lucasfilm. Knowing how things have had a habit of moving along slllooowly with regards to Lucasfilm and fan interest, we've decided that if the Insider claims it to be true we'll go along with them. After all, they were dead right with regards to Frank Darabont's absence in said prequel.

Leaving out the actors already announced by Lucasfilm, the remaining individuals listed include:

Pernilla August (as Anakin's mother, Shmi), Frank Oz (reprising Yoda's voice), Kenny Baker (reprising R2-D2), Ian McDiarmid (reprising his role as The Emperor). Additional cast members mentioned (but no character names given) were: Samuel L. Jackson, Ahmed Best, Adrian Dunbar, Terence Stamp, Oliver Ford Davies, Ray Park, Jerome Blake, Warwick Davis (which confirms what he was quoted to have said in an earlier CA scoop), Hugh Quarshie, Cin, Khan Bonfils, Alan Ruscoe, Michelle Taylor, Michaela Cottrell, John Fensom, Liz Wilson, Christina Disilva and Silas Carson.

Also mentioned was that Jabba the Hutt will make a guest appearance (why?) and that we'll see the origin of C-3PO. Proving that technology can't replace good human know-how, Frank Oz will be responsible for the majority of Yoda's on-air time, with any complicated walking scenes being digitally rendered by computer. Producer Rick McCallum also discusses the number of sets that have been constructed as well as future ones.

The new ish of the Insider should hit the stands in one to two weeks.

[Scoops sent in by John Krout, 'Ragnor', 'core' and 'Lawler', direct from the Outer Rim Territories.]

And this scooper disagrees that the rumored Queen's first name, Thenna, could possibly be accurate. "Nashira was the name given by Michael P. Kube-McDowell in the recent Bantam Star Wars: Black Fleet Trilogy," the scooper writes. "It is important to note that all Star Wars background information used by Star Wars literary authors is queried and approved directly by George Lucas (he even comments and offers suggestions, as Timothy Zahn once verified), cementing that YES, the name of Luke & Leia's mother, AKA 'The Young Queen', is NASHIRA." Well, all we know is that Lucasfilm hasn't announced what her name is. If it turns out to be something other than Nashira, Lucasfilm would be running against the already-tight canon they've established existing between the movies and the other media projects. [Thought bubble sent in by 'devilbane'.]

According to some of the scuttlebutt making the 'net rounds, Terence Stamp's character will be a younger Grand Moff Tarkin (say, Governor). The first scooper also reports that 'Shmi' is pronounced the same as Captain Hook's right hand man's name, Smee. Insider knowledge or someone who's a little too familiar with the old Peter Pan flick? YOU DECIDE! [Thanks to 'Donxman' with a nod to 'cti' and 'D.Vader'.]

And at the recent San Diego convention, Steve Sansweet of Lucasfilm explicitly denied that the title of the first prequel will be 'Balance of the Force'. Corona was there at the SDCC but missed the SW panel, but it wouldn't surprise us. Still...if we print the title is 'Jedi Cheeze Orgy', there's a good chance it'll be in next week's Entertainment Weekly. [Sent in by 'cti'.]

New Stormtrooper armor sighting?!? "They were shooting the Emperor's coronation at the Grand Palace in the city. Security was INCREDIBLE!!! No one was admitted even close to the set! Local Police and even the Italian Military Police (Carabinieri) were called in to keep people away! But...I did get a glance at the NEW STORMTROOPERS!!! Picture a cross between the Imperial Royal guard, a regular Stormtrooper and those red guys from the N64 Shadows of the Empire game." [Deep cover work done by 'bransong'. Rest easy, soldier, and have a protein stick.]

August 5, 1997... With regard to Luke's mother (a.k.a. The Queen) named Nashira, readers of Kube-McDowell's Black Fleet Trilogy have told us that this rumor is definately false. Chris Kivlehan, maintainer of the Star Wars Prequel Site (quick plug: 'http:idt.net/~chrisk3/sw/prequel') writes: "The person who sent that scoop in obviously didn't finish reading the Black Fleet Crisis. That whole Narisha thing t urned out to be a hoax. Luke and Leia's mother will NOT be a Fallanasi, nor will she be called Narisha. The character who told Luke that stuff was lying to him." Note that in the first scoop to mention the Kube-McDowell reference the character's name was spelled 'Nashira' and not 'Narisha'. Since we've never read the books...well, whatever. [Thanks to Chris Kivlehan and an anonymous scooper.]

In a 'absolutely no way to prove this' manner, a scooper writes to tell us that "his friend's uncle" (oh no, not again) informed him about one scene in the new film. A Jedi senses the concealed approach of Stormtroopers, activates his lightsaber and then makes sushi outta them. Just one question: how would Admiral Ackbar feel about this? [Scoop sent in by 'Ro Man'.]

August 19, 1997... Will Adrian Dunbar play the young Governor Tarkin? According to this scooper, yes. Also, they report that Terence Stamp may play Anakin's father. [Scooped anonymously.]

The British movie magazine Neon reports 'You thought it was over. It hasn't even begun' as being the provisional tag-line for SW1. We say 'Gundark droppings!' [Reported by 'reptile'.]

August 24, 1997... The French version of Premiere has run three photos of behind-the-scenes shots taken from the Tunisia filming of Episode One. Thanks to a French scooper, we're able to post them on this page.

Here we see the scaffolding of a spaceship entry/exit ramp. One scooper tells us that this ship is the one Anakin Skywalker and Liam Neeson's characters use to return to Tatooine...but this is unconfirmed.

Neeson fights a 'dark Jedi' on Tatooine. Reportedly in the scene just previous to this one, Neeson's character orders Anakin back onto their ship and await the outcome of the forthcoming duel.

Lucas and crew watch as Jake Lloyd and Liam Neeson film a scene off in the distance. As of the date these photographs were released, Liam Neeson had not been officially announced as being cast for his role as Anakin's mentor.

(Ed. note: while we don't want to sound ungracious, we have been wondering why the Star Wars fans of the world don't get the latest information posted to the Lucasfilm website; instead, Anakin's mother's name is released in the Insider, or Premiere is the first place we get to see some cool photographs of the characters in action. Right now, the Lucasfilm site features a photograph of two Power Droids instead of a picture of a new droid to keep the fans appeased. Guys - we're waiting for you to release the information to your fans! It would be nice to see a planet's name, or a photograph of the Queen (and her name!) on the Official Site once in a while.)

(Or else we go undercover and get 'em ourselves...)

[Special thanks to 'Mister W' for sending us the photographs.]

August 26, 1997... A regular scooper sends us an interesting rumor. The fellow tells us that they believe Liam Neeson's character is, in fact, Anakin's real father. The scooper informs us that a "part of the prequels" is taken from the first draft of Star Wars, written by Lucas roundabout 1974 (and posted elsewhere on the Net if one searches in the right places.) According to the scooper, the reason his father is fighting the 'Sith Lord' in the picture is because Anakin's brother (whose name may be Deak) has just been killed by it. [Scoop by 'HAL2001'.]

Another rumor is brought to us by 'H.B.' They report whispers that a special teaser trailer will be attached to all prints of the forthcoming Alien Resurrection. The trailer will only show theater-goers the principal cast members and the long-awaited title of the first chapter. It would also include a tag line for the new series of films. [Sent in by 'H.B.']

September 2, 1997... A friend of this scooper who happens to live close to Leavesden Studios told them about a piece recently broadcast on a local community access program. In the segment a grip from the set was interviewed and the person's answers apparently let slip a details about a possible story arc for Neeson's Jedi character. As previous releases from Lucasfilm have indicated, Neeson's Jedi will be slightly mysterious; according to the scooper's friend, the grip reported that this Jedi will infact teach Anakin "unethical" Jedi practices. "Since young Anakin is immature he doesn't know the difference between light and dark," the scooper writes. Then, mysteriously, Anakin's teacher abandons his young pupil, but before he departs he convinces Obi-Wan Kenobi to continue Anakin's schooling. "Anakin then notices a difference in OB1's teachings and immediately it starts to cause conflicting views about the force...further, we find out that Liam Neeson's character later becomes an advocate to Palpatine before he gains complete control," the scooper also added. Interesting stuff...but did anyone else catch it on the tele? [Note sent to us in the hold of a Rebel transport from a 'tpulliam'.]

September 9, 1997... Rumors about an early release of Episode One have begun again. Two seperate sources report that they've heard quiet rumblings Kenner Toys is prepping to release Episode One action figures to various toy stores starting next March. This had led some to speculate Lucas is going to perform a sneak maneouver and release the film a year ahead of schedule.

Our take on it: we don't buy the '98 release date. There's way too many factors, including individuals we know working on some aspects of the movie right now, that point to a 1999 release. Kenner may very well be preparing to generate a huge wave of new interest with their toyline...and doesn't it seem like a move they would undertake? Remember that back in 1978 Kenner created an exclusive mail-in offer to be the first to get an action figure of someone called 'Boba Fett' who would appear in the then-forthcoming The Empire Strikes Back. Now with the renewed level of attention Kenner's Star Wars: Power of the Force line is receiving the company may very well be in the planning stages of such a move... [Scoop received by 'ebertran' and Will Neve, creator of The Buzzstation - 'www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/5472']

And kudos to the webmaster at Lucasfilm's official SW1 site. Finally, photographs from selected interior sets have been posted to the net before appearing in any other publications. Check them out right after reading this - they showcase the impressive production designs as well as show the great attention to detail and authenticity.

Briefly speaking, the pictures show: Anakin's room on Tatooine; his family's kitchen; a vehicle that may be some sort of tank or ground artillery; and a striking launch bay filled with black and yellow craft. [Thanks to the many who told us of the photos and to someone at Lucasfilm for listening to us.]

September 14, 1997... So, that photo on the Lucasfilm site showing us young Anakin's bedroom? Well, some of us have noticed a familiar friend in the lower right-hand corner of the picture, just visible. His polished chrome and blue-checkered dome should be instantly recognizable to any Star Wars fan, so why is he almost out of the photo? Maybe a slip-up by the site photographer, maybe not...but in any case - Artoo's in Anakin's bedroom!

(Which leads to a flurry of rumor and debate - was Artoo the property of the Skywalkers once before? And how does this change the absence of Anthony Daniels/Threepio from the cast for Episode One? Remember, Artoo said he was the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode Four...in any case, this should add to the speculation until the movie's release date draws closer.) [Thanks to 'Widgett', 'JTR555', 'richard_pl', an anonymous friend and some of the gang at CA for picking this gem out. But a congratulatory round of appulause should be dished out to Jon Steever who enlarged the Lucasfilm photo that appears here. Way to go Jon!]

[Setting: A podium stands alone, illuminated by one bright spotlight and surrounded by darkness. However, we get the feeling thousands of eyes are trained on this one podium. Then a man steps into the spotlight and stands at the podium. He looks rather uncomfortable, as if he's dreading what he's about to present to the untold numbers watching in the darkness. As if his very words might cause more confusion than clarity.]

...before we post this next scoop, we'd just like to remind everyone that this portion of the page presents scoops that we can't quite confirm. They may very well be true, but then again they very well may be not.

That said, this is either a good case of creative writing or an extra who somehow found out some substantial information on a high-security shoot. You decide which explanation you wish to believe, dear reader...

"I have done 4 weeks work as an extra on Star Wars Episode 1 at Leavesden. I play one of the Rebel soldiers and they wear mustard coloured jumpsuits with brown armored pieces like on a Stormtrooper suit. Here is some general information on what I have seen.

"The Young Queen's (Natalie Portman) palace is going to have a computer generated exterior. The palace walls on the set itself are only about 10 feet high and CG graphics will make up the rest so the palace will probably soar high into the heavens. The Palace and the few street sets alongside are medieval themed. With light brown stone blocks making up the walls with flowers and crawling ivy surrounding them. The civilians clothing is very colourful and flowing with males wearing long multi colored robes and females wearing long whispy dresses and headpieces. There will be speeders and these will be in garish 70's type colours with bright green and purple ones being used by the rebel soldiers on this planet.

"The Droids I believe will be the main enemies in this film and they may be Imperial, I'm not sure. The Droids are thin, skeleton types as in Terminator. They will all be in CG with tall guys in white overalls playing them on the set! I filmed an action scene in the hangar set where the whole area is being held by the Droids. The Rebel soldiers (including me!) and pilots dart into the Hangar and open fire on the droids. The soldiers are covering the pilots who during this time are scrambling aboard the aircraft in among heavy gun fire with explosions going off at the same time. The next scene is a great shot with the camera looking down the alley of cockpit canopies and you can see the pilot on the furthest fighter climbing in, followed by the next until the camera follows the pilot that's closest as he jumps into his cockpit. These fighters have no automatic canopy like the X-Wings had. So the pilot has to yank the canopy shut by hand. Its a slideable canopy like the one on the Batmobile and it all looks like a great shot with the manual closing of the canopies a great touch.

"A different scene shot on the same Hangar set has some Rebel soldiers running towards the large bay doors and the doors then slide open in front of them, revealing the presence of Panaka (I believe this to be the name of the main villain. He has a black shaved head with small inch long horns poking through with fiery red tattoo type designs over his face.) Panaka is just standing there wearing a large black cloak with a hood so you cant see his face. The rebels turn and run away to the left and Panaka then lifts his hood down, revealing his red contact lensed eyes and horned head. He then proceedes to remove the whole cloak which drops to the floor and he is wearing a simple black suit similar to the one Luke wore in Return of the Jedi. He unhooks his lightsaber handle from his belt which is about a foot long and holds it in front of him. This is the double headed lightsaber and ILM will probably activate it at this point as if he switched it on. He then spins it around him like a martial arts weapon and runs and leaps into the hanger from the doorway, probably to face OB1 as I also watched a lighsabre duel being rehearsed between Panaka, Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson in the Hangar set earlier that day, but they MAY have filmed it against the blue screen so I dont know if the fight between them will actually take place in the Hangar.

"One thing about the title though, is that I think 'Balance of the Force' name will be dropped because it seems to be too popular. For what its worth, the name on my pay slip reads simply 'Star Wars Episode 1' and may even be the title used on its release..."

(Deep breath...)

Well, what can we discern from this scoop that may allow us to determine if it's genuine? Most of the rumors about the Palace clothing color choices originated on Ain't It Cool. If the extra is to be believed, he or she saw the Palace sets and participated in the rebel hangar scene. (Incidentally, we know there's a hanger somewhere in the picture, as this was one of the photos Lucasfilm released on their web site last week.)

The Dark Jedi Panaka rumor has also surfaced, specifically the mention of a double-beamed lightsaber. One interesting piece we're going to try and keep in the back of our heads is the mention of retro canopies that require the pilot's to pull them down - perhaps we'll see some photos or video that will confirm this part of the scooper's message. [An interesting message submitted by 'Wingman'.]

Here's a follow-up handed in by Brent Lynch as to the reasons why Lucasfilm may have released the behind-the-scenes interior set photos on their web site. According to Lynch, the photos that appeared in the French Premiere magazine were taken without permission, which apparently the reporter of the piece mentions in their article! This has infuriated Lucasfilm (along with the recent spat of on-set photos that appeared on Ain't It Cool) and the recent updates have partially been to 'fight back'.

Something like this puts web sites like Coming Attractions on a very fine line. While we respect the creators' and company wish to maintain a level of secrecy we also understand better than most the public's desire to be let in on the secret. Thankfully the images we have chosen to post on this page were already released to the public (as in the case of the Premiere photos, not avaliable to the North American readership base.) We've chosen not to post the images presented on the Lucasfilm site as a sign of respect and acknowledgement for giving the fans something to see.

That said, would the person who sent us the photo of Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson engaged in a lightsaber fight in some sort of arena please contact us? We have a couple of questions to ask you. [Report sent in by Brent Lynch.]

Brent also reports that British actor Ralph Brown, who is perhaps best known for his role as Aaron aka '85' in ALIEN3, was cast for a role in the upcoming Star Wars prequel because of his performance as the scheming Prince John in A&E's recent critically-acclaimed Ivanhoe mini-series. For those who'll be trying to glean some kind of insight into his SW1 character, Brown played John as like an womanizing ultra-paranoid Nixon-type. Lynch also tells us several cast and crew members were hired off of high-profile cable and public tv mini-series. Also, reports of scenes, characters, vehicles mentioned in very early drafts of the original Star Wars keep popping up in discussion about the prequels. Lynch tells CA that these reports are "pretty much on the mark. This was the case for Raiders of the Lost Ark 'prequel' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where scenes originally intended for ROTLA we used for the follow-up (i.e. Indiana Jones escaping a doomed plane in a inflatable lifeboat was originally going to lead Indy into Marion's Bar in ROTLA. Indy evading machine gun fire with a rolling gong was part of an entire scene cut out of ROTLA and of course, used as part of the opening set-piece of Temple of Doom" [Thanks to Star Wars aficianado Brent Lynch.]

A fellow using the pseudo 'Biggs' also is thinking along Brent's train of thought. He sent us clipped pages from the early 1974 draft of Star Wars that features Annikin Starkiller and his brother Deak and father Kane. We're not going to post the clipped pages out of respect for copyrights but essentially there is a scene where Annikin faces the might of a Sith Lord (Dark Jedi sound familiar?) on a desert moon and they battle with their 'sabers. There's also a scene showing Annikin and his father enterting the Dark Jedi's small ship on the wasteland plain, and a warning from Deak Starkiller to his son that echoes what Neeson's character supposedly told young Anakin just before his duel. The scenes do seem to ring very familiar with the French Premiere photos.

" I'd bet the whole Corona team a steak dinner that we see parts of the rough draft appear... This could possibly be a distraction... Lucas decided to release photos of a bogus scene being shot (It would have taken all of five minutes to create these lines) to throw us off. Who knows?" 'Biggs' says. [A big thank you to 'Biggs'.]

" I can't believe someone would actually post that rumor. He sees one picture from the filming and has read an extremely early draft of SW and extrapolates this rumor from it. Sure, it's a possibility, but it would be that persons SPECULATION on it and right now has no basis in any kind of fact. If it were true, then Liam Neeson's character would be Kane Skywalker (Starkiller in that draft) and he is critcally wounded in a battle with a Sith Knight. He will then take Annakin to Ben Kenobi (Luke Skywalker in the draft) to complete his his training. Of course, in that script, Annakin is about 16. What I am saying is that this rumor is a product of that posters IMAGINATION! I would have posted it myself, but it is strictly CONJECTURE at this point," 'Snowdog' writes. Actually, Annikin is siad to be 18 years old in the 1974 script. [Con side stated by 'Snowdog'.]

"To add fire to Nesson's character being Annikan's father ... EW had mentioned that Nesson is to be a mentor to young Jedi. This was the concept of the first Star Wars Treatment and the basic idea for a LUKE SKYWALKER that became Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, the concept resurfaces in the second or third draft of Star Wars in its pure form. Luke being one of the followers. So it's safe to jumped to say Nesson may be this idea resurfaced." [Thought dropped by 'harlequinf'.]

Speaking of said photos, this person wonders outloud whether that darkly-hooded 'Dark Jedi' could be a pre-Emperor Palpetine? [Wondered by 'kcase'.]

Ain't It Cool reports that the villains for the film are named either Darth Sideous or Darth Maul. We pray that's not true. [Thanks to Will Neve's 'Buzzroom'.]

According to Ben Burtt (sound designer for Lucasfilm), filming for the first installment of the new trilogy is slated to wrap next week (mid-Septermber) in England, with post-production following. This is apparently one of the first motion pictures to be completely edited digitally on Pro Tools, which should considerably speed up post-production time. [Submitted anonymously.]

September 17, 1997... This one can only be filed in the "This is so unbelievable it just may be true" drawer...

"This scoop has nothing to with plot lines or characters but it's very interesting and might answer questions how Lucas was able to keep people from finding out plot lines. One of my best-friends-from-college's-father creates specialty locks for weird items; items that don't normally need locks or locks that are extremely difficult to open. George Lucas personally approached him to design 3 locks for 3 brief cases to carry the 3 scripts in. The trick was that the locks were built with sensors that allow them to only open when the other two were lined up right next to it. This prevented a Lucasfilm worker from bringing one of the scipts home with them. If someone took a briefcase it was impossible to open by itself even if you know the combination. Plus, I've read that script was printed on a paper that can't be xeroxed. I know this sounds far fetched enough to actually be a plotline for a James Bond movie, but it is the truth."

Well, we know that the non-Xeroxed paper part is true enough. The recent X-Files movie had all the scripts printed on dark red paper to elimate the threat of photcopying the script. Of course, there are means to get around that.

But we've got no clue how three completely different briefcases could incorporate sensors into their housing that have to 'detect' the other cases in order to open. This sounds like another of those cases of backengineering that crashed Roswell saucer technology...unlikely as heck but how else do you explain 'velcro'? [Sent to us in a locked email file by 'Charles CGarna1'.]

September 20, 1997... This scooper's heard from a good authority that Brian Blessed will be playing the role of a Mandalorian Warrior. [Scooped by 'klaatu'.]

September 21, 1997... We here at CA agree with many other SW fans out there that George Lucas is a very smart man, and we're pretty sure Lucasfilm employs many smart people. That's why when we're told tales of disinformation tactics and bogus story details released by Lucasfilm to throw movie web sites like this off the accurate leads we tend to agree it does happen. But at this stage of the game where behind-the-scenes photos are being smuggled out of the closed set and a literal book can be written about the rumors and disinformation being spread about the SW1 production, we're starting to see the effects of this battle for learning the next new SW factoid leap out-of-hand. Consider these following emails sent to our attention:

This scooper tells us that the storyline information being furnished the Ain't It Cool News site is incorrect. Previously, Knowles' site has posted a lot of SW 'insider' information, including one rumor that Liam Neeson's character is in fact Anakin's father. While the simple fact is none of us will know until one late May day in 1999, all of us love to speculate about if it's true or not.

Here's what the scooper had to say:

"That 'scene' between Neeson and a 'Sith Lord' was a fake...The Queen has a Twi'lek Jedi bodygaurd, a silver 'nanny 'droid', R2-D2 and her assistant, a clone named Winter..."

The scooper is talking about the pictures taken by the French Premiere photojournalist on the Tunisia set, and reportedly snapped without Lucasfilm's permission. If it is an attempt at deception, Lucas has to be commended for using the media as a weapon against the spoiler leakage.

Twi'lek's are humanoids with a large tail-like appendage originating from the back of their bald head. Jabba's right-hand man, Bib Fortuna and the green-skinned dancer fed to the Rancor, Oola, are Twi'leks (aren't you just happy we know this? We're hoping one day it earns us a 'Daily Double' on Jeopardy!...but chances are against that, wouldn't you say?)

As for the Queen's assistant, the clone named Winter, something snags at the mention of that name. Isn't there a character in the post-Jedi Lucasfilm-approved novels named Winter, or is it just our imagination?

"...Shmi Skywalker is a widow, and Anakin an only child. Owen, Obi-Wan's brother, and Lady Beru Weth move to Tatooine to live with the Skywalkers..."

Here there's a mention of Owen and Beru's last name. Can some SW aficianado tell us if it's appeared previously somewhere else before? Perhaps on Decipher's Star Wars Collectible Card Game?

"...also, look for Prince Xixor, head of the 'Black Sun' crime syndicate." [Sent in by 'F.C.']

Here's another submission commenting on the possible disinformation theory:

"Go to 'starwars.com' and read a section in News From the Set. Lucas himself says, 'Don't believe what you read until you see the movie.' Supposedly, entire scenes are being shot and leaked, just to throw spoilers, spys, whatever, off the track when it comes to plot points." It's possible - remember the Yuma location shoot back for Jedi and the Blue Harvest cover story. If the guys at Lucasfilm are web savvy (and it sure looks like they are), the Internet can be used to throw off the legions of SW fans until the weeks before the movie's release.[Sent in by 'saundert'.]

A person inside Luc Besson's production office reports that David Fincher is second unit director for Episode One. That would be news to us. [Reported anonymously.]

September 23, 1997... Owen and Beru's last name was Lars is Episode Four, as many of you wrote in after reading the September 21st scoop and proven through various SW sources. That's true, but Beru's maiden name is unknown - unless you have the Star Wars Screen Saver. A scooper claims to have read that Beru's maiden name is listed as Weth on the program. [Credited to 'Steely'.]

As for the rumor about the Young Queen's assistant named Winter, it may have its origins in the Timothy Zahn post-Jedi book trilogy, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command". In these stories Princess Leia and Han Solo are wed and have children, and to help raise and be a protector for them while away on diplomatic missions Leia calls upon the aid of the long-time friend of the Organas on Alderaan, a mysterious woman also named Winter. 'Uncle Pedro' recalls reading that Winter also looked slightly similar to Leia, prompting the scooper to wonder "perhaps she was a clone there, too", while 'Disnoid' remembers "She was very beautiful and had a sense of grace about her, and I seem to remember something about her emotions and truth factor. Something like no emotions and she could not lie." Winter also became a covert spy for Leia in the latter books and seems to be a surviving Alderaanians like Leia. Great, but it solve our problem trying to confirm the 9/23 scoop? Nope. [Thanks to all those who sent in the SW trivia: 'smith9269', Rob Paterson, 'Psycho', 'Bucky', 'nyseth', 'Uncle Pedro', 'Disnoid', 'muad dib', James W. Osborn, 'dfaust', 'ragnor', 'tplbogey', 'MrChad', 'sith', 'dmullin', 'CP Hamilton', Justin, and the anonymous senders.]

With the Winter rumor already tarnished, another scooper may have disproven the whole kit-and-kabooldle. The droid nanny, Twi'lek bodyguard and Winter rumor may have originated from another Star Wars novel - Kevin J.Anderson's Jedi Academy Trilogy. We haven't read the books so we can't say. [Credited to Nick Corporon.]

'Wingman' tells us that the second unit director on SW1 is Roger Christian, not David Fincher as the last scooper reported (it was a pretty unlikely rumor, in any case.) [Thanks to 'Wingman'.]



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