Star Wars Episode II: July 2000 News

28 July, 2000

Another official picture has been released. This one shows an actor with the huge mask for a rather chubby looking Twi'lek on his head, seated on a sofa. Not much to be inferred from this I'm afraid. Click on the link in the top right of the page to see it.

The Homing Beacon asked the cast and crew their impressions of the set and working on the movie.

"Walking onto the Fox Studios lot is like pressing play on a video game: you walk into a new environment in which you have no idea what’s around the next corner, one day you have various species of aliens traveling past you on a golf cart, whilst looking in a room and seeing an environment of an entirely different spaceship and maneuvering your way skillfully through it ... or stumbling across famous actors--when the sun comes out, out come players Samuel Jackson and Ewan McGregor fighting a duel on the grass quadrangle between the stages."
- Joclyn McCahon, Stills Image Supervisor

"Like going to one of those bars in the middle of Kentucky and getting on one of those electronic bull horses and just trying to hold on for dear life."
- Julie D’Antoni, Visual Effects Plate Coordinator

"You know Sisyphus, pushing that big rock up the hill endlessly? That’s what it’s like."
- Tony Kaplan, Documentary Camera

"Like me, it’s all about bits and pieces but I’m sure it will be even greater than the sum of its parts ... if you take my meaning, that is."
- C-3PO, Protocol Droid

"It’s like the big bang theory--a huge explosion which is eventually going to create something beautiful, but the only one who knows what it’s actually going to be is the creator of the explosion."
- Ahmed Best, Actor

27 July, 2000

Christopher Walken is not going to be in the movie. In an interview with the Cranky Critic, Walken said, "People have been telling me for six months and really it's very interesting. I even asked. I said maybe I am in it and they're just saving it for a surprise. But I'm not in that movie. Never was. I don't know how that happened. Maybe somebody put it on the internet. I tell you frankly that the only place I've ever heard that is by way of rumor."

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24 July, 2000

Jimmy Smits has already finished his filming believe it or not. He finished up on the 15th and has already left the country. Also leaving for the time being are Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Daniels. Jackson will return later to film his action scenes sometime in August. Daniels will rejoin the production in Italy and Tunisia in a month.

Daniels clearly enjoyed himself. "I am so sad to be leaving Sydney, I had the best time here. I've never had more fun, never been with nicer people." Of course that doesn't mean he was ready for the scale of the production. "I almost gave up when I looked at the number of pages in the crew list. But of course, a few days later you really get to know people and to rely on them. And it's so interesting to see so many departments weaving their way together."

21 July, 2000

In case you haven't noticed, that picture in the upper right of the page has updated. The new photo shows Natalie Portman in costume sitting on a portion of set. She is surrounded by bluescreen and several techs are working on the set to her right. If you look closely at the set in the foreground you can see that it bears a striking similarity to the graphics on the official site. I don't know what that means exactly but it bears mentioning.

Update:
This is interesting. I've received a couple emails from people telling me that the picture looks exactly like the garage in Skywalker family home from Episode IV. Pop in a tape of the movie to check it out for yourself. Since we know that Luke's adoptive parents, Owen and Beru will be appearing in Episode II, it kind of makes you wonder just what Padme is doing in their garage.

Now on to serious spoiler filled rumor. Both Dark Horizons and Coming Attractions received word about the name and importance of Temuera Morrison's character. For those sensitive to spoilers the rest of this will be hidden. Drag your mouse over it if you really want to know.

Morrison reportedly plays a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Bounty hunting is a family profession that Jango will one day hand down to his six year old son Boba (possibly played by Daniel Logan). This would seem to back up rumors that a younger version of Morrison was being cast.

Also mentioned in the reports is that cloning will be seen in Episode II. Armies of stormtroopers are being raised in "hatching fields" and Obi-Wan will be seen moving through these fields.

But wait, there's more. Children will be seen in the movie playing with miniature versions of lightsabers as a possible learning exercise for saber skills.

There will be a character named Princess Abboo (Ayesha Dharker?) who finishes the task of putting C-3PO together.

Finally it is reported that in a homage to A New Hope, Obi-Wan takes the arm off a Wolfman looking alien in a bar.

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18 July, 2000

The official site has announced even more castings. They have now confirmed the casting of Temuera Morrison in the film. He will be playing a bounty hunter. "I have admired Temuera since first seeing him in Once Were Warriors," said casting director Robin Gurland. "When George was creating this role I spoke to him about Tem and he also thought Temuera would be a wonderful addition to the cast."

Also joining the cast is Ayesha Dharker. She will be playing a "regal leader."

She played the lead in The Terrorist, which earned her a best actress nomination from the National Film Awards of India. She also won Best Artistic Contribution by an Actress at the Cairo Film Festival for the role. She has also appeared in the films Manika and City of Joy. Recently she appeared in the mini-series Arabian Nights.

Gurland heard of Dharker through an article in The New York Times praising her work in The Terrorist. "He praised both the film and Ayesha's performance," said Gurland, "but unfortunately I couldn't catch the film before I left New York. By chance Sam Jackson was filming Shaft in town and I stopped by the set to say hello. We started talking about films and as luck had it, Sam had just received a videotape of the movie. I borrowed the tape and was mesmerized by her performance. Fortunately, I was able to track her down and Ayehsa and I met in London."

Marton Csokas has been cast in the role of a planetary leader. Robin Gurland said, "It may sound a bit cliché, but you know immediately when someone's got the goods and I'm excited that he will be joining our cast." Csokas has appeared on stage for over ten years. On TV he has appeared in The Three Stooges and Farscape. His most recent work has been as the elf lord Celeborn in The Lord of the Rings.

Anthony Phelan will be playing a global director. He has been on TV in the series Home and Away. On film he has appeared in Babe: Pig in the City, Heaven's Burning, and Great Falls. "I was looking and looking and looking," Gurland said, "until I saw Anthony play Creon in Seneca's Oedipus for the Sydney Theatre Company. I saw him on Wednesday, met with him on Friday and he began shooting on Tuesday."

Ronald Falk is a long time radio veteran of The Science Show. Falk has won the 1988 Sydney Theatre Critic's Award for Best Supporting Performance in Rough Crossing and the Victorian Green Room Awards Best Supporting Actor for Newman Noggs, and a 1999 Norman Kessell Awards nomination for outstanding performance by an actor in Burnt Piano. "I was attending a production of A Month in the Country at the Sydney Opera House and Ronnie was playing Bolshintsov, a loutish landowner and I thought how wonderful he would be for this role. This particular character needed a very distinctive voice and I saw those qualities in Ronnie's performance," said Gurland.

Rena Owen has joined the cast in an unspecified role. She has appeared in the movies What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, I'll Make You Happy and When Love Comes Along. She received numerous nominations in Australia for best supporting actress for her role in Dance to My Song. Her performance in Once Were Warriors garnered best supporting actress awards at film festivals in several nations.

Ian Watkin joins the cast in the role of a food server. He has worked steadily in New Zealand since 1970. Watkin has appeared in the movies Braindead, Death Warmed Up, The Lost Tribe, Carry Me Back and Wild Man.

Finally, five year old Phoebe Yiamkiati will be making her motion picture debut as a Jedi hopeful. She has appeared on television and print ads previously.

Here is the first officially released photo from the set. What is it? Good question. It's pretty blurred so it's a bit hard to tell. If I had to guess, I would say it was Hayden Christensen running. Anyway LucasFilm seems determined to be a bit more involved with how the movie is covered on the internet. Up in the top right corner of this page you'll see a thumbnail version of this image. It will be updated periodically and automatically by the official site. So keep an eye on it because it's going to change and I'm not controlling it.

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On a slightly different topic, TheForce.net is reporting that a DVD version of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is being worked on deep in the bowels of ILM as you read this. No details are available but it is being prepared.

13 July, 2000

Six weeks ago came word from CA that Jimmy Smits was going to be in this movie. Many laughed at the idea. Believe it or not it was true. The official site confirmed today that Smits is in the movie. The real bombshell though is that he will be playing Senator Bail Organa. The man who would one day become Princess Leia's adoptive father.

"I'd thought of Jimmy for the role before George Lucas had even confirmed the character's appearance," said casting director Robin Gurland. "Then completely independently, his agents let me know that he would love to be involved in a Star Wars project. It worked out great."

Smits is best known for his roles in the TV series L.A. Law and NYPD Blue. He has also appeared in the movies Price of Glory, Bless the Child and Running Scared.

12 July, 2000

Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard has already been in Australia working on the movie for nearly three months. He spent some time finding extras and stunt men. "I visited about 20 different Kendo schools, fencing schools, anywhere where you can find that kind of people. I heard of one group that had been banned from the national competitions because they are way too aggressive. When I heard that, I knew they could be right for us."

Primarily he has been busy "writing the lightsaber fights." He actually invented a notation system to lay out his precise fight choreography. All of the characters have distinct fighting styles. For instance, "Mace Windu's fighting abilities are second only to Yoda," Gillard smirked. "If he gets within range, there's no question... you're dead." On the other hand there is Anakin. "Of course, he's the chosen one," said Gillard. "The audience will want to see that manifest itself. There needs to be flashes of brilliance. He's more skilled than Obi-Wan. Anakin always attacks. He's better and he knows it, which means he's brash on occasion."

Being the focal point of the movie, Anakin actor Hayden Christensen had to be well prepared. "I've spent four weeks training with him." Gillard said. "He's fantastic. Not only is he a brilliant actor, but he has brilliant balance. He has all the ability, he's just so good. Hayden and Ewan will both be doing all of their own stunts and swordfighting."

Gillard doesn't deal strictly with Jedi though. Bounty hunters will be important too. "The bounty hunters have so much weaponry," Gillard explained. "Comparing them with Jedi is like comparing a tiger with a shark. The styles are just so different. Within three feet, nothing can stop a Jedi. Bounty hunters fight from a long range for as long as possible."

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11 July, 2000

The official site has confirmed that Christopher Lee has joined the cast. He will be playing the role of "a charismatic separatist."

It would appear that Lee is a fan of Star Wars. "They created a whole new era in the cinema," says Lee of the Star Wars films. "There's no question about that. The scale of imagination and the scale of production and the impact that it had on the entire world was a first. It created an impact in the cinema that was unique. This particular series of film will be a mythic saga on a vast scale."

He even seems to be proud of the role. "It will be more than another part. It will be another 'arrow in my quiver.' I'm looking forward to it enormously."

Also added to the cast were four more actors. Bonnie Piesse who will be playing the role of Beru. Later in life her character will marry Owen Lars and the two will raise Luke Skywalker. Piesse is best known for her role as Donna on the TV series High Flyers.

Veteran actress Alethea McGrath has signed on as well. She will be playing a Jedi academic in the movie. She has appeared in the plays Strezlecki, The Three Sisters, Barefoot in the Park and After the Service. She has also appeared in the movies Dead Letter Office, Epsilon, The Eye in the Sky and Dallas Doll.

Matt Doran has been cast as an unsavory troublemaker for the film. He has appeared in numerous TV shows such as GP, Fallen Angels, Water Rats, Medivac, Murder Call and Stingers. His most notable role was as the lead character Damian on Home and Away. Outside of Australia he is probably best known for playing Coombs in The Thin Red Line and Mouse in The Matrix.

Finally, Susie Potter is going to be playing a waitress in Episode II. She played Deirdre in the movie Two Hands which won her an FCCA Award for best supporting actress. She has appeared in several other movies such as Paradise Road and Welcome to Woop Woop in supporting roles. In lead roles she has appeared in Feeling Sexy and Better than Sex. Her next role will be in The Monkey's Mask with Kelly McGillis.

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