June 30 BRACE yourself, you could be about to get an e-mail from Ewan McGregor. McGregor has joined a Comic Relief initiative to help Third World debt by sending e-mails to people asking them to raise awareness.
Ewan said: "It's great to see the internet being used in this way to help awareness of an important issue such as debt. When I visited Africa for Comic Relief last year, I was shocked to see the effect that debt has on day-to-day lives."
The e-mail campaign is designed to target the next G7 summit in Japan on July 21-23. Organisers are encouraging anyone who receives an e-mail to add their own Drop the Debt message on the bottom, before sending it to the G7 participants at the address shown in the text. WIZARDS of the Coast, the people behind the new Star Wars role playing game, are bringing out a new gaming magazine, Game Force. Due out in November, the bi-monthly magazine will have "game-related content, source material, new Star Wars fiction, and previews of upcoming games".TODAY'S classic moment comes from Mark Hamill, explaining how the stunning Death Star battle was made out of some pretty basic objects. He said: "They had the equivalent of, say, six Ping-Pong tables in the parking lot somewhere in the Valley, with all the 'tchotchkes' glued to the surface--I mean, they cannibalized thousands of battleship kits, and just glued 'em all on."
TWO new Hasbro Star Wats figures are being released through the Star Wars Fan Club. Over a year in development, the 12-inch versions of Chancellor Valorum and a Coruscant Senate Guard are reproduced in precise detail.
June 29 EWAN McGregor has been involved in a 110mph motorbike crash. TFN reports that the Obi-Wan Kenobi star escaped unhurt from the incident - but later had his own Ducati bike stolen.
Ewan news quoted the star as saying: "I lost control of a bike at Brands Hatch and flew into the air.
"The bike was rolling and
rolling, but when I finally came to a halt I got up without a scratch. My body must have
totally relaxed. I didn't mind because it wasn't my bike."
Although Ewan escaped unhurt he suffered more bad luck when his motorbike was stolen hours
later.
JOEL Edgerton is to play Owen Lars in Episode II, it has been announced. The official site said Edgerton has done a lot of theatrical work, including King Henry in Henry V, Prince Hal in Henry III, and others including Road, Blackrock, Third World Blues, and Dead White Males.
And he bares quite a similarity to a young Phil Brown, who played Owen in Star Wars. For a look at the likeness click here.
SEVERAL updates on the official site too. Nick Gillard answers a Jedi Council question by revealing Ray Park's martial arts expertise was withWu Shu And Long Fist, neither of which involve weapons, so they didn't help much when it came to lightsabers. And there's a new classic moment, with stop-motion photography and an AT-AT walker.
IN a rather bizarre move, Star Trek actor William Shatner has announced he will write a black comedy called The Shiva Club, based on his wife's suicide "During the process of sitting shiva, the concept occurred to me: grief can be funny,'' Shatner said, somewhat curiously.
June 28 STAR Trek: Voyager executive producer Rick Berman has revealed he will begin the pilot script for the next television series soon, Scifi.com has revealed.. In an interview transcribed by the TrekWeb site, Berman said that he and partner Brannon Braga were "are right now actively working on the story for the pilot episode, which we hope to be writing soon."
He offered few details of the new show and would only say: "The concept for this new show is a somewhat dramatic departure from previous Star Trek series. But it is a show that will be both fresh and unique, while at the same time being Star Trek to the core."
HUGH Quarshie, Captain Panaka in The Phantom Menace, was on The Bill on ITV last night, playing a Rwandan general accused of mass murder.
June 27 REPORTS are coming from Camp Lucas about the first day of shooting on Episode II. The official site said: "Spirits were high despite the hectic pace of a very busy work schedule on the first day of shooting for Episode II. It was three years ago, to the day, that Episode I began shooting on June 26, 1997.
"One of the first scenes shot that day involved Senator Palpatine in his apartment on Coruscant. Three years later, Ian McDiarmid reprised his role as Palpatine and a bluescreen-filled set once again became the Republic's capital world."
EPISODE II will be shot digitally, but will that mean problems for smaller cinemas who don't have the technology to show it? That's the question posed before the Jedi Council today. Producer Rick McCallum answered: "Not at all.
"For The Phantom Menace, nearly all the live action was shot on film, then digitized into a computer and then all of the final shots were taken from the computer and output on to standard 35mm film that can be played in any movie theater.
When we shoot Episode II digitally, we're just skipping the first step of digitizing. We're still going to provide an end product on traditional film just like any other major motion picture." He added that there were some totally digital screenings, and it's hoped that will expand by the time the next two films come out.
June 26 THE latest guest for the Clacton Sci-fi Convention has been revealed. He is Michael Sheard, better known to millions as Admiral Ozzel from The Empire Strikes Back. The admiral, known for being "as clumsy as he is stupid" will be in Clacton, Essex on September 9.
Michael is also famous for his numerous roles in Dr Who, Mr Bronson in the BBC's Grange Hill, and even Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - when he was Hitler! Click here for more details on Michael.
STAR Wars question on BBC1's Pass The Buck today, a show where players have to name something in relation to a given subject and then pass it on to an opponenent. Contestants today had to name credited actors from The Phantom Menace. And they didn't do too well, with only one person coming up with a name, Ewan McGregor.
AURRASing.net has a good CV on Leeanna Walsman, the actress rumoured to be playing the aforementioned bounty hunter. Check it out here to see her credits so far and plenty of pics..
SAMUEL Jackson's been giving a little bit more away about Episode II. In what is a rather rambling feature, AICN managed to get this out of him: "I get to turn my lightsaber on. I can't wait to do that."
Asked if he'd started training yet he replied: "No, not yet. Not at all. Actually it's interesting. Nic Gillard (stunt co-ordinator) was actually the stunt co-ordinator on Shaft."
June 25 LOOK out for Episode I's Hugh Quarshie who will be in an episode of The Bill on ITV on Tuesday June 27 at 8pm, according to TFN.
THERE'S an interesting article at Space.com at the moment about bounty hunter Boba Fett, based on Celtic thoughts. Part of the piece says: "Boba Fett looks like a thug, bears himself like an avenging spirit, shows no emotion, carries the scars of an unknown past -- but even his sparse trilogy scenes include a few contradictory moments.
"When Vader has Han Solo tortured, Fett tries to intervene in the only credible way at his disposal, by telling Vader that he'll lose his fee if Solo dies; Vader promises not to damage him permanently.When guards load Solo's carbonite slab onto Slave I (shaped, in true Cernunnos fashion, like a goat's horned head), Fett gives his acquisition the honorific of 'captain'."
June 24 LUCASFILM has issued a letter to the owner of BobaFett.com ordering him to cease and desist using the domain name. Following on from a similar row over Tatooine.com, the legal eagles at LucasFilm have threatened legal action if the domain name isn't handed over PDQ.
In its defence, the site said it will do what it asked, and pointed out the site is non-commercial and attracts many Star Wars fans. With Boba Fett a major character in Episode II, it's clear Lucasfilm want to protect their main star's names, and of course the name of Boba Fett does belong to Lucas, so the owner can't be grumbling too much. There's copies of the Lucas letter and the owner's response at the site.
SPAIN could be the location of some critical scenes in the next two Star Wars films, it has been claimed.
The official site temporarily listed Spain as a location, and then promptly removed it. TFN has a report saying the Spanish island and tourist attraction of Lanzarote, was considered, but computer graphics may now do the job. Part of the island's features are volcanic remains, ideal for shooting the end scene between Anakin and Obi-Wan...?
A SPECIAL Sci-fi collectors' edition of Empire is currently on the stands, intricately detailing all the classics from Star Wars to The Day The Earth Stood Still to Mad Max II.
June 23 CASTING director Robin Gurland has announced a string of Australian actors who will be having minor roles in Episode II. The official site revealed that 6' 1'' actor Jay Laga'aia will be a loyal security officer. Seems Jay's experience also includes film, musical theatre, musical composition and performance of the guitar and saxophone.
Then there's Leeanna Walsman, who will be a female bounty hunter. Gurland said of her: "The bounty hunter is an extremely physically oriented role. One evening I was at a play in Sydney and saw this actress hanging from a bar with one arm while delivering a stunning performance. It was amazing! Leeanna was just who I envisioned for the role. She has this wonderful pixyish, femme fatale look." The exciting actress has appeared in the television series Thunderstone and Heartbreak High.
The obvious assumption is that she will play Aurra Sing, the best known lady bounty hunter, seen briefly on a cliff during the Episode I Podrace.
Heartbreak High actress Rose Byrne and Veronica Segura will bothl be playing handmaidens, Farscape actor David Bowers will be a high ranking Senate official while Matthew Roawn will be an 'indulgent politician'.
Daniel Logan, 13, from New Zealand, is set to play a mysterious young boy in Episode II and lastly Joel Edgerton has just signed on to appear in Episode II but no details on his role yet.
ALDERAN, home of Princess Leia, has long been the subject of speculation. There's a good chance we'll see a lot of more of it in Episode II, and now the official site has offered its own thoughts on the peaceful planet.
The site says, tantalisingly: "In the prequel-era, Alderaan is alive, well, and influential in the Republic. Bail Antilles, a representative from Alderaan was almost next in line to the position of Chancellor, though that honor went to Palpatine. Whether or not Alderaan will play a role in future films remains to be seen.
"Perhaps the most peculiar qualities of this Alderaan were not political, but rather geophysical. The script only describes Alderaan's surface as "misty." Viewers aren't afforded a glimpse of it; instead Alderaan's "cloud sea" is seen. High up in the silvery clouds is the capital city, "the towering white oxide clouds pass, revealing the Imperial city of Alderaan. The magnificent domed and gleaming city is perched, mushroom-like, on a tall spire, which disappears deep into the misty surface of the planet. This idea would later arise as Cloud City, on Bespin, years later. "
Seems likely we will see Alderaan some time soon, and this could be the first teaser for its appearance.
June 21 GEORGE Lucas has announced the shooting schedule for Episode II. The main news is that principal shooting begins on Friday (June 23) in Australia. The official site adds: "According to Producer Rick McCallum, shooting at Fox Studios Australia should wrap around the end of August followed by a month of location shooting in Italy, Tunisia and Spain."
LOOKS like you'll have the chance to buy yet another version of the original Star Wars trilogy in the autumn - but with an addd bonus. TFN reports that along with the three films will be exclusive footage from Episode II. Principal shooting would only have just finished then so it'll be interesting to see what they come up with.
June 20 JUST when you thought the Barbican exhibition in London couldn't get any better - it just did. From August 5 on selected days there will be special films documenting George Lucas' career, including American Graffiti, Indianna Jones, but no mention of Howard the Duck...
WHILE Luke judged him not by his size, it was a different story when a 15ft Yoda turned up in New York. The Yoda model was there to promote Tiger Electronic's interactive new toy.
June 19 SAMUEL Jackson's in the news yet again, this time for getting his star on the famous Hollywood walkway.
AND you thought people wanted to see The Phantom Menace trailer. Until a year ago it held the record for the most downloads of a trailer off the Internet. Until yesterday that was. That title now goes to the much-awaited Lord of the Rings, starring Christopher Lee.
June 18 SAMUEL Jackson has been busy revealing some of what lies in store for Mace Windu in Episode II. TFN reports that Jackson told the Jay Leno show: "Actually, at the MTV Movie Awards George won the award for best action scene and he said that he expected to see me up here next year. You see, I've got a big fight scene in the next movie, and I get to use a lightsaber."
BEST-selling author R A Salvatore will be writing the novel to go with Star Wars: Episode II. The official site said: "With more than four million of his novels sold in the United States alone, R.A. Salvatore has become one of the most important figures in modern epic fantasy.
"His most recent novels include The Demon Awakens, The Demon Spirit, and The Demon Apostle, as well as the New York Times bestselling Vector Prime, the first volume in the epic Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series."
June 17 THE question of Amidala and Anakin's relationship is explored in great detail over at Space.com. The article, which you can find here, says: "The obsession with dualities that drives The Phantom Menace is very apparent in this scene. Boy meets girl, slave meets queen – from the outset, their romance is worlds in collision.
"It is the meeting of peasant and goddess, and it is rooted in myth."
June 16 WORK is progressing fast on Episode II, with principal shooting only weeks away. The official site today details the animatics team, and reveals many of the jaw-dropping scenes have already been planned out.
Many of the scenes have been sketched out in very basic style and will be fleshed out later. As the site said: "As such, Episode II is currently a strange collage: interns, friends and other lucky volunteers dressed in wardrobe from the archives, using improvised props, sitting in a cars speeding over a video game-like version of Coruscant, for example. The homemade look of the movie doesn't detract from the animatic's role: to determine pacing, camera angles, and composition."
ILM made its own software to create images for Episode I, but why weren't other packages good enough? That question is answered by Cary Phillips, software engineer with ILM, who said: "For basic skeletal animation, we've used Softimage for years, but have needed to develop our own software for animating skin and other flexible geometry; for creature animation, that's the basic division between vendor software and software developed at ILM."
For the full answer click here.
June 14 THE latest video diary from the Star Wars site details the work of stunt legend Nick Gillard in full action. The site says: "Much more than pure action, the lightsaber battles of this film are designed to advance the story and reveal the nature of the characters through physical movements in combat." Click here for more.
A NEW classic moments chronicles the wonderful AT-AT walkers. Joe Johnston, art director and visual effects creator, said: "The intention with the walker was to make it more frightening and anthropomorphic so it would look like a big robot. The idea of having a head and shapes that looked like big eyes and a big jaw was really to make it look more frightening."
June 13 THE legendary Christopher Lee is said to have been handed a part in Star Wars: Episode II. AICN claims Lee is definitely signed to appear, but there's no official word yet.
ADMIRAL Motti, aka Richard LeParmentier, has his own official web site. AdmiralMotti.com has just been launched and has a collection of information and photos of the Admiral who nearly choked.
CLASSICAL FM has a slightly unusual addition to its playlist today - Star Wars. Its afternoon show played John Williams' main theme in its entirity.
THERE'S a new classic moment at the official site with George Lucas telling why he wanted 3PO and R2 to be totally opposite, and a snapshot concept drawing of C-3PO from Doug Chaing.
BEN Burtt tells how he comes up with so many different languages in questions to the Jedi Council. Ben says: "The process is very complicated, but I usually start by finding a rare language that appeals to me and has the character of the alien species I'm working on.
"Inspired by the real language with all it's cultural signifigance and detail, I write out in phonetics the sounds which are the essence of that language."
June 12 IF you haven't seen it yet, check out our new competition, where you can win a free Farscape video.
THE Matrix walked off with best film honour at the annual Saturn Awards for science-fiction films. Tim Allen was the surprise choice as best actor and Christina Ricci won best actress for Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, the film's only award out of 11 nominations.
THE Phantom Menace star Samuel Jackson has been telling reporters how he fell out with the director of his new film Shaft.
Jackson said of John Singleton: "John is like many young directors I've worked with recently. They have made five or eight films, I've made close to 70. I know better than they do what works for Sam Jackson."
HARRISON Ford won't be reprising his role as CIA analyst Jack Ryan, the Hollywood Reporter said. Star Wars legend Ford, who played Ryan in Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games, can't agree a script for the new film with director Phillip Noyce and producer Mace Neufield.
STAR Trek actor Patrick Stewart is to marry long-term girlfriend Wendy Neuss this summer. The Star Trek actor
June 11 ONE of Dr Who’s most famous assistants is coming to Clacton as part of the town’s second sci-fi convention. Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah-Jane Smith in the popular television series, will be in the town on September 9.
Elisabeth played
Sarah-Jane from 1974-1976 and appeared with the Doctors Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.
Elisabeth is widely regarded as one of the most popular assistants. Click here to find out more on Elisabeth.
A TOP West End show, starring The Phantom Menace's Brian Blessed, has been pulled on its third night after the other co-star had throat problems.
Having received terrible reviews, Blessed spoke to the meagre audience of 100 people at the Haymarket Theatre mid way through the show and announced that Roy Hudd had throat problems, the BBC said. As the understudy was not ready the show could not go on, he said. A spokesman for the show denied it was pulled due to the poor reviews.
June 10 MORE myths debunked at the official site today. First is the one concerning a trading card that shows C-3PO with an extra apendage you wouldn't expect a droid to have. Legend has it a disgrunted employee plasted it there, but no, the official reason it was a trick of the light.
Second is the rumour that says there's footage of the Millennium Falcon being destroyed at the end of Return of the Jedi. Again, this is down to a bogus script written after Lucas had finished his own. Although Han's words to Lando when he leaves for Endor seem to indicate some sort of preminition.
BOBA Fett is the subject of a feature by the folk at Space.com. It explores the popularity of the cult figure and tries to unravel why he is everyone's favourite bounty hunter. The site adds: "Even the man who created Boba Fett can’t explain his grip on the imagination. "I’m mystified by it," George Lucas told a TV interviewer. "He’s a mysterious character. He’s a provocative character." Lucas says Boba Fett will now have a prominent part in Episode II, filming this summer in Australia and Tunisia." You can read the full article here.
June 9 A WHOLE bunch of characters for Episode II has been confirmed by the official site. There's no great surprises in the list, which includes Anakin, Jar-Jar, Mace Windu, Amidala, C-3PO, R2-D2, Obi-Wan, Padme and Yoda.
THERE'S a new feature at the official site with stunt legend Nick Gillard talking about the lightsaber battles in Episode I. There is also a video of the action here.
TIE-dye shirts do look cool, and now they just got cooler. A firm called Dharma Rose is offering special reproductions of the best known Star Wars characters on your very own t-shirt. The site says: "From Tatooine to Hoth, and from Mos Espa to Mos Eisley, these are the coolest shirts in this or any other Galaxy.
"A fine tie-dye garment is just the ticket for any Jedi or Queen, master or apprentice, to relax on a warm summer's day and get in tune with the Force. On the dark side, these shirts are no longer being produced, not even in the Dagobah System, and are only available in limited quantities." There are dozens to choose from, for details go here.
NICE classic moment today, from Empire director Irvin Kershner, talking of why Chewie yelled out when Han was in danger. He said: "I thought, the doors are closing and here is Chewbacca, who is like a dog, he is hurt, the one he loves is out there in the snow. So as the doors slam shut, I had him scream in agony. That wasn't in the original script; that was a decision I made during filming. Take out the yell and it's just doors closing."
June 8 EVERYONE and their dog are currently interviewing Phantom Menace star Samuel Jackson, to help plug his new much-awaited film Shaft. Jackson was in his usual laid back mood throughout his chats, you can read a full transcript of one press conference here at the Daily Radar site.
DERMOT Power might not be a household name, but he may be soon. The official site's revealed he's the concept artist for Star Wars: Episode II. There's a long list of his achievements too, from working for 2000AD comics to The Mummy, he's done the lot. Check out the article here.
TEN interactive Yodas are up for auction to raise money for a children's hospital, says the official site. Somewhat bizarrely, the authentic looking Interactive Yoda is eight inches tall and using Frank Oz's voice, Yoda has a vocabulary of over 800 words and phrases to help guide Jedi apprentices through four levels of Jedi training. For more details go to Tiger Electronics' site.http://www.tigertoys.com/yoda/
June 7 USA Today has a poll running at the moment to vote for your least favourite Star Wars film. Predictably the clear winner at the moment is The Phantom Menace with 58 per cent. Next is Return of the Jedi with 19 per cent. It also talks about casting but says nothing really new, apart from Jimmy Smit's people denying he's in Episode II and that Ray Park could be back for the next film.
STAR Trek star Patrick Stewart has been talking about a stalker who has been plaguing him. Seems the actor now needs a police escort everywhere due to the female follower, who had stopped pestering him for a while, but now seems to be back with a vengence.
June 6 DAVE Prowse, Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, today received his MBE award from the Queen. Dave, who is coming to the Clacton Sci-fi Convention on September 9, was given the honour for his duties to road safety in the 1970s as the Green Cross Code Man. Also honoured were comedian Sir Norman Wisdom and gardening star Alan Titchmarsh MBE.
LOOKS like Darth Maul actor Ray Park may be back in Episode II - but not as the cloaked Sith badguy. Channel 4's Big Breakfast had a brief interview with Lucas this morning where he revealed that Park will be back, contrary to many reports, but that Maul had definitely been sliced.
PLANS are well in hand for a new Dr Who movie, and AICN has some ideas as to who will be in it. It's reported that that Phillip Hinchcliffe and Russel Mulcahy will both on producing and directing duties for the movie. It is thought that the actor who will play the Doctor himself will be announced in July. The site suggests the likes of Terence Stamp, Brian Cox and Ian Holm could be taking part, which would be no bad thing.
NEWS of a fresh Star Trek game. Daily Radar has been chatting to the founder of Raven Software, makers of Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. The site says: "It doesn't take someone with Einstein's IQ to figure out that using id Software's Quake III engine to power your game is likely to be more of a benefit than a burden. Throw in a Star Trek license, and you're surely onto a winner proportional in size to Captain Kirk's ego." The game is out in September.
June 5 MORE Star Wars myths are debunked today at the official site. First up is the intriguing idea that before the first film came out the entire story existed as a series of novels called The Journal of the Whills which told the tales of Episodes I-VI and more.
Sadly the site says they never existed and their main reference is found at the bottom of the Prologue to A New Hope's novelization where there is the line: "From the First Saga, The Journal of the Whills."
The site goes on: "The storyline of the entire Star Wars saga has never been printed. It exists in the mind of George Lucas, and in his binders of notes and story treatments. That said, though, there was one Star Wars book published before the 1977 release of the film, which may have helped keep this legend alive. The novelization of A New Hope - then called Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, came out a full six months early."
Second is the idea that footage of Luke and Biggs at Anchorhead on Tatooine appeared in some early screenings of Star Wars. Again, not true. While the scene is in the Star Wars novel, the first comic book, The Making of Star Wars and a radio drama, you've never seen it on the big screen.
THE Phantom Menace has won another award for its special effects. It picked up its latest gong for 'best action sequence' at the MTV Movie Awards.
Sci-fi movie The Matrix bagged three awards, for best movie, Keanu Reeves walked off with best male performance and shared the best fight prize with Laurence Fishburne.
June 3 SEVERAL sites have been telling how Hayden Christensen is training to be Anakin Skywalker. Seems the Canadian teenager is having lessons with former Olympic Tae Kwon Do champion Sayed Najem. Sayed said: "I taught him all the basic moves of martial arts, the blocks, the punches, the kicks, the mental attitude to become an actor, to become a real martial artist. But the most important was the staff training for the light sabre."
For the full article go here.
ONE of the rumours that has been going around for months seems to have come true. TFN has a report saying Irish actor Gabriel Byrne has been offered a part in Episode II. Following on from Liam Neeson's success in The Phantom Menace, it's reporterd that Byrne has been offered a major role, but doesn't know what it is yet.
GEORGE Lucas has returned to the Tunisian settlement of Tatouine, where many of the famous Star Wars scenes were shot. Yahoo reported that after initial preparations in August, Lucas is expected to start filming Episode II by October or early November, Tunisian officials said Friday.
It added: "Lucas's fascination for the sand dunes, dry river beds and red-walled Ksours, or desert palaces, of the Sahara first brought him to Tatooine in 1977, some 300 miles south of Tunis, for his first ``Star Wars'' movie."
WHAT'S your favourite song from the Star Wars universe? That's the latest official poll, my vote goes to the Cantina Band ensemble.
A SPECIAL exhibition of Star Wars costumes and props is continuing at London's Barbican Exhibition. The official site has launched a special series of images to promote the record-breaking event.
June 2 HUNDREDS, that's the num of people Star Wars stunt coordinator Nick Gillard is looking at for potential stunt roles in Episode II, the latest official newsletter reveals. It also says there are 300 workers currently involved in construction, sets are being made 24 hours a day, 1,200 costumes are to be created and Natalie Portman will be getting "a lot" of new looks.
ALSO revealed is a new game from Lucas Online, The Seventh Tower. It's a new interactive game, based on a book series, created by LucasBooks and Scholastic, which was written by Australian author Garth Nix. Look for it after June 5.
FANCY working for Darth Maul? Now you can as Ray Park's official site is looking for freelancers. In particular they are after graphics experts, if you think you fit the bill, e-mail them here.
June 1 YOU'D think selling Star Wars to the world would be about one of life's easier tasks. Not so, according to the offiicial site, which has explained its marketing campaign behind The Phantom Menace. Although the film ended up taking more abroad than in America, it seems that your average non-American isn't too clear what it's all about.
Seems one problem was that it was a prequel, coming out 16 years after Return of the Jedi, but set 30 years before Star Wars. It also talks about the "One" marketing campaign and the use of the new characters. Click here for the full story.
DARK Horse comics are releasing a four-issue mini-series called Star Wars: Darth Maul that tells of one of the Sith trainee's early encounters.
"Darth Sidious' need to keep his Sith maneuverings secret until the right moment is threatened by the workings of Black Sun, the galaxy's largest criminal organization. Sidious dispatches Darth Maul to infiltrate the shadowy syndicate that could destroy his plans," says the official site. The first in the series is out on September 6 and is written by Ron Marz.
NYPD Blue actor Jimmy Smits could be getting a part in Episode II, TFN reports. With little time left before shooting begins, it's claimed that the actor has been cast in a minor role.