April 13 THE script for Star Wars: Episode II is finally finished, George Lucas confirmed today. In an interview on KROQ radio in LA Lucas was asked how he could afford to spend time at this weekend's Long Beach Grand Priz, when he was meant to be working on Episode II.
His reply, which has been reported by several web sites, was that he had just finished the script a few days ago and this was his celebration. In a revealing interview he also said that special effects wizards ILM were working on releasing The Phantom Menace on DVD and were looking at some additions. Lucas said he was planning to go to Australia in eight weeks to start filming.
VARIETY has made up a list of possible candidates to play Spiderman in the forthcoming film. There's a list of obvious names but one of the surprise choices is Ewan McGregor. The Obi-Wan actor would seem a very strange choice, given he's now nearly 30 and has probably got enough on his plate with Star Wars and his own liking for indie films.
I paid a visit to The Art of Star Wars today which is as good as it sounds, literally brimming with props and costumes from the films. Check here tomorrow for a full update.
THERE seems to be a strong rumour that Christopher Walken has been cast for a part in Episode II. Walken originally read for the part of Han Solo in 1976, and nothing's confirmed as to his status in the next film.
SCREENWRITER Jonathan Hales has been called in to help finish off the Episiode II script. The official site said Hales has written with Lucas before, on the successful Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' TV series.
THE Art of Star Wars is now open! Anyone heading for London should check out the Barbican, where tickets are available to see the biggest collection of Star Wars material ever outside of America. Here are some stunning official sneak previews of whats' in store for visitors.
WIZARDS of the Coast will be releasing new role-playing Star Wars games in the autumn and now there's official news as to what that will is in store.
There will be a 288-page Star Wars Core Rules Set, featuring everything you need to begin adventuring in that galaxy far, far away and the Star Wars Character Record Sheets, an valuable reference that will provide a handy way of keeping track of evolving and growing characters.The 32-page trade paperback will be out in November.
Then there is Star Wars Episode I Adventure Game, an introductory adventure allowing gamers to play a role in the events of The Phantom Menace that should be out in October, The Secrets of Naboo Campaign Pack, which "explores Naboo like no other, venturing deep inside the cavernous Theed Palace and the exotic underwater cities of the Gungans." Due out in December.
ENGLISH actor James Fleet was on the National Lottery show last night, and was asked which "macho" type role he may like to play. The Four Weddings and a Funeral star replied: "If George Lucas is out there somewhere, I'd love to be the new baddie in the next Star Wars movie".
April 12 IN the run up to tomorrow's launch of The Art of Star Wars in London, the Times' art supplement today details the exhibition. James Christopher sounded suitably in awe of the display, the largest Star Wars show ever outside of the US. He said: "Spread over two floors The Art of Star Wars is a lavish tribute to the huge team of conceptual artists and designers who turned Lucas' ideas into pots of gold."
Curator Conrad Bodman added: "When you look at a costume like Darth Vader's, you can't help but admire the kind of cultural impact the design of that costume has had, and how pervasive the iconography is. If we're talking about popular appeal, it is far more iconic than Van Gogh's Sunflowers, and probably far better known." For details check out the Barbican's site or the excellent official exhibtion site. The article goes on to question whether this is actually art? You can judge for yourself from tomorrow.
THE Daily Star ran a short story today, telling of the ETs you can spot in The Phantom Menace, during the Coruscant meeting and in the Podrace. A LucasFilm spokesman said there were several other hidden extras in there to spot, if you know where they are let us know here!
ANYONE in London tomorrow has no excuse, you have to go to the Barbican for the opening of The Art of Star Wars. To promote it Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) was on the Big Breakfast, where he revealed he also played a silver droid in Mos Eisley called TZ-3. The exhibition runs for several months and includes hundreds of props and costumes. The exhibition site is here.
April 11 ANOTHER casting rumour...Lucas is currently at Long Beach, California trying to qualify for the Grand Prix Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.The Daily Radar reports that Ashley Judd (Kiss the Girls) said in an interview there that she and Lucas have indeed had a lot of time to talk. She also said she was looking for her "future job," but was very coy as to what that might be. Could be more hype, but then again...
SAMUEL L Jackson has been speaking about his role in Episode II. Talking on the Rosie O'Donnell Show, JediNet reports that Jackson will work closely with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, who is to send him video tapes of techniques he'll have to learn for the next movie.
It seems that Jackson and Gillard have become pretty close since they worked on Shaft. Jackson also said he did not know he was to be in Episode II until he heard Lucas on Rosie's show last summer and that he still has not seen the script.
INTERESTING feature on concept designer Iain McCaig here.He's the guy who came up with Amidala's look and ideas about the Jedi.
THERE'S another set of photo-links on the official site. New are Qui-Gon, Leia, Lando and Ackbar.
THE underwater terrain on Naboo is seen in the latest snapshot. It was apparantly carved from foam and filmed on a smoke-filled set at ILM. And today's classic moment recalls how R2 got his name.
April 10 AS if there's not enough Anakin-hopefuls around right now, here's another one - Tom Hanks' son. Colin Hanks, 22, has reportedly met with casting director Robin Gurland for the role in Episiode II.
LUCAS has announced he will shoot Episode II with digital 24 frame progressive high definition film. In English, that means that many of the action scenes will be filmed digitally for the first time.
After four months of testing by Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic, a prototype digital acquisition system has been created. Producer Rick McCallum added: "We start shooting Episode II in Australia in June. All of the sets are in final stages of construction. In August the shooting will move to Italy and to Tunisia. We will shoot for a total of three months and then we plan to spend about 18 months in postproduction."
April 9 THERE may be another release of the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition in the summer, according to TheForce.net. It's not the first time it's been mentioned, and judging by the huge Episode I sales, it seems a pretty good bet.
G-FEST,an annual science fiction convention dedicated to the promotion of Japanese special effects film and television programs in North America, has contacted us to promote their event.
This year, G-EST will be held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California from July 14-16. Among past guests have been Noriaki Yuasa, director of the classic "Gamera" film series and Wataru Mimura & Hiroshi Kashiwabara, scriptwriters for Godzilla Millennium: 2000. The G-FEST website is located at www.g-fan.com.
April 7 IN just 48 hours American fans have snapped up five million copies of The Phantom Menace. To contradict reports that sales were flagging, the official site said sales of about $100million had been generated, although figures from other countries were not yet available. Looks like the collector's edition may sell out by the weekend too.
TIME is running out for youngsters to have a chance of seeing Episode II being filmed. StarWarsKids highlights a competition run with the Cartoon Network that gives toys away every day, but the chance to enter the Episode II contest is fast running out.
COUPLE of updates on the official site. Details of a podracer's cockpit are here, while "Wax fur and everything" is here.
FANS have got the chance to ask Darth Maul actor Ray Park a question on his official site. Check out the site here for more details
TFI Friday in England tonight had a Naboo fighter pilot on its wall, presumably to celebrate the video release.
April 6 CHILDREN now have their own Star Wars site to visit. StarWarskids.com .It's bright and full of similiar things to the main site, just not as packed with detail.
A NOVEL based on Darth Maul will be on the shelves by May. The official site has announced plans for the as yet untitled book by LucasBooks and Del Ray. Emmy award winner Michael Reaves will be the author.
April 5 George Lucas has been involved in a minor car crash as part of the Long Beach Grand Prix's Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race he's taking part in.
The Force.net has a report that says Lucas, who nearly died in a car crash as a teenager, was escorted off the track and declined medical treatment. He even stopped to sign a Yoda doll for a fan and joked that he would win the man race by using an "Episode II"-appropriate bumper sticker: "If you want the part, pull over."
IN other sci-fi news, the Sci Fi Channel has spent $12million to buy the exclusive rerun rights to Warner Bros' ``Babylon 5.''
HARRISON Ford has received the AFI Life Achievement Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, according to his site. It also reports that the Star Wars actor will return to the big screen this summrrt in the Robert Zemeckis horror "What Lies Beneath." The film stars Forrd and Michelle Pfeiffer as a happily married couple whose idyllic life is threatened by mysterious events and the occult.
April 4 LOOKS like Leonardo DiCaprio is definitely not going to be the next Anakin. Star Wars fans will be breathing a sigh of relief after USA Today confirmed what many already thought - that Leo won't be around for Episode II.
SEGA has announced that Star Wars Racer is now out for the Dreamcast. In an announcement it said: "The amazing high-resolution graphics and frame-rate of the Sega Dreamcast will immerse you in the most awesome Star Wars experience yet! PLUS -- Post your high score to the Sega Dreamcast Network to determine the best Podracer in the galaxy. And watch for details on how you could win valuable prizes."
STAR Wars historians Kevin J Anderson and Daniel Wallace have spoken to the official site about their book, Star Wars: The Essential Chronology, which is out now.
THERE'S an interesting classic moment involving Ivrin Kershner and Darth Vader's head here.
HOPEFULLY by now you'll have had the chance to buy a copy of The Phantom Menace on video. Several stores opened at midnight on Sunday to cater for demand.
April 2 A STRING of Star Wars fans played their own April Fool jokes yesterday. TheForce.net's main page was in Japanese, while the Daily Radar claimed to have seen the script for Episode II.
It went into considerable detail before announcing at the end that the whole thing may just have been a prank. Elsewhere there was a claim that Darth Mall would be the name of a new shopping centre in America and that English actor Jude Law had landed the part of Anakin.
Oh, and this site's news about Star Wars buying Star Trek's rights yesterday... made up too.
April 1 IN a major announcement, LucasFilm has bought the rights to Star Trek. The shock move was revealed last night, and could have big implications for fans.
A Lucas spokesman said: "We are delighted to have brought together the two biggest sci-fi creations of all time under one roof. We're already looking at how we can combine both names, and may consider a Star Wars/Star Trek film in the future.
"With Episode II not far away, it would be great to see some Borgs or maybe an SS Enterprise do battle in the new film."