Cut and pasted here because AICN is a fucking bitch to get to nowadays

http://linux10985.dn.net/display.cgi?id=16995 (Part 1)
http://linux10985.dn.net/display.cgi?id=16994 (Part 2)
http://linux10985.dn.net/display.cgi?id=16993 (Part 3)


AICN’S JEDI COUNCIL RETURNS! Tons Of News Breaking!! Plenty To Discuss!!

Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Well, by now, you’ve all read the news. Yes, the STAR WARS DVDs are coming. And, as I’ve been saying since we started the Jedi Council articles, they are going to be the SPECIAL EDITIONS from ’97, and not the original untouched films.

I know, I know... you don’t believe it. You’re convinced that George Lucas is going to change his mind and release the films the way you want them released. You’re sure of it. He couldn’t possibly have meant it when he said that he will never release the original theatrical versions of the films again, right?

Personally, I think only a stone cold sap still thinks they’re going to get the originals on DVD anytime soon. I sat in the Egyptian and watched Lucas when they screened clips from the original versions at a special ILM retrospective, and he looked like he wanted to crawl out of his skin. He hates those films. He hates watching those films. He is embarrassed by his own accomplishments, and he has gone around the bend. My advice? Accept it. You’re not going to get another commercial release of the movies. Not now. Not ever.

However... if it really chaps your ass to the degree that you just won’t be able to tolerate the next nine months without whining and crying in every available forum about Lucas and his long-since-announced policy, there is a way you can have a genuine impact. It’s not by signing petitions. It’s not by writing angry posts to message boards. There is one, and only one, absolutely guaranteed method by which you can affect Lucas and possibly force him to change his mind, and that is by organized financial boycott. If fandom decided that it was a big enough deal to them that they were not getting the original theatrical versions of the films, they could demonstrate their personal displeasure by not buying the box set.
And that’ll never happen.

So on September 21st, there will be a box set of STAR WARS movies on DVD. Already, there’s a lot of speculation about what versions of the movies they are. As I understand it, they are the 1997 theatrical versions of the SPECIAL EDITIONS, with no changes. Some people are sending me rumors of changes or potential changes, but I haven’t heard anything conclusive yet. Until we do, let’s assume that you’ll get what you’ve already seen. I know they’re cleaning them up in terms of the video mastering and the prints, so expect them to be the absolute prettiest versions of the SPECIAL EDITIONS ever produced.

There’s more big news for spoiler-freaks today, our first official glimpse of General Grievous. We were just discussing when this would happen in the latest Jedi Council meeting, which took place just over a week ago. Already, there are things we were debating here that have changed in the week that has passed. Obi-Swan and Mr. Beaks handled the transcription duties this time, and I think they did a hell of a job. The thing I want to say, as always, is that we are in no way trying to hold ourselves up as the ultimate STAR WARS fans or anything of the sort. We’re just excited about the final film in the trilogy, eager to see what develops, having fun by having these conversations. It’s a way to enjoy the countdown. We’re looking at just over a year until EPISODE III opens, and we’re trying to savor it.

This time out, we met at Frosty Skywalker’s house again, and we had Frosty, Obi-Swan, myself, The Hellboy, Carl Cunningham, Dr. Hfuhruhurr, SarahS, Frosty’s roommate Mxyzlptlk, Darth Tardy, the wee flmlvr, JedTheHutt, and the one and only Hercules The Strong, all together, all eager to talk about all the recent bits and pieces. From time to time, I’m going to interject to add something you may not know or some link that may help clarify something that’s being discussed.



”The Duel”

MORIARTY: Obviously, the biggest news this week in terms of STAR WARS fandom was the release of the stuff from the European marketing conference where the EPISODE III behind-the-scenes footage was re-edited to AC/DC’s “Back In Black.” It went everywhere. It’s been passed from website to website, from newsgroups to message boards. I assume everybody here has seen it. Let’s throw it up for discussion. What did everybody think?

CARL: I think Lucasfilm is glad it’s not the nine minute video.

MORIARTY: There’s a nine minute version?

CARL: Supposedly, yeah. There was one shown to the U.S. market. It actually had footage from the film.

FROSTY: I actually have to say that I am shocked, given the days we’re in, that more footage doesn’t become available on the Internet.

DARTH DARTH TARDY: I’m shocked that the nine minutes aren’t here right now.
Actually, according to one source, it’s much longer than just 9 minutes, and we managed to talk one exuberant spy into giving us a full account of the presentation, which we’ll share before we continue:

Hi Harry

As promised here are the spoilers of the info of the Lucusfilm Star Wars Presentation that was for 50 or so people at London Toy Fair. Basically they were the 50 biggest toy buyers and licensing companies in Europe and i work in one of the categories !!

So here are the Spoilers
Its all true so dont shoot the messanger !!

Star Wars Eps 3

Ok this is from memory
The presentation opened up with a 20 minute montage of what Star Wars has meant over the last 20 years or so and then it was announced that unlike other star wars movies they were giving us a synopsis of the movie and then bang we were into it. It was explained that what we were seeing was

A) Rough Early Footage
B) Animation
C) Storyboards
D) Blue Screen footage

It starts with the fact that the Senator Palpatine has been kidnapped by the renegades because of the continuing clonewars. Annakin and Obi-won are sent to rescue him. It is basically a pod race in space feel, with both of them in their own space craft, not seen in any of the previous movies. They are attacked while approaching star destroyers but and if memory serves Saw Droids (look a little similar to Matrix Sentinals but smaller) Obi-Won is attached by 5 or 6 of them and is going to die. Annakin comes to the rescue by bashing the ship with his ship and knocking them off. This was footage and looked rough but very cool

We are then told over black screen that the rescue was successful BUT
We next see them into the control room of the star destroyer with no bad guys around but the ship is out of control and approaching and going to crash in a planet. We see the ship starting to burn up in the atmosphere and half the ship gets blown away. Our heroes we are told escape. Again footage rough but good

The Film, we are next told is set on two planets (again the names escape me) one is the planet primarily of water and mountains but the mountains have dwellings on the side, and another is the wookie planet, where we are told we will meet chewbacca. Who becomes a great hero because of this film.

Storyboards

We are then told that Amidala is pregnant by Annakin - no images just storyboards

We are then told that in the movie we will see how C3PO and R2D2 move from Eps 3 to A new Hope as it is hinted that they are passed to somebody's position

We next encounter Obi-Won who is investigating a matter for the Jedi on the Mountain planet, the only way of climbing a m,mountain is on a creature, similar to bantha but much much bigger and very speedy who runs up the mountains, bit like a taxi.

- This is animation
We are told that the clone wars are going the way of the separatists and that something is causing the Jedi to be wiped out - but we do not know why or by who.

We are then told there are two climactic battles

1. Yoda / Annakin / Obi-Won vs New Evil Guy, and Emperor , this is done in storyboards, but we are told that yoda and palpatine fight with every conceivable item

2. Annakin vs Obi-Won. We see this both in actual footage but also in animation. The footing is blue screen and is very intense and we see 5 minutes worth in tunnels and rooms and bit like the rooms where Han is frozen in EMPIRE. we do not see an outcome

then we move to animation and then pop - it smacks you in the face of how he becomes darth - VERY VERY VERY VERY BIG SPOILERS.

They are fighting on floating bays over a lava lake this is burning ferocious flames, they are crashing and falling over each other - and getting burnt. again we do not see an outcome but if its anything like the animation then wow !!! My thoughts are that Annakin is very burnt and is re-built by the Emperor as darth Vader

At no point are we told that Padme is killed but we are told that she bears two children, we are shows the planet tattoine and told that the children are split up and one LUKE is going to his uncle.

We are also show the last scene on tatoine where we see two suns in the distance to signify the two kids

This was hugely impressive although I may not have remembered it all, but I did most and think it look great.

Then we are told that this movie answers and ties up all the questions for the last 20 years.

We are told that they will be two very very bad guys in this movie, but interestingly we are not told about Count Dooku - where is he in all this !!
The hint was that one of the baddies may be female - which would be interesting !

Other than that if I remember more I will advise

Yours
The Highbury Spy


CARL: Whoever shot the video is going to be busted. The original file name said what it came from and the date and everything.

MR. BEAKS: Getting back to the point of how it looked. It’s tough to say...

MXYZLPTLK: It was very green.

MR. BEAKS: I think it looks like great fight choreography. They’re really into it. They’re going at it. It looks about as ferocious as I expected.

CARL: It’s the one sequence of the film that we should have no worries about.

MR. BEAKS: Yeah, well... the duels have always been good. The best thing about EPISODE I was the duel. The best thing about EPISODE II, I guess that duel was pretty good, too... but, yeah... that’s the thing they can’t fuck up.

FLMLVR: Don’t say that. They’re going to have all sorts of lava shit in the middle of that... jumping from stone to stone.

CARL: My biggest fear... the only thing that can mess up that scene... is Lucas putting his Super-Editor hat on in the editing room and saying “It’s not fast enough.” Right now it’s at twelve minutes, which would make it the longest fight scene in a film. My fear is that he’s going to cut it down to five or six minutes and intercut it.

DARTH TARDY: He’s gypped us on all the lightsaber battles in my opinion. He took out the second lightsaber from Dooku in ATTACK OF THE CLONES. He took out Darth Maul jumping onto the ramp going after Qui-Gon.

SARAH S: I actually like the idea of it being cut, though. That goes back to RETURN OF THE JEDI. That final duel between Vader and Luke is intercut with a lot of other tense scenes.

MORIARTY: I think that’s what would make it stand alone. I actually would like to see one interrupted fight because it’s not just a fight. This really is the whole reason these three films were made. Emotionally, I don’t want it cut with another action scene that’s just another action scene. It’s just an excuse to see another location.

FROSTY: Unless it’s cutting away to see Jedi being killed or seeing the destruction of everything we know in the universe.

DR HFUHRUHURR.: Like the end of The Godfather.

MORIARTY: It better be monumental. Emotionally it needs to be the equal of the duel.

MR. BEAKS: I expect it to be cut with something because Lucas... there are certain things he likes to do... he likes to break up and intercut action sequences.

CARL: I think the notion of Yoda and Sidious having a lightsaber duel is... I can’t think of anything more contrived that could be in this film… in my opinion. First of all, to me it was a stretch to see Yoda fight, although it did work. I mean, it wasn’t completely laughable. I could do without seeing either of these characters wield a lightsaber. Now we have to see them both wield one. It just seems far too convenient... too pandering.

FROSTY: Are we sure Sidious has a lightsaber? The entire Council responds with an overwhelming “yes.”

FROSTY: I guess my question is, how much lightsaber action will he have?

CARL: Yoda has an “epic duel.” It’s not with Dooku.

OBI-SWAN: It has to be with Sidious.

SARAH S: I don’t think so. I think his duel is going to be for his life as the last surviving...

CARL: No, he has a duel with another person who has a lightsaber.

FROSTY: This actually goes along with something I wanted to address. We’ve gone over this many times... what’s the actual premise of the film. We’ve done this so much that a lot of us feel familiar with the plot. But there have to be some people who are reading this who are not aware of what happens in the film. I think it would be beneficial for someone to go through right now and give a basic outline of the movie... what we know so far.

OBI-SWAN: Is there some place we can link to, maybe?

MR. BEAKS: I heard that Mickey Suttle has an excellent treatment on his site.

Everyone breaks out laughing.

MORIARTY: (genuinely excited) SS (posting from year 1998)! SS (posting from year 1998)’s got it!

FROSTY: Are we dignifying his bullshit by bringing it up?

MORIARTY: I visit his site five times a week.

OBI-SWAN: He’s Lucas’s friend, though. But also, y’know what..?

No one can stop laughing.

OBI-SWAN: I would actually like to see Darth Sidious use a lightsaber. I’m curious. How good he is?

DARTH TARDY: Why should he be good with a lightsaber? He’s the most powerful Sith there is. A lightsaber is beneath him.

CARL: His power is that he’s pulled all these strings.

MR. BEAKS: He’s bent the galaxy to his will.

MORIARTY: I guess the question then is, who taught Darth Maul? Who taught these apprentices of his? Wouldn’t the lightsaber have to be a part of his training? I’m not saying I need to see it in the movie, but at some point he must have...

CARL: If it grew from that notion, I wouldn’t have a problem, but I know for a fact... well, I don’t know it for a fact, but you just know, it’s common sense, Lucas is like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if..? The end of EPISODE II worked so well, let’s have Yoda and The Emperor...”

SARAH S: I don’t see that happening. From everything I’ve read, everything I’ve come across, nothing leads me to think that Yoda and Sidious are going to fight. Yoda’s gonna...

MORIARTY: Really?!

SARAH S: ... when it’s he and Chewbacca... the last ones on the planet... that’s when he’s gonna maybe reach his duel.

HERC: Moriarty’s question about who’s training these guys... Anakin has no training from Sidious at all and he went on, of course, to be a Darth.

MORIARTY: Right. But he had training through the Jedi. Somebody was training these guys who obviously didn’t come from the ranks of the Jedi.

HERC: Well, my thought was that Anakin, Maul and the others probably got their training from other sources. Some sort of intergalactic CIAs and FBIs.

SARAH S: Or Maybe Sidious has the first couple of strokes at Mace Windu and says, “See? If you really want to learn how to use a lightsaber, watch me.”

HERC: Dooku would be another good galactic CIA where they could have learned this stuff.

FLMLVR: Something’s got to send Yoda to Dagobah. It’s not just going to be that his people get wiped out on Kyk and he decides to go there. Something’s got to humble him and make him into the cranky old person we see in EMPIRE.

MORIARTY: Right now, I’m really curious. This is about the time in each film’s production schedule when we get the script. It’s right about now each time when it happens. And I’m very curious this time to see this come together and to see if we can verify some of the totally different story versions that I’m hearing. There are places where things don’t agree. I heard, on the one hand, with The Emperor, that his true face is revealed in this movie. And that it’s something that he’s been masking. But I’ve also heard, from other sources, that there is no true face. That after he and Yoda have their duel, and Yoda lays the smack-down on him, that he looks like The Emperor. That before then, he’s just regular Palpatine and it’s Yoda that leave him a little extra crispy. Those are totally divergent versions of...

CARL: I’ve heard a third one. I’ve heard that during the birth of Vader scene where Anakin does a freak-out. That makes him look like The Emperor. That’s probably the least likely of the three. But I’ve heard that one as well.

MORIARTY: I’m curious if Lucas has done any stuff he did on the set of JEDI or EMPIRE... where he shoots something on the set and has one version, and plans a different version.

CARL: I’m sure. There’s a lot of shooting left. There’s more shooting left than they’ve admitted. All the action scenes with Wookies haven’t even been shot yet.

DARTH TARDY: Is it true there’s a month of shooting left in November?

CARL: I’ve heard five weeks. They’re shooting in March as well.

SARAH S: March has always been on the schedule.

CARL: These are scheduled like entire sequences that weren’t filmed in principal, which I don’t believe they did the first two times.

HELLBOY: How done is the script?

CARL: The script was complete, but it was 100 to 110 pages. And it’s always in flux.

MR. BEAKS: Then, do we know now who has been writing with him?

MORIARTY: As I understand it, it’s Tom Stoppard. That’s the name I’ve heard more often than any. And I’ve heard it from enough sources that I’d say there’s an 80% chance it’s Stoppard.

SARAH S: He’s non-guild. He’s pretty.

MORIARTY: And he’s someone Lucas and Spielberg are fond of. Tom Stoppard was the guy who delivered the shooting draft of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. He took Marc Norman’s script and turned it into what people really fell for. You gotta love ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD. He co-wrote BRAZIL, adapted EMPIRE OF THE SUN…

MR. BEAKS: The guy is one of the best playwrights... one of the smartest guys...

MORIARTY: And, on top of that, he’s Hollywood-friendly. He’s not the kind of guy who’s above coming in and doing these re-writes. Because he’s non-guild, he was the perfect choice. Spielberg supposedly loved him... loved the EMPIRE OF THE SUN process... and I’m sure he would have highly recommended him.

HERC: EMPIRE OF THE SUN kinda sucked, didn’t it?

The entire room jumps on Herc, shouting “NO!”

MORIARTY: No, it’s great. It’s right up there.

FLMLVR: Does anyone know what Spielberg’s involvement was on this film? If any.

MORIARTY: I bet his only involvement was brokering the Stoppard thing... getting him hooked up with Lucas. Because he’s been busy working back-to-back-to-back. He hasn’t had time for anything else.

HELLBOY: TERMINAL has been difficult.

MORIARTY: And INDY IV is a bitch in pre-production. They’re still not sure if they’re shooting in June.

Keep in mind… this was last week… before the big announcements about how Lucas rejected the INDY 4 draft despite both Spielberg and Darabont feeling like they’d really nailed it. I’ll have an official statement on this from one of the key players in the days ahead, but for now, let’s see how we were feeling about the film just before the announcement...

OBI-SWAN: It’s February. If they’re shooting in June, there’s a problem. Have they built sets yet?

MORIARTY: I don’t think so.

OBI-SWAN: They’d have to do location shooting first while sets are constructed. That scares me. RAIDERS and TEMPLE OF DOOM are great soundstage movies. The sets were big and inventive. LAST CRUSADE was kind of a letdown. They just weren’t...

MORIARTY: They weren’t as interesting.

MR. BEAKS: I’ll bet my money right now that movie doesn’t get made.

MORIARTY: It’ll play a double-bill with Warner Bros.’ new SUPERMAN film.

MR. BEAKS: I mean, my god, have you see the photos of Harrison down in Mexico?

READ PART II OF THE COUNCIL HERE!!

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO PART I!!
”Questions & Answers”

HERC: I just have a question for all the know-nothings who’ll be reading this. Do we know yet whether or not Sidious and Palpatine are two people? Or one?

CARL: They are one person.

HERC: This is fact? There’s no controversy?

CARL: Well, there’s controversy.

FLMLVR: Some people think it’s a clone.

DARTH TARDY: I think they’re one person. I always have.

OBI-SWAN: Does anyone know who Sifodyas is yet?

DARTH TARDY: I think it’s Dooku.

FLMLVR: If it’s Dooku, it feels like such a cop-out. Lucas built up that mystery in ATTACK OF THE CLONES.

MORIARTY: This is the guy who thought up the Midichlorians. So...

HERC: Doesn’t Obi-Wan know what Sifodyas looks like? He seemed to know that he was dead for ten years.

DARTH TARDY: Yoda and Mace seem to know him.

FLMLVR: I guarantee you, it’ll be something you hear in the second movie and we’ll never hear about it again.

OBI-SWAN: I don’t know. It’s a big deal who ordered the clones.

HERC: I agree with [Obi-Swan].

CARL: There’s going to be a scene where he explains everything with one piece of exposition.

MORIARTY: With that scene I think they have to tie together: Shmi’s hesitance to talk about Anakin’s birth and his origin; genetic engineering in the galaxy, whether it be clones or Midichlorians; and they have to cover Sifodyas. Those three things have to be answered because they are giant loose plot threads. This manipulation could have been a larger scale thing than we realized and it could all be the work of Sidious.

FLMLVER: Who erased the files? My thought is that it was Anakin and Palpatine said, “Hey, you should do this for me.” But that seems like a cop-out again because it happened off-screen. It’s a big thing and it happens between PHANTOM MENACE and ATTACK OF THE CLONES?

CARL: Anyone who’s expecting it to be anyone other than Palpatine or Dooku are just setting themselves up.

FLMLVR: It takes an hour and a half of the story to lay this big MacGuffin and it’s just going to be Dooku. It just seems too easy.

OBI-SWAN: I’ve never considered that it might have been Anakin.

MORIARTY: I think this whole Sifodyas thing will turn into the equivalent of two unmarried people in the 50’s checking into a motel and registering as “The Smiths.” I think that’s all it’s going to be.

CARL: In the original script, that name...

MORIARTY: ... was Sidodyas. I know.

FLMLVR: Lucas got lazy. “Just give me something that sounds like it.”

MR. BEAKS: When I first heard the name, I thought it was going to be played by Jimmy Smitts. I thought it was “Sifodiaz.”

MORIARTY: You said you wanted to be hated, Beaks. There you go! There’s your Talk-Back hate mail.

MR. BEAKS: (sarcastic) Yes. Of course. I hate Mexicans.

HELLBOY: I don’t think any of this will be touched upon. Same with the Midichlorians. It was in the first film and he kind of got bored with it.

OBI-SWAN: Or maybe he felt he had painted himself into a corner and backed off. See, the answer isn’t to ignore it. The answer is, “Okay... how can I continue with it, pull it off, and fix it somehow?” Make it work so it makes sense.

SARAH S: We were happy with The Force being a mystery for all these years.

MORIARTY: But it’s not a mystery. The Force is explained as beautifully as it could possibly be explained in the first film by Obi-Wan. There’s no mystery about.

OBI-SWAN: I don’t think there’s any mystery about the Midichlorians. Qui-Gon explains that just as well. I think it’s one of the best moments in PHANTOM MENACE.

HERC: (with a possible hint of insincerity) I’m with Obi-Swan.
”For The Record”

FROSTY: For the record. Obi-Swan... what do you think of EPISODE I? The room goes silent.

OBI-SWAN: (finally) I think PHANTOM MENACE is a great fantasy film.

FROSTY: And the rest of the room feels... differently.

FLMLVR: Actually, I’m siding with him. The more time passes, the more I watch it, the more I like it. I can do without the pod race and some of the other bullshit in there, but it’s a pretty solid film.

MR. BEAKS: I think it’s a better film than ATTACK OF THE CLONES.

FLMLVR: I agree. I used to think CLONES was better, but now it seems like he was pandering to the fans.

SARAH S: No, it didn’t seem like they were –

MR. BEAKS: I think that PHANTOM MENACE was at least George Lucas’s vision. I don’t care if the vision is bankrupt. It’s his vision. And I don’t think it’s necessarily bankrupt, but it is an honest failure. ATTACK OF THE CLONES is a failure in response to what he thought the fans wanted to see. It looks like he just got a focus group... like it’s a laundry list of sheep grievances.

MORIARTY: Here’s a question, speaking of what sheep want or don’t want. Two different rumors making the rounds. One: they are making Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. Two: that it’s a television series and not theatrical sequels. Which would you rather see? A television series that takes place between EPISODES III and IV that covers the rise of Vader, or Episodes VII, VIII, and IX in the theater?

MXYZLPTLK: Hands down, I want to see between III and IV on TV. Because you know if it’s all new characters it’s just not going to be done right. It’s going to disgrace the universe that already exists. I think there’s a lot of interesting material between III and IV... how Vader gets from III to IV. VII, VIII, and IX are just going to be new characters and cheesy tie-ins to the old universe. I just don’t like it.

CARL: I agree. For one, they would have to come up with a new villain. But the main thing is, if they do this idea for between III and IV, which would essentially be Vader and Stormtroopers hunting down the remaining Jedi Knights scattered across the galaxy... that’s something I’ve always wanted to see. That’s something I expected to get out of the prequels.

MR. BEAKS: Um... if he has to keep doing it… um... does he have to keep doing it?

Everyone laughs.

MR. BEAKS: I don’t want anything else. Unless EPISODE III knocks the ball out of the fuckin’ park and wins me over and gets me back into the Lucas camp, I don’t see anywhere else he can go with this series that isn’t about making more money. Then I guess a TV series. But, really, I’m ready for it to die.

SARAH S: I’d really be interested in the story between III and IV. I think they’re a lot of possibilities. And that’s not a part of the series that’s been hammered to death by the expanded universe books. I’m not into the EU, but I know that there’s ten bazillion books... that’s been done.

JED: I’m gonna go with the third trilogy. I want three directors. I’m thinking like Spike Jonze... David Fincher. I want to see Julie Taymor make a STAR WARS movie. You don’t need new characters. What’s Mark Hamill doing? What’s Carrie Fisher doing? And if you give Harrison Ford twenty million dollars, he’ll do a fucking donkey movie at this point.

MR. BEAKS: And he has.

JED: That’s what I want. I think if Lucas takes a step back and says, “You kids grew up with this... play in my universe. I’ll see you in five years. Keep the checks coming.” I think there’s an army of people out there who could turn out three more kick-ass STAR WARS movies.

SARAH S: You’re such an EU nerd, though.

MR. BEAKS: I’d be up for that if he did it like THE MISFITS. Han Solo is the Clark Gable character and he’s got a young thing who has supplanted Leia.

MORIARTY: I thought it was interesting last week... it was the first time I heard Carrie Fisher say she’d do it. When she was on the Today Show, she said she’d really enjoy it. If Carrie’s up for it... Carrie’s smart. She’d probably play it real well again.

DARTH TARDY: I’d love to see VII, VIII, and IX, but I feel there’s nowhere to go anywhere. The books have exhausted it. The EU has exhausted it. Everything that could be done about Clones and the second Emperor... he wrapped it up with RETURN OF THE JEDI. He left it, as I see it, with nowhere to go. So, because of that, as much as I would love to see VII, VIII, and IX, I really hope he doesn’t do it. And I’d much rather see what happens between III and IV. The Jedi purge. When I first saw EPISODE II and realized that EPISODE III wouldn’t leave much room for the Jedi purge, I was pretty upset.

DR HFUHRUHURR.: I’d like to see what’s going on between III and IV... or possibly remakes of I, II, and III. Just kidding. How cool would it be to do a mini-series of Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye using look-alikes?

MORIARTY: I enjoyed it as a book, but I haven’t read it in a lot of years.

CARL: It doesn’t fit in with story.

DARTH TARDY: Luke faces Vader in that for the first time. So it would make EMPIRE seem strange. It wouldn’t work.

OBI-SWAN: Well, y’know... I’ll take STAR WARS any way I can get it. But... if I could somehow have Lucas’s ear, I would not want him to do a TV show because it simply isn’t the format of STAR WARS. I like the poetry of the movies. You don’t have an enormous amount of time to develop characters. The characters need to be sketch very quickly. The movies need to leave you wanting more. For me, that’s the appeal. And I think there’s nothing more exciting than the possibility of getting Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher together again...

Half the room erupts in applause.

HERC: YES! EXACTLY!

OBI-SWAN: And, y’know what... as far as EU is concerned, I don’t give a shit. It doesn’t matter. Boba Fett was what..? A woman in the books or something like that? It doesn’t matter. All that stuff is just fun to fill the time when we’re not getting movies.

HERC: This is the smartest man in the room.

OBI-SWAN: Thank you. But also, I think if Lucas did that he would have learn his lesson from Peter Jackson and shoot all three movies at once. That way Harrison wouldn’t be 72 by the third film.

CARL: He already is.

OBI-SWAN: He’d shoot them all together then release them maybe two years apart. And Mark, Harrison and Carrie wouldn’t need to be the lead characters. I’d rather see them as part of the supporting cast. They’d pop in periodically...

MORIARTY: Like Mon Mothma?

OBI-SWAN: Yeah. I’d give them each one big scene every movie. And at some point during the trilogy, I’d love to have all three of them in peril at the same time... like the trash compactor. I think their entire relationship with each other is summed up in JEDI when Han asks how they’re doing and Luke responds, “Same as always.” “That bad, huh?” Also, I wouldn’t want Han and Leia to be a couple. I would want their initial meeting in the first movie to be the first time they’ve seen each other in years. It should have a similar vibe to their first few scenes in EMPIRE. Uneasy. Filled with regret.

SARAH S: You make it sound like you’re writing a part for Clarista Flockheart.

FLMLVR: I’m with Obi-Swan on VII, VIII, and IX. I think it would be cool to see Vader do all that stuff in a TV series, but that’s what the prequels were supposed to be for. That didn’t happen. I think we should move on. The TV series... the episodes are going to get way too expensive they’re going to do the effects cheap. It’ll dilute it more than the prequels have. And honestly, how much of an audience is gonna watch STAR WARS on TV each week aside from the hardcore fans? Maybe a mini-series could be cool, but it’s always an event. It’s always for the theater. It’s a communal experience. It’s not Thursday nights at nine o’clock. And the thing about the villain... I’ve heard that while making PHANTOM MENACE, he went back and sketched out what he wanted VII, VIII, and IX to be. And he sort of planted stuff during PHANTOM MENACE. I don’t know exactly what he could have planted in there, but I’ve read that in a couple different places.

HERC: Speaking as a TV guy, I do not want to see STAR WARS as a TV series. I definitely want to see a sequel trilogy. I want to see the continuation and I have no reason for than other than I’m appalled by the prequels, I harbor no rooting interest in the prequel characters, and I don’t want to see any more of the pre-original trilogy stuff.

MORIARTY: Here’s my take on it. I think the rumor about the TV show is bullshit and I’ll tell you why. Nobody is gonna program a television series in which our lead character, who we’re supposed to follow every week, is killing people all over the galaxy. GENOCIDE, the TV series?! Bullshit! Absolutely not. I don’t believe for a second that’s the series or that’s the plan.

HERC: (coughs violently) TheSopranos!!!

MORIARTY: And THE SOPRANOS would never play on network, and would never be made by Lucasfilm. He never would have created THE SOPRANOS. It’s the wrong narrative focus. How can Darth Vader be the lead in a television series?

MXYZLPTLK: You could see the birth of the Rebellion.

MORIARTY: Besides, I’d like to see VII, VIII, and IX. I agree with Obi-Swan on this. For me, the only thing, the only emotional resonance from further STAR WARS is – give me back my original cast. You made your prequels, you got it out of your system, you did it, you said what had to. Great. Give me back the original cast, goddamnit. I want ‘em now, and that’s pretty much all I want.

MR. BEAKS: Why do you think you’re owed that?

MORIARTY: I’m saying, if he’s going to continue, what do I as a fan want? I didn’t say “owed.” I never used that word. I’m not entitled to a fuckin’ thing. I’m not entitled to EPISODE III. I’m not entitled to anything. What do I want? I want VII, VIII, and IX with the real cast again. That’s all I really want.

MR. BEAKS: I just read that wrong...

MORIARTY: There is that sense... STAR WARS fans, I think, ruin things because of the entitlement issue. The wah-wah, do it my way or not at all. There are so many millions of “my ways” that it’s impossible. I think that’s what fandom seems to get crazy about. Everybody wants it their way. I think the thing that is the most interesting about STAR WARS is interpreting what your reaction is to what Lucas did, not to what you expected or had in your head or whatever. I want VII, VIII, and IX... if we’re going to get anything.

DARTH TARDY: I have friends who won’t watch the prequels because of how they feel about the originals. How would you feel if he did new movies with Luke, Han, and Leia and they sucked balls?

MORIARTY: I would still have the original trilogy and just not watch anything else. It wouldn’t ruin it for me. It would answer a question. “Oh, well, I guess he couldn’t do that either.”

SARAH S: If he were to bring back any original cast members... we’ve talked about the loss of dignity that happened with Jar Jar. Forget it. It would be embarrassing.

MORIARTY: You think having Mark Hamill play this character a generation after the Empire fell and seeing the affects it’s had on him would be as embarrassing as Jar Jar Binks?! You seriously believe that?

SARAH S: I do.

MORIARTY: I think Mark Hamill should be at least a little offended by that idea…

SARAH S: Going back to what you were saying, the fans are so unhappy and “I want it this way and this isn’t what I imagined...”

CARL: Fuck the fans. Print that, by the way.

SARAH S: It would take an act of I don’t know what to make it work. I’m not saying I think it’s a bad idea if it works. But I can just see it. It has disaster written all over it. I just want them to have a little bit of dignity left.

MORIARTY: We’re well past the concept of worrying about dignity. He’s going to extend the franchise. He’s going to continue to make money off of STAR WARS for another fifteen years. It’s going to happen. The question is: How?

HELLBOY: STAR WARS does belong on the big screen. There’s no doubt about it. But, I gotta tell you, I am afraid to death of all of it... VII, VIII, and IX... the TV show...

FROSTY: I would obvious love to see something on the big screen. It doesn’t belong on television. I think that EPISODE III is really going to be, not only a major film for STAR WARS fans, but a major film for the future of the STAR WARS universe. If he strikes out on this film, he’s done. It’s over. If he hits a homerun with this, it’s going to bring new life into the property. I’d love to see VII, VIII, and IX with all of them showing their age as long as there is a legitimate story arc. If he screws it up... oh, my god...
”The Clone Wars”

MORIARTY: How many people in the room saw the Clone Wars episodes?

OBI-SWAN: I saw ten of them.

FLMLVR: They get pretty goofy. I didn’t like them.

MORIARTY: I actually haven’t seen them because I hate the format. I liked the three-minute thing, but hated trying to catch them on TV...

FROSTY: Six through ten were very good. I thought one through five, though...

MORIARTY: Yeah, I get it, but do you know how hard they made it to find? They looked mediocre online, so I just decided, fuck it, I’ll wait for the DVD.

HERC: Which is exactly what they wanted you to do.

MORIARTY: I know. They intend to sell those to me.

FLMLVR: The clones fighting was good and cool, but then you get Kit Fisto swimming in the water and fuckin’ Durge blowing up.

SARAH S: I thought it was gripping. I watched them several times. I thought they were really well executed. I really think it played well. I thought it was great to watch them do things that wouldn’t work in films. The jousting thing was really exciting.

CARL: There were definitely things about it that were cool. The whole Dooku versus Asaaj Ventress… that episode was excellent. The Clonetroopers episode where there’s hardly any dialogue was awesome. It reminded me of the G.I JOE comic... an issue where it was Snake Eyes and there was no dialogue...

MR. BEAKS: The no dialogue actually goes back to THIEF with, uh...

HERC: James Caan?

MR. BEAKS: Not James Caan. THE THIEF with Ray Milland.

MORIARTY: I was just curious because it’s one of the first real extensions of the characters outside of a film that’s been well received at all.

CARL: The first chapter begins and ends exactly like EMPIRE. It really does. It’s got Yoda riding that thing and they even use the Tauntaun sound effect. It ends with them looking out the window as the ship takes off.

SARAH S: My boyfriend, who hates the prequels, loved it. He says that if EPISODE III is as good as this, he’ll come back.

CARL: The problem with the three minutes is that it wasn’t a creative decision. That was a marketing decision. The way Lucas functions is he’s making films right now. Unless he’s directly involved with the creation, he doesn’t want to bother with it. Basically, he hands it over to people like Jim Ward. He’s the guy, I guarantee you, who came up with the three minute format. He’s always thinking like a marketing guy. They wanted thirty to sixty seconds, but Cartoon Network was like, “Please...” Those are commercials for toys. Which is probably what they wanted. I happen to believe that Jim Ward is one of the most brilliant marketing people in film today. He came from Nike so he knows the business of marketing. The problem is, he tends to be myopic driven.

MORIARTY: Does anyone know if Jim Ward even likes STAR WARS? I’ve never met him. I’ve never talked to him. (indicates Carl and Obi-Swan) You guys have been to The Ranch.

CARL: He puts the good face on and says all the right things.

DR HFUHRUHURR: What about the rumor that we weren’t going to see Vader?

MORIARTY: Not true.

MXYZLPTLK: Have you seen the concept art for the birth of Vader?

HELLBOY: It’s full-on Ralph McQuarrie-esque.

CARL: It’s Ralph McQuarrie meets James Whale.

MORIARTY: It is what I would call... badass.

DR HFUHRUHURR: Was Lucas at one point considering not showing Vader to preserve the mystery?

MORIARTY: I don’t know. Let’s put it this way: if that was ever considered, it was tabled very early. And early on they knew Vader would be a part of the picture and Vader would be a big part of the end.
”The DVDs”
Again, this was just last week, and things have changed since then. This conversation wasn’t just idle chatter, though. We had someone in the group who knew EXACTLY what they were talking about, and that made it fun to just sort of .

FROSTY: I just wanted to bring up another subject. The DVDs that are coming in September. I believe one of our people here has some information to share.

HELLBOY: Expect something in between what we got with EPISODE I and the INDY set. They were very successful and they were very happy with the perception of them.

MORIARTY: I think they got a free pass on the INDY set. They could have put of the three movies and a fourth disc of Lucas going – (makes bizarre Zulu noise and flips the finger, double-barrels) – and it still would have sold the way it did. The extras disc really wasn’t...

CARL: That wasn’t because of Lucas, the lack of stuff in the INDY set... Spielberg personally killed a lot of stuff in that set.

MORIARTY: Spielberg seems to have a real resistance to home video extras and DVD extras...

CARL: The INDY set is not like a Lucas DVD. It’s a lot like the MINORITY REPORT DVD, the A.I. DVD, where you get a lot of short little featurettes...

MORIARTY: They’re not quite bare bones, but they sure make you feel like they are.

OBI-SWAN: Well, what’s the good news? Will there be multiple planet menus like on the DVDs for EPISODES I and II?

CARL: The menus are going to be similar.

OBI-SWAN: For EPISODE IV, will we see menu themes for Tatooine? The Death Star?

HELLBOY: The menus are going to kick ass.

CARL: Van Ling is doing the menus again.

OBI-SWAN: Okay. That’s good news.

DARTH TARDY: Any deleted footage? Commentaries?

CARL: I don’t know. But there will be other DVDs down the road.

FLMLVR: So these are just going to be the SPECIAL EDITIONS pretty much.

CARL: Pretty much. But they still might have tweaks in them.

HERC: What in Christ’s name are you all talking about?!

OBI-SWAN: I just heard the word “tweaks.”

FROSTY: And his face lit up.

SARAH S: It’s not that much. My friend works at the company that’s cleaning them.

DARTH TARDY: I heard they fixed the lightsabers.

CARL: I’m not saying new scenes or footage. I’m saying stuff like they did in RAIDERS like where they took the reflection out of the glass with the snake.

DARTH TARDY: I heard it’s the lightsabers in the Obi-Wan / Vader duel.

MORIARTY: Every time I’ve heard they’ve fixed the lightsabers, it’s turned out not to be true. I got the angriest email from the guy who – we ran the guy’s story saying that he had been at the recent screening in L.A. and that they had fixed it. Then we got several reports saying no, they weren’t cleaned up at all. Obi-Swan was there. He saw the print that the guy claimed the lightsabers were fixed in. Obi-Swan, who is sitting in the room with us, saw that print, the same version that guy saw, and..?

OBI-SWAN: Um, no. It’s not fixed. The print we saw was definitely from 1997. It appeared slightly different, but they were not what I would consider to be fixed. Not like they will be fixed in a final edition version.

DARTH TARDY: I want them to be fixed because Lucas added so many things that I really didn’t give a crap about. He could add Jabba the Hutt and have Han step on his tail, but he can’t fix the lightsabers? What’s wrong with that? That’s the first thing, as a fan, that I would expect to be fixed.

SARAH S: It’s going to be like you’re seeing the best print ever. But that’s it.
At this point, someone in the room who is associated in some way with the DVDs began to expound about some of the recent activity that’s taken place in preparing them, and it sounds like we’re going to get a really interesting sort of verbal history documentary on this DVD set, and some of the other things that were mentioned sounded like it’s very much an effort by Lucasfilm to only put a positive face on everything. Don’t expect anyone to talk about creative conflicts on the set or personality problems. This is going to be polished to a perfect Stepford shine before it sees the light of day. Finally, we steered the conversation away from material that we can’t print without losing someone their job and got back on track...

JED: What could they possibly put on a DVD that we already haven’t seen?

CARL: For the original trilogy?

JED: Yeah.

CARL: They have tons of stuff people have never seen. Tons. Hundreds of hours... There’s a scene in EMPIRE with the Wampas that got cut.

MORIARTY: That’s the scene where C-3P0 locks them into a room...

CARL: There’s another scene that’s lesser known where Luke’s trying to get to his snowspeeder during the attack on Hoth base and the Wampas have broken loose and have killed a bunch of Snowtroopers and Luke has to get on this big-ass gun and shoot the Wampas. They found this footage.

FROSTY: The lights in Obi-Swan’s eyes are at about three hundred degrees.

OBI-SWAN: I want to know about the Cloud City scene from EMPIRE where Darth Vader punches into C-3P0’s chest and pulls out a mechanical heart then crushes it.

CARL: They never filmed that.

OBI-SWAN: They could do it CG.

CARL: It was in the script and I like the symmetry... the irony...

OBI-SWAN: If they decided to do it and incorporate it into the film, it would be a great trailer moment. C-3P0 runs up and stops when he sees Darth Vader and the voice-over would say, “And a few new surprises...”

HERC: I just want to go on record and say that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.

HELLBOY: I’m betting that in the set coming up, you’ll see a little bit of good stuff, stuff you want, and then you’ll see some fluff. And the next set, if there is one...

Someone mumbles “2007.”

MORIARTY: Gee, I wonder why 2007 might become significant in the marketing of Lucasfilm?

SARAH S: And it’s not that far off.

OBI-SWAN: Keep telling yourself that. READ THE CONCLUSION OF THE COUNCIL HERE!!

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO PART II OF THE COUNCIL!!
”It’s Almost Over”

SARAH S: My STAR WARS clan, the people who have been hanging out for so many years, we keep saying, “Wow, this is our last year for us planning a line.”

OBI-SWAN: Are you going to do a line at Best Buy?

SARAH S: When I think back to the planning we did in 1998, 2007 doesn’t seem that far off. Three years for a STAR WARS fan, at this point, is nothing.

HERC: I just want to ask if anyone can describe the relief of Sarah’s face that it might actually end.

SARAH S: Frankly? Yeah, I am. I have to be honest, recently, I packed up all my STAR WARS stuff and put it in storage. Everything except two posters and a couple action figures. I just decided it was time to have the “adult” apartment. I mean, I live with STAR WARS every day. I have STAR WARS tattoos. My film company with my friend is called Mutual Friend George Pictures.

HERC: (has another coughing fit) NERD!

SARAH S: I’m ready for the end. I’m ready for the end of it.

OBI-SWAN: I’m ready to only watch it... once a week.

CARL: I should have brought this up when we were discussing the films versus the television idea... I’m going to be relieved when it’s over, too. I’m actually five years ahead of Sarah as far as getting toys away from me. I did that back in ’99.

FROSTY: Back to 2007. What have you heard about that box?

HELLBOY: Hopefully it will be...

HERC: It’ll be encrusted with semen when Obi-Swan gets hold of it.

HELLBOY: Hopefully it will be given to a company that knows how to handle these sorts of big box sets.

MORIARTY: Obviously, right now, the gold standard is a complete movie series is that ALIEN set.

CARL: We’ve got the LORD OF THE RINGS sets, too.

MORIARTY: LORD OF THE RINGS, I would set right next to ALIEN in terms of the way they were handled, but they’re doing it film-by-film instead of all at once. Also, with LORD OF THE RINGS they had total cooperation across the board. On the ALIEN films, you’re dealing with four different directors. You’re dealing with a lot of very particular people who are dealing with approval issues. With LORD OF THE RINGS, there’s never an approval issue. Everybody at New Line was pretty gung ho to get that shit on disc. ALIEN is trickier. STAR WARS, at least, you’re under one banner... under one company. It’s not like Richard Marquand is gonna kill something. Or Irvin Kershner is gonna add a clause to overrule George.

CARL: George isn’t the problem. I think it’s whoever puts this DVD together, if they can get direct access to George and circumvent some of the people under George... it would be a much better set.

MORIARTY: It really depends on how into the format he is and how into DVDs in general he is. Again, there’s that bridge to fandom that George always seems a little hesitant to cross. He’s willing to go with you to a point. And then... “You nerds are on your own, ‘cause I can’t even get in there and I’m afraid of you all.”

SARAH S: Carl and I have talked about being tired of fans. I think George is tired of fans. I think he’s tired of us. I think he’s been tired of us for a while now.
At this point, we all took a brief break, and Mr. Beaks took over recording the meeting.

MORIARTY: The thing that I’m curious about is right now we’re hearing from many directors that RETURN OF THE KING sort of raised the bar for them a bit. In terms of, whether you like the film or not, in terms of action and special effects being used the way they were, James Cameron has said that the whole reason he’s ready right now is because RETURN OF THE KING got him crazy. He saw it, and he was like, “Oh, fuck, I’ve got to do that!” And I’m hearing from people that Spielberg is the same way; he’s mental about RETURN OF THE KING, and he wants to play. So, Lucas, for the first time ever, is making a film in the shadow, absolutely start to finish, of LORD OF THE RINGS being in theaters. How do we think that’s going to affect Episode III? Do we think Lucas as a filmmaker is going to want to step up, or is he going to try to do his own thing, and put all of this aside? Or can he at this point with fandom being the way it is?

CARL: Well, it’s probably all of the above. If it does affect it, I can only see it affecting it in positive ways. It shows that, look, here are films that are pretty dark, and they don’t have fart jokes, and are extremely successful. The last two – THE TWO TOWERS and RETURN OF THE KING – both outgrossed ATTACK OF THE CLONES at the box office. I know that’s just box office; there’s also the critical acclaim that came with them. I think it couldn’t help but have a positive effect. But at the same time, he’s set up two films already, and he’s setting up this third one that’s basically the missing link between the first two prequels and A NEW HOPE. So, he doesn’t have too much that he can play with here. But what I think where it may come in as a positive is that… he might have more confidence in the fact that he can be as dark as he wants to be with III, and get away with it.

MORIARTY: Can you hear us, George? Can you hear us?

OBI-SWAN: I think a lot of that depends on the rating. LORD OF THE RINGS was PG-13. He may be contractually obligated to turn in a PG.

CARL: Which is going to be a huge issue, because I don’t see how it can be PG at this point.

FROSTY: Right. Well, I’ve heard many times that he’s contractually obligated, and we’ve talked about this, for a PG rating, and I don’t see how it’s going to happen.

MORIARTY: Which is what happens when you sign “Happy Meal” deals. You get locked in with your licensers. Because toy manufacturers have a real problem with manufacturing toys for PG-13 and R rated films.

OBI-SWAN: Also, on that note, I think that if he is absolutely saddled with a PG, I think he can do it because it just means he has to be more operatic, less graphic. I think it can be done.

FROSTY: But that’s going to defeat the entire… I just… (goes speechless with disbelief.)

CARL: The MPAA will bend it for him. They did it with CLONES.

BEAKS: Yeah, the point is moot. It’s going to go PG. But it’s got to go darker than that. They could give it a PG-13 on content alone. Thematic… pervasive darkness, or whatever. Severe depiction of very bad weather, or some shit. I’d just rather… I mean, he’s not making LORD OF THE RINGS; he’s making STAR WARS. And STAR WARS was never LORD OF THE RINGS.

CARL: I agree.

BEAKS: So, just finish it the way you think it needs to be done. If there’s still an artist in there, someone who really cares about these stories, bring it out! Let’s see what you’ve got left. It’s your last chance to redeem yourself.

FLMLVR: If anything, I think it’s going to make him focus on the acting more. He’s going to work with the actors more, which I heard he did.

MORIARTY: I hope that’s true.

BEAKS: If Stoppard has indeed worked on the script, then he’s already addressing the dialogue problems. I mean, ATTACK OF THE CLONES had some of the worst dialogue, outside of HOUSE OF THE DEAD, that I’ve heard in the last few years.

MXYZLPTLKyzlptlk: Oh, there it is! Thank you!

BEAKS: So, he’s addressing that. But the acting… well, Ewan can direct himself, but—

CARL: I heard that he let the actors adlib this time, which he’s never done. Gave them a little more freedom.

BEAKS: Well, he let Harrison ad-lib.

MORIARTY: He didn’t let him, per se, but Harrison did it anyway.

CARL: The dynamic between Hayden and Ewan could be very good. I think Hayden stumbled over the dialogue in ATTACK OF THE CLONES. We’ve seen him in things like SHATTERED GLASS.

SARAH S: SHATTERED GLASS! He was great!

CARL: He’s not a bad actor at all.

SARAH S: MY LIFE AS A HOUSE.

CARL: Heck, I thought he was great in that horrible Canadian television show he was in.

BEAKS: Well, here’s the thing. How was he in THIS IS OUR YOUTH in London? The Kenneth Lonergan show.

MORIARTY: He got nice reviews.

BEAKS: That would’ve been the real proving ground, because that’s a great play.

MORIARTY: He got very respectful to good reviews.

HELLBOY: Part of the problem with the acting in these films, especially with people coming in on the second film like Hayden, or even Natalie Portman to an extent, is that they have to learn how to handle nothing being there. Some actors just can’t do it. Ewan McGregor seemed to be able to get into it—

SARAH S: He’s older!

CARL: He’s also much more gifted.

HELLBOY: I think it’s a special talent. Some people just can’t do it. They need to react to a set, or whatever, and we all know that it’s all about the “digital backlot” now. So, hopefully, someone like Hayden will have gotten it together, and understands the process now, and can kind of go for it.

BEAKS: Let me address that. With actors, it’s about having a sense of play. It’s not about being older, it’s not about where you are in your career, it’s about having that sense of play. If you’ve got that, you can deal with things that aren’t there. You can become inventive, and also have fun with it. That’s something Ewan can do. Great actors all have a great sense of play. I didn’t see that with Hayden in the second film. Maybe he was intimidated, because he seems to be a decent actor elsewhere.

MORIARTY: I think McDiarmid directed himself from PHANTOM MENACE on. McDiarmid is in a better movie than anyone else. (Laughter.) And that’s just the truth: McDiarmid is doing a better film than anyone else.

HELLBOY: And as bad as everyone says Hayden is, Sam Jackson… he just sucks.

DARTH TARDY: I agree with that. He’s having problems with STAR WARS.

HERC: Sam Jackson was such a god! He was, like, one of the best actors in the world.

SARAH S: No, Natalie Portman. My god!
”The Portman Rumor and THE GREAT JALEPENO CAPER”

MORIARTY: Did we address the… Natalie Portman rumor in the last Jedi Council?

All: No.

MORIARTY: I’ve heard this several different places now, including from (censored). So, take it with a grain of salt, it’s a rumor. I’m not saying it’s absolutely correct. The rumor is that Portman hit the set on this one, and, right away, started butting heads with Lucas. Hard. She definitely did not want to be doing this movie.

SARAH S: She’s such a little spoiled brat. She really is. And I’ve heard this from other sets.

MORIARTY: Well, this is rumor, okay? And there’s a second part to the rumor: Lucas came thisclose to recasting. And the only reason he didn’t is because Keira Knightley wasn’t available. And she’s played the role. Thisclose. There was a conversation with her management. There was a conversation about scheduling. And if Keira had been open, she would’ve been in, and Portman would’ve been out. The result is: there’s very little Padme in this movie. They cut the role to the bone. She’s almost not in the film.

CARL: That’s true.

HELLBOY: He must’ve really loved directing the death scene.

OBI-SWAN: She’s there because she has a womb.

MORIARTY: That’s really it. She’s a womb with feet in this movie.

SARAH S: That just goes to everything I’ve ever heard with anyone else who’s ever worked with her. She’s just not… nice to work with.

MORIARTY: That’s a shame. How much of that can you blame on Lucas? If you don’t want to be there, you’re going to give a shitty performance.

SARAH S: This really bothers me, and it’s bothered me the whole time in the prequels. She’s always acted like this was a burden. She’s always put it out there that, “Oh, I’ve been miserable. Oh, my costumes! Blah, blah, blah!” She’s been so unhappy every step of the way. I was shocked, *shocked* to see in that bit, that footage that came out last week, where she was smiling and dancing. I was like, “What?”

JED: Maybe that was her last day of shooting.

CARL: Remember the incident on the set of THE PHANTOM MENACE, where the guy got fired because the squib went off and a spark hit her in the eye. Her dad was on set, pitched a fit, and Lucas had to fire one of the engineers.

HELLBOY: I hadn’t heard that.

MORIARTY: I’m just curious, because it reads in her performance. She’s just god-awful in the second one. She just never looks like she buys it.

SARAH S: I think that goes to the whole idea… Beaks and I were talking about this earlier. Actors and their craft: if they really are professionals, and rise above (despite not liking) what’s around them, and maybe they’re not getting the best direction from a director. That’s their craft. They still have to step up and do it. It’s not an excuse to me when an actor goes, “I wasn’t pushed enough this way,” or, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” It’s one thing not to have things to react to, but not to find it within yourself. You should know your character well enough to act.

BEAKS: No, it’s… certain actors, and let’s just face it, actors are stupid for the most part. (MORIARTY laughs.) They’re not the most mature people.

MORIARTY: You’re making friends, Beaks. We have actors in the room.

DR HFUHRUHURR: I’ll bet Beaks really loves Mexican actors!

(Laughter)

BEAKS: A director’s job is to get the performance out of the actor. He’s the one with the vision. He’s the one who’s got to tell them what they’re doing.

MORIARTY: I don’t think it’s the actor’s fault. I think if you look at the first trilogy, the reason EMPIRE is head and shoulders above the other two is because Irvin Kershner really loved those actors, and gave them the space, and knew how to create an environment where they not only came to play, but were supported in doing that. That’s Lucas’s great failing. He doesn’t know how to support those actors, and give them the equipment, whether it be in their heads or on the set, to do what they have to do.

BEAKS: And it should be no surprise that it’s the British actors who are the best at handling that.

FROSTY: I have to interject. Let’s ask Darth Tardy – since he is a working, professional actor – to answer the allegations made by Mr. Beaks.

DARTH TARDY: I have to agree with what MORIARTY said earlier. You have some actors who really can play with nothing, and they don’t need other actors in front of them. And there are actors who are great, but if they don’t have other actors in front of them, they can’t react. It’s like people playing sports. Maybe you’re a great passer in football, but you’re not great under pressure. Every time you get blitzed, you can never make a pass, whereas there are guys who can, *Bam*, they can just chuck the ball and hit it every single time.

MORIARTY: You have to point at the director when, as Herc says, you’ve got Samuel L. Jackson doing mediocre work in the movie. How can he be stranded? He’s Sam fucking Jackson!!!

OBI-SWAN: He acts mainly with Yoda.

MORIARTY: And that’s the thing. He looks in these movies like there really wasn’t anything on the page. He’s trying to come up with something, and there’s just nothing to hold on to.

DARTH TARDY: It’s because of what Dave Chappelle said. Sam Jackson can only be mad. (Laughter.) “I’m Sam Jackson. I’m mad, and I don’t need a reason why!”

BEAKS (imitating Jackson): “Yes, they deserve to die, and I hope they burn in hell!”

FLMLVR: Has anyone heard anything more about Grievous?

MORIARTY: The rumor is, this February… we were talking about this before we started rolling tape today, because I heard that February is when we get our first look at him.

CARL: Probably.

FLMLVR: I heard not until March.

MORIARTY: On the new cover of INSIDER, there’s a picture of a Clone Trooper on the cover. The rumor is that it’s a fold-out, and the fold-out is Grievous. I guess we’ll see when it hits stands, or when it gets shipped to people. I don’t know why you don’t show him early, instead of trying to make him a mystery. We all know about him now. Nick Gillard dropping his little hint, “If I were to say anything about what’s in the movie, they’d do me *grievous* bodily harm.” They’re playing with us at this point. They know that we know, so it’s a game of when do you release the image. I’d like to see him now.

CARL: I’d like them to release that, and I’d like them to release the title, too.

MORIARTY: When do we get the title? We know the timetable based on the last movies.

CARL: Last time, it was September.

SARAH S: PHANTOM MENACE was, what, September?

MORIARTY: Then it’ll be September this time, too.

CARL: The thing is, they know the title much earlier this time.

MORIARTY: The title is on some of the stuff that they’ve shown.

CARL: I’m waiting for that to leak out any day.

HERC: You want to hear what I heard (it’ll be called)?

MORIARTY: Yeah.

HERC: OH, MY ACHING TAINT.

(Laughter. There’s some confusion due to Hercules’s mangled pronunciation of “aching”. Meanwhile, FROSTY tells someone to “shut their goddamn mouth” for the seventeenth time this evening.)

OBI-SWAN: Let’s just go around the room, and have everyone say what they hope (the title) is. I think Hercules already gave his, but… online, when I read STAR WARS fans coming up with titles, they suck so bad. It’s just the worst. And they say it so earnestly, like…

MORIARTY: CHILDREN OF THE FORCE! (Laughs.)

OBI-SWAN: But, seriously—

MORIARTY: REVENGE OF THE SITH! RISE OF THE SITH! THE SITH STRIKE BACK!

DARTH TARDY: DEATH OF THE JEDI!

CARL: Actually, I think REVENGE OF THE SITH would make the most sense. First of all, it harkens back to the REVENGE OF THE JEDI thing. Then, it has that nice symmetry with REVENGE OF THE SITH and RETURN OF THE JEDI. Also, that’s what the film is about. Darth Maul says that at the beginning of THE PHANTOM MENACE. There’s a whole symmetry throughout all six films. And, also, if they use “Sith” in the title, then you’ve got STAR WARS films with the words “Clones”, “Sith”, “Empire”, and “Jedi” all in titles, and I think that’s great. But it probably won’t happen because it makes too much sense. (Laughter.)

MORIARTY: Right. We’re gonna hear it, and it’s going to be, like, THE GREAT JALAPENO CAPER. (Laughter.)

OBI-SWAN: Lucas is famous for coming up with a title that is the last thing you would ever expect, but then it kinda grows on you.

MXYZLPTLK: In some cases.

DARTH TARDY: Like a fungus.
”Expectations”

FROSTY: Swan, you don’t count because you like everything STAR WARS, so your opinion is very suspect.

MORIARTY: Not at all! OBI-SWAN speaks for pure fandom.

CARL: The two key words in ATTACK OF THE CLONES – “Attack” and “Clones” – speak STAR WARS to me. “Phantom” and “Menace”… nothing about those two names—

HERC: I love the title THE PHANTOM MENACE. I will say that.

HELLBOY: It’s very serial. That’s what I think I like about it.

MORIARTY: I actually like it, too. I like it as a serial title, and I really like the fact that they’re very 30’s.

CARL: Well, the acting style you can say is really 30’s. (Laughter.) And that may not be on purpose.

BEAKS: No. The 30’s was theatrical. This is just bad soap opera acting.

SARAH S: We need a title that will be easiest for me to abbreviate when I’m typing on my keyboard.

MORIARTY: ROTS. (Flmlvr’s) got a question: what kind of an uphill battle does Lucas face this time? Do you think there is, in terms of perception… because, with THE MATRIX, we really did see a dramatic response to RELOADED in terms of fan reaction. Fans just turned their backs on the fucking Wachowskis, and that was that.

CARL: I think it’s going to depend on the trailers.

FLMLVR: I’ve heard that, officially… Vader is going to figure prominently in the marketing. So, they’re not holding back Vader.

MORIARTY: Apparently, that was a big fight.

CARL: Here you have these guys like Jim Ward, and these brilliant marketing people, and then you have… arguably the most iconic film character of all time, and he’s in the film. Obviously, it’s a no-brainer. They’re going to use Vader on everything.

MORIARTY: Even on the promotional tape, the way Vader was used in that… that’s great! The minute you see him, you go, “Oooh! Vader!”

CARL: They used him in THE PHANTOM MENACE teaser poster.

MORIARTY: They did. And that’s the thing that got everybody hot and bothered. “Holy shit, it’s the shadow!” People went crazy.

SARAH S: I think the people who’ve already turned their back on STAR WARS… they’re already gone.

CARL: But you know what? They’re still going to see it.

BEAKS: I think we’ve seen a more dramatic fall off. I think we’re moving toward STAR WARS becoming a niche franchise in the mold of STAR TREK.

(Multiple groans of disagreement.)

BEAKS: We’re not down to those numbers yet, but… I think we’re going to see a softer opening then we’re used to for a STAR WARS movie.

FLMLVR: In terms of marketing, are we going to get THE PHANTOM MENACE, where it was like Taco Bell everywhere?

SARAH S: No. Again, this is why we have the stopgap DVD’s, the release of the original trilogy later this year. It’s going to remind everyone why they love STAR WARS in the first place.

MXYZLPTLK: But then you’re going to see them complaining again! “Why is Greedo firing first?”

BEAKS: My problem is that those versions don’t remind me why I like the movies. Those remind me why I’m mad at Lucas.

MXYZLPTLK: I think it would be smart if he released the original trilogy, not special editions. I know he won’t, but I’m saying I think it would go over very well. And then everyone would be, like, “Wow, these are the STAR WARS movies I remember.” And then on the DVD, it would have the EPISODE III trailer, and—

SARAH S: We’re all jaded, jaded filmgoers, though. Again, not Joe Minnesota, but Jane Iowa who doesn’t watch these movies all the time, and can’t remember what she saw— they’re going to buy the widescreens of whatever, and they can’t remember what the original trilogy looked like. They’re going to get all excited again, and they’re going to go see the movie. They’re not us.

FLMLVR: I agree that they don’t notice all of the differences, but it’s obvious when you see something like Jabba that automatically takes you out.

CARL: By the way, I love the irony in that, after the first MATRIX came out, everyone was like, “Oh, the Wachowskis have stuck their dicks in George Lucas’s mouth and taken over.” Now, when we bring it up, everyone’s like, “Will STAR WARS fall to the level of THE MATRIX movies?” (Laughter.)

JED: Hey, I saw REVOLUTIONS three times, and I wept every time I saw it. So, there’s one Jedi still doing the bullet time thing.

DARTH TARDY: I have to say that I auditioned for the Wachowskis for Two and Three, and I remember just sitting there blowing sunshine up their ass about how they had done what Lucas couldn’t do. And they were very adamant with me that they weren’t sure that THE MATRIX (RELOADED and REVOLUTIONS) could do that. They said that they could very easily fuck up and not work. They were very adamant about that.

(More general talk about how the STAR WARS prequels might’ve hurt the franchise as a whole.)

DARTH TARDY: If EPISODE III really is great, to where the fans are like, “It’s a *good* movie,” I think that will help (the franchise). But it is at the point where, if a lot of fans turn around and say, “I and II sucked, and this is no better”, it’ll kill STAR WARS. Forver.

BEAKS: With (the prequels), the plot and intrigue… everything has gotten more labyrinthine. It’s not as simple as the original trilogy was. With the original films, everyone, especially kids, could follow them much more easily. I think, going back to Joe Minnesota, or regular moviegoers who don’t have time to delve into all of the minutiae… those guys are kind of tired of the prequels. I think they’re like, “Oh, I don’t know what’s going on in these STAR WARS movies anymore. I’m done with ‘em.” And that’s exactly what happened to THE MATRIX.

FLMLVR: Can EPISODE III step up and clarify what happened in EPISODE I and II for the people who didn’t really get what was going on, and redeem the series for people who walked away?

MORIARTY: I think as long as the duel delivers, people will walk away going, “I really like STAR WARS again.” I think so long as this film delivers the big beats, the little stuff will be relegated to fan gripes. And fans will either be upset of happy with the way all the loose ends were tied up. I think for most people, as long as this film really delivers with some good Darth Vader, and where he came from, and that sort of stuff, I think it’ll play. I think that that’s all it has to do well.

DARTH TARDY: And I think there’s a good chance that he’s going to deliver this time. I really do.

CARL: But it could be frustrating at the same time, like, “Damn it, why did I only get twenty minutes of Vader, and sixty minutes of ‘Yip, yip.’” (Laughter.)

FROSTY: I definitely think that this film… word of mouth on it is everything. Because if the film does deliver, then the word of mouth will spread, people will say positive things, and more people will go see it.

BEAKS: But it’s not a word-of-mouth film! It’s a front-loaded, make-everything-in-a-few-weeks film. It’s a sprint. Films like this are a sprint.

FROSTY: Yes and no. I have to say this. I use my parents as an example, and my parents just went and saw RETURN OF THE KING. My mom was mediocre about it, and my dad had to see it. My parents went and saw EPISODE I, but did not go to EPISODE II. If they want to see EPISODE III, it’ll be because of word of mouth. And they’re the difference.

MORIARTY: I’m like you. I always use my parents as a litmus test. How excited are just regular film viewers? Because my parents… they don’t pay attention to what’s coming until it’s Friday and it’s in the theaters, or they see a commercial and go, “Oh, neat!” Either they want to see it, or they don’t. They don’t get hype, they don’t get caught up in campaigns, they don’t really give a shit. It’s just what do they want to see when something comes out. That’s most in line with regular moviegoers. And even my parents know that STAR WARS is coming, and that it’s the last one, and that they’re kind of interested. There’s a saturation level that you just can’t get around. It’s STAR WARS. It is what it is. It’s still one of the biggest cultural phenomena that’s ever been in terms of film. And this is that last one, so they’ll sell it a little more special.

DARTH TARDY: It’s got Darth Vader in it, and that’s the thing that it’s got going for it that the other two didn’t. Even if people hated the first two, if he does this one right, it still links you to four, five and six. If he does it right, it’ll bring a lot of people back.

FLMLVR: I think a lot of it also has to do with whether the duel has resonance, if you actually feel for the characters. If it’s just ten minutes of action, and it’s just Vader kicking ass, it’s not going to do as well.

HERC: My memory is that EPISODE I made $400 million and change, and EPISODE II made $300 million and change. I’d just like to do a quick poll. Who of you think EPISODE III will outgross EPISODE II? Let’s start with Moriarty.

MORIARTY: I think it’ll fall in between EPISODE I and EPISODE II. I don’t think it’s going to break I’s record. I think it’ll do well, and could do really well.

HELLBOY: I agree. I think the same thing. EPISODE I had the fact that it was returning, and it was this big deal… which you’ll never be able to duplicate again. But if he gets it right, and we do have Darth Vader, and we have the duel, and we have all these kinds of things—

FROSTY: I think it’s definitely going to make more than EPISODE II, but I don’t think it has any chance of hitting EPISODE I.

OBI-SWAN: I think it’s definitely going to make more than EPISODE II, but the reason I think it’s going to make more is that EPISODE II made $300 million *after* the “disappointment” of EPISODE I. I think the $300 million represents the fans who are still there. Sight unseen, I think EPISODE III will be better than EPISODE II. So, therefore, it has to make more than EPISODE II. Now, if it is a *great* film, if he *truly succeeds* at doing what people believe he can’t do, then I think it could come very close to THE PHANTOM MENACE. But that’s for the long run. Because I believe what Frosty said: part of the success of this movie is going to be on word of mouth. Part of it. But I also believe what Beaks says. It is a sprint, but the word of mouth is going to push it.

DARTH TARDY: I’m also going to add one more thing. Lucas seems to be pretty confident. Look at the fact that he’s extended the license another ten years, or something like that.

HELLBOY: Someone’s gotta pay for the Presidio.

DARTH TARDY: But if it fails, why extend the license?

CARL: People buy that crap anyway.

DARTH TARDY: I really think if EPISODE III is bad, that’ll be it for him.

CARL: Not for the collectors. Not for the die-hards.

DARTH TARDY: Really? All of my friends who were collectors, all of them are die-hards, and they don’t collect anymore.

MORIARTY: I don’t know any die-hard collectors anymore.

DARTH TARDY: But here’s another thing. We were talking about the cartoons earlier. I haven’t bought toys in forever, but I dug the cartoons, and I went out and bought the cartoon figures. And it’s things like that. I have to be honest. I never wanted to see STAR WARS as a cartoon or on television. I like it so much that I don’t care how he does it so long as he doesn’t screw it up.

SARAH S: This is my question for you: if it’s the movie you want, and it only makes $100 million, are you still okay?

MORIARTY: Oh, of course.

(The rest of the room agrees.)

BEAKS: Hell, PETER PAN only made $41 million, but that didn’t keep me from embracing it.

HELLBOY: It doesn’t matter what it makes.



I want to thank everyone who contributed to the council, and also all of you who sent in the other things I used to fill out this piece. We should see a lot more stuff, and a lot more frequently, between now and the actual release of the film. This is when it all starts to get really, really fun. Here’s hoping we continue to enjoy it as a group like this. It’s been a blast so far.

The description of the Presidio footage reel matches up exactly with what my friend that saw it described. Just thought I'd throw that out there as a confirmation of sorts.

These Council things kinda irk me.

They all claim to be "fans of the franchise", yet none of them can say one good thing about the prequels without everybody else coming down hard on them.


Why bother to run these things if no one likes Star Wars over there anymore?


I can go to any messageboard on the net and read the exact same thing from hundreds of other people. Kinda lame if you ask me.

I wonder if the female bad guy is in fact Assaj Ventress. Maybe this could be the EU cameo? They could just introduce her to the audience as a fallen Jedi, who joined Dooku's cause during the course of the Clone Wars and kill her in a quick skirmish aboard the Seperatist ship.

Actually I thought Asajj dies in the clone wars cartoons? And it was confirmed on hyperspace she is not in Episode 3.


Anyhoo, most of this article is just sheep ranting and bullshit.

I think the key word here is "may"

Ah well. It would have been cool seeing a few fallen Jedi, who joined the Confederacy, fight against the Jedi. The "Republic" comic series has had a few comics dealing with these Jedi and the moral debates they've had as to why the Republic has grown corrupt.


I found it pretty interesting

Is it like, illegal to actually like the prequels now?

Other people's opinions - while interesting to a degree - have never influenced how much I do or don't like a film. It's interesting to measure what people think in a group setting, but I'm sure they'll all go see Ep. 3. They will all come back gushing, then 8 months later bad mouth it to hell.

I would suggest that Padme is the other baddie.

I can't see Padme as coming off as a "baddie" in EPIII. To what end?

There aren't really that many female parts that could make enough waves to be considered a "baddie" unless she's someone totally new.

The new Queen of Naboo?
Bail Organa's aide?
A Handmaiden?
Aurra Sing (or other token female bounty hunter)?
Beru?
A new Senator at odds with Padme?

Harry and pals are just playing. History has shown that whenever he says something the exact opposite is going to happen.

I don't mean intentional baddie: but this girl is playing the political field in EpIII. Remember Obi-Wan's warning in AotC? "Don't trust politicians?" Anakin has too much trust in Amidala which is going to crumble if he learns that she is working against bringing down the one thing that he trusts: Palpatine.

I think Amidala is going to try and bring the Separatists back into the Republic along with other politicians within the various factions in EpIII. Anakin may think that Padme is betraying him by and his Master by doing this since it goes totally against Palpatine's plans that he has outlayed for Anakin.

Anakin is already using the Darkside bigtime in AotC. He has forseen "intoxicating Padme" and he forsaw his mother's death. He may not have the power to forsee Amidala's plans and this may lead to her death.

I take heed in some of Carl Cunningham's words because he was on set in Sydney for shooting. Now he specifically says Padme is really only in the movie to deliver the kiddies, which contradicts everything I've heard about Padme and her mini renegade subplot involving seperatist senators et al.

PH has said that there are many different Senatorial groups in EpIII. Now Padme is th eonly link between all these groups that we know of..

I agree.

She has to play some sort of pivotal role in the early formation of the rebellion.

I see a lot of her scenes being with Organa (Smits).

I've always felt that Mothma was exposed and spent much of the OT in hiding. Organa is outed by Leia's actions. Alderaan may have be suspected of anti-Empire activity, but her acquiring the stolen plans left little to no doubt.

Hence Tarkin made an example of Organa and Alderaan.

I don't think Bail and Padme will have too many scenes together. Padme MAY even reveal the Rebel Alliance to Palpatine in her meeting in his office. Padme may feel that joining the Alliance is also betraying the Republic. She refused Count Dooku and she may refuse the Alliance - giving her and Naboo a nice distance from the underground workings of the Alliance.

So her legacy is duplicity? :wink:

What I can't understand is how Organa operates under the radar for so long.

We know he's attacked by someone in Episode III.

It has to be more than that.

Padme, the baby making machine in a galaxy far, far away.

I kind of doubt anything anyone will say about a given character's screentime at this point in the process.

We still have two pickup shoots and a lot of editing to go. I imagine Padme's screentime will change week to week until the film's release.

Remember, at this stage in the AOTC production, the droid factory chase didn't exist.