JAPAN: STAR WARS DIRECTOR GEORGE LUCAS PROMOTES LATEST EPISODE "ATTACK OF THE CLONES"

Record ID: 392809

  • Title: JAPAN: STAR WARS DIRECTOR GEORGE LUCAS PROMOTES LATEST EPISODE "ATTACK OF THE CLONES"
  • Date: 24th June 2002
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JUNE 26, 2002) (REUTERS) SMV DIRECTOR GEORGE LUCAS ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE WITH PRODUCER RICK MCCALLUM (2 SHOTS) (0.13) PAN FROM MEDIA TO LUCAS AND MCCALLUM (0.19)
  • Embargoed: 9th July 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4SW93F23UE55OIOA40KE30RQX
  • Story Text: Director George Lucas is in Tokyo promoting the latest "Star Wars" epic which opens on the big screen in Japan this week.
    "Star Wars:Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" has topped American and European box offices since its released in May.
    Though the movie is not due to hit the theatres until July 13th in Japan, it has already brought in over 500 million U.S.
    dollars from its release around the world.
    Japan is the world's second biggest film market and is expected to double that revenue.
    "I think the reason of the film is popular is because the film is based on mythological motifs which has being around for thousands of years that are cross cultural, youth comparative mythology from around the world to take the underlying sort of fears and desires that people used to tell their children at fires at night. I think those stories are still valid, and still seem to work", Lucas said at the news conference in a Tokyo hotel expecting a re-run of its overseas success in Japan.
    "Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" is actually the fifth film in the 25-year-old series of movies created by Lucas in 1977 with the original "Star Wars."
    The original has since been retitled "Episode IV -- A New Hope," and in 1999, Lucas debuted the first of a new series of three prequels to the original three "Star Wars" films.
    The first of the prequels was called "Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," and it detailed how 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker became a Jedi apprentice. The Jedis are highly skilled in lightsaber combat. They are master manipulators of the "Force," which permeates all things in the universe.
    In "Clones," fans re-unite with a now 20-year-old Anakin (Hayden Christensen), who is growing restless with his Jedi apprenticeship under Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).
    They see a romance between him and Padme (Natalie Portman) blossom, but they also see the first signs of his descent into evil that leads to his transformation to the menacing Darth Vader of Episodes IV, V and VI.
    The new film is a completely digital movie with some 66 alien species and more flying space ships than anyone, even Star Wars creator Lucas, could have imagined when the first movie made its debut in 1977.
    "It (digital camera) didn't ultimately change the style of shooting very much because cameras are very small, lighter version, really kind of the film cameras we had being using. I think technically the biggest challenge was to create digital Yoda that looked like Yoda people remember from 'Empire Strikes Back'," said Lucas of the challenge of digital characters.
    But, Lucas added the final touch had to be human.
    "Behind every digital character is live action actor and also several very talented animators who are also trained in acting. So you can make very life-like human character now.
    The difficult part is to create a performance. Creating life-like characters is very different from creating performance. Those are two different things."
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