II. RELIABLE SOURCES
A. 1997 – George Lucas Interview after Special Editions
http://www.darklords.net/lucasint.htm
Maltin: "Congratulations on the great
success of the trilogy special editions at the worldwide box office and
congratulations with the recent video release of the special editions. Before
we begin to take on-line reader's questions, I would like to ask you one
question about the trilogy: Is it now complete; exactly the way you want
it?"
Lucas: "No, for the simple reason
that a film is always an unfinished project. There is never enough time or
money to make a film exactly the way you want it. There's always something that
you can do to make it look better. We only had $ 10 million dollars to touch
up A New Hope and there are still some things about it and the other two films
that I would like to see changed and a couple of scenes that I may still want
to add."
Maltin: "So your going to do another
special edition in a few years?"
Lucas: "No . . . (laughs) . . . there are no
current plans to revise the trilogy again. I don't think I have that many
years left . . . (laughs) . . . My sole focus right now is on the prequel and somewhat
on the next Indiana Jones film until those two projects are complete,
everything else is on the shelf. The next special editions that my companies
will do will be an even-more ambitious restoration of the Indiana Jones
Trilogy, but that is way into the future. The 20th anniversary of Raiders will
be 2001 and Paramount seems enthusiastic about funding the restoration of that
trilogy with enhanced special effects, editing, sound, color and a few special,
surprising scenes I would like to add."
http://cgi.theforce.net/theforce/tfn.cgi?storyID=13146
Tracer sends this report on the E! Daily
News segment:
“Lucas reports that he shot additional scenes for the
original films.”
“They will be used to insert into the
first three movies to sort of make the complete version of the Star Wars story,
some time in the middle of this decade.”
The TV Guide issue hits newsstands Monday.
http://cooltech.rocketage.org/starwars.htm
“I am thrilled to have
the chance to go back to something I composed in 1977 and be able to make the entire
saga continuous theme-wise. Notably absent in the first movie is the Imperial
March. Being able to insert that theme in the first movie will create a much
stronger emotional flow throughout the Saga. After the release of Episode III
George will enhance the original trilogy with additional scenes and special
effects, adding my adjustments to the score this will seamlessly branch the
entire Star Wars Saga into one massive romantic space opera. I think something
of this magnitude has never been done before."
At SW conventions 2, someone asked Rick if they would
add the Imperial March in ANH. His answer was “You’re good”.
http://www.maximonline.com/entertainment/articles/article_4621.html
Well, that’s an even better resolution. There’s another rumour
that you’re planning an additional release of the original trilogy with even
more new material than the Special Editions. Why are you endlessly tinkering
with your own films?
Again, I see these as one 12-hour
movie, so I’m still trying to get it finished. The Special Edition was done
because those films were not finished. I never really got to do what I wanted because
of lack of funds or lack of time. By re-releasing them, I was able to fix a lot
of the things that had been bothering me ever since I made them. If the films
are ever released again—and I’m not sure they’re going to be—it’ll purely be
to put them out there for a new audience.
Is it a bummer knowing your character will one day be destroyed,
along with an entire planet, by the Death Star?
You just know it’ll be horrific! George actually told me, “I’m trying to
figure out if I can add a little shot of you [in the original Star Wars]
going, ‘Aaaaaaaah! It’s the Death Star! Aaaaah! Alderaan ’s
gone!’”
http://www.empireonline.co.uk/features/events/starwars_episode2/interviews/ian_mcdiarmid_3.shtm
It must seem strange wanting to keep your future open but being pinned
down to Episode III?
I wouldn’t say pinned. It’ll be a pleasant way of spending a few weeks
in 2003, but in a sense it’s good to know that. I know there’s something there
I’ll be doing. So it’ll be interesting going right the way through the saga,
and then of course, along with other people watching them all. Perhaps in
one day, one after the other. Once George has done a bit more tinkering, which
I suspect he might do.
Talking of tinkering, he’s gone back and done the Special Editions in the
past. Has he ever talked to you about replacing Clive Revill’s performance with
you?
I don’t know about Clive. I’m sure that’s
occurred to somebody, but we’d have to talk about that. The other thing
about George is it’s also important for him not to pretend that we’re remaking
the others now. There would be little lines on something that’s been driving
him mad for years, and he’d be able to change that. But I don’t think he’ll do
any radical changes.
F.
05/15/2002 : Empire Online, Rick McCallum interview
http://www.empireonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?3911
If George Lucas had a
penny for every time someone asked him when Episodes IV, V and VI were coming
out on DVD he’d be… well, an even richer man. But, having repeatedly dashed
hopes by insisting such a release will have to wait until the entire prequel
trilogy is in the bag, Lucas has left fans worldwide clutching their solitary
Phantom Menace disc and howling at the unfairness of it all.
Now, while we can’t do anything about the three year delay, we can reveal why
the finished products will certainly be worth the agonizing wait. As distressed
as the rest of you by the absence of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and
Return of The Jedi in our DVD cupboard, Empire Online collared Producer Rick
McCallum at the Attack of The Clones premiere to find out exactly what’s
holding Lucas back.
”Three years is a long time, but that’s how long it takes,” he said of the
delayed transition. But what, you may ask, is taking up the time exactly? Well,
never one to do things half-heartedly, Lucas isn’t happy with a DVD of the
original edits, nor, it would seem, of the enhanced Special Editions. Having
previously confessed to shooting a number of additional scenes for the original
trilogy while filming Episode II and with many more to be lensed during the
third prequel’s production, George has made it his mission to complete the
story once and for all. And so, we asked, will this spanking new footage make
its debut on the DVD releases when they finally arrive? “Absolutely,” confided
McCallum with a conspiratorial grin.
As for the slightly more imminent Attack of The Clones DVD, McCallum confirmed
that he’s currently persuading Lucas to provide a commentary track. But
can we expect much of the four hours of footage that comprised the uncut film
to crop up as a special Director’s Cut? “Oh you’re definitely going to get it
all,” assured McCallum. “With George… he’ll keep on changing the film till the
day he dies.”
Some changes to the "Classic
Trilogy" are already being planned. While filming Episode II, George Lucas
reportedly filmed some scenes that will be inserted into new versions of
Episodes IV-VI. For example, Jimmy Smits told Wired magazine that George Lucas
told him (perhaps in jest, perhaps not) that he would make a brief appearance
as Bail Organa in Episode IV before being blown up by the Death Star. At Star
Wars Celebration II, Rick McCallum said that Palpatine/The Emperor may be added
to Episode IV to create more continuity between the "Prequel Trilogy"
and the "Classic Trilogy." Additional special effects changes will presumably
be made as well. John Williams has stated that he is going to re-score portions
of Episode IV to introduce the "Imperial March" and give more
thematic unity to the series of six films.
George Lucas recently talked to the Star
Wars Insider magazine about how he will never allow the original versions of
the Star Wars movies to be released on DVD.
He was asked whether the films would, or
could, be included on the large DVD Boxed Set release of the original trilogy.
"I don't think so," he answered. "I think of the film as the
Special Edition. I don't think of it as the early version, any more than I
would put early rough cuts on.... I consider the Special Edition as being the
final version at this point. I don't even worry about the other ones,
because it went through a lot of incarnations to get to the final stage."
http://www.starwars.com/community/askjc/rick/askjc20020905.html
Q.: I’ve heard rumours that Natalie Portman has shot
scenes that will be inserted in to some future release of Return of the Jedi.
Is this true?”
A: What planet are you from? No. There would be no reason
to do that.
… unless maybe we could find that metal bikini!
Darth_Walken asked:
Does George have any plans to shoot more footage for insertion into the
original trilogy, during the shooting of Episode III ?
Rick replied: It would be rude of me to speak on George's behalf.