Star Wars Live Action series
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,24126280-10229,00.html
Sydney ‘the spot for Star Wars TV show’
By Peter Mitchell in San Francisco August 04, 2008 04:07pm
Imperial designs … franchise creator George Lucas says Sydney is the likely location for making the new Star Wars TV series, which would create hundreds of acting and production jobs.
- Sydney the frontrunner for Star Wars TV production
- Series would provide hundreds of jobs
- Aussie scriptwriters at work on new series
AUSTRALIA remains filmmaker George Lucas’ favoured location to shoot his much-hyped <i>Star Wars</i> spin-off TV series.
The sci-fi TV series will likely be filmed at Sydney’s FOX Studios.
“We’re looking to shoot it in Australia,” Lucas said at his Big Rock ranch, the site for his new animation studio, north of San Francisco.
If given the green light, the live action Star Wars offshoot will be one of the most expensive TV productions made in Australia and create hundreds of acting and crew jobs for the local industry.
There was speculation the as yet untitled series would begin shooting next year, but it may be pushed back to 2010.
Lucas has employed two Australian scriptwriters to pen the series and continues to work on “getting all of the technology worked out” to make the show.The 63-year-old director, writer and producer, who revolutionised cinema with 1977’s Star Wars, is no stranger to Sydney.
He made 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith at Fox Studios.
“It is going ahead,” Lucas confirmed.
“We’re in the process of writing screenplays right now.
“It’s going to take a while because it’s really hard to do.”
The series will not follow the regular Star Wars storylines, instead focusing on the “lower levels of life” of Lucas’ Star Wars world.
“It has nothing to do with the Skywalker saga,” Lucas said.
“None of the Skywalkers or anything.
“This is what I call a little footnote to the Skywalker saga.
“… It is about the lower levels of life, the lower depths.
“They hear about the fact it is no longer a republic and now it’s an empire, but they are from a world where none of that really means too much to them.”
Lucas’ Australian fans will not have to wait for the TV series for a new Star Wars adventure.
The filmmaker is set to release his first animated feature film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The movie opens in Australian cinemas on August 14.
Lucas screened the film for journalists last night in San Francisco.
The Clone Wars is set in the period between Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and features familiar characters Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and some new faces, including a 14-year-old heroine Ahsoka Tano and a female villain Asaji Ventress.
