The Pinoy 501st in Local Media - From ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Clone Wars’

From ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Clone Wars’
By Regina Layug
PRO - Philippine Outpost of the 501st Legion

originally published here: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/vidvibe/view/20080815-154900/Fro...

MANILA, Philippines—George Lucas said he wasn’t making another “Star Wars” movie. But as John Singh, head of publicity for Lucasfilm, said before the “Clone Wars” road show:

“Always in motion, the future is. Maybe what George meant was that he wouldn’t be making another live-action Star Wars movie.”

Like it or not, “The Clone Wars” are upon us, and chances are you will like it.

Fans will remember the first mention of the “Clone Wars” of the first “Star Wars” in 1977, when Luke Skywalker asked Obi-Wan Kenobi, “You fought in the clone wars?”

But not a hint of the full story was ever revealed, not in the comic books and the novels that followed the original trilogy, until the end of “Episode II: Attack of the Clones,” when Yoda said, “Begun, the clone war has.” Now, finally, we’re going to see the whole war.

“A war, by nature, is a patchwork of untold stories,” says Lucas.

“What’s fascinating to me is that there are people motivating these far-reaching events, and that those individuals are so often overshadowed by the big picture, by the events themselves. We know what happens to the galaxy, but we don’t know exactly how it all came to pass. These are the stories behind the story.”

While the “Clone Wars” is intended to be aired on TV through Cartoon Network, Lucasfilm decided that a theatrical release would be appropriate to kick off the show.

The “Clone Wars” movie features Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, new Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and a very interesting battalion of clone troopers, all of whom have been tasked to find the kidnapped son of crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and reveal the culprits. Of course, with trouble comes Sith Lord Count Dooku, and his apprentice, the venomous Asajj Ventress.

“Clone Wars” introduces audiences to Ahsoka, the young Padawan assigned to young Jedi Anakin Skywalker. Supervising director Dave Filoni says, “We decided that Anakin’s Padawan should be a girl, because we haven’t seen much of female Jedi. A boy would be like Anakin or Obi-Wan again. Ahsoka can be like Leia, who is a strong female character pitted against two strong male characters. Sure, the Clone Wars also has Padme, but she deals with large, political issues in the Senate. Ahsoka is in the battlefield.”

More dimension

And how does Ahsoka’s presence change her master, Anakin?
“One of the things [George] expressed about Anakin specifically was that he wanted more dimension,” says Filoni. “We wanted to show his character, show him as a good person. For my frame of reference, I wanted to make Anakin a kind of cross between Luke and Han. He’s cocky and brass, he’s a brass monkey but he’s also naïve like Luke. Anakin, when you think about it, has both those personalities.”

But what about Anakin’s old master, Obi-Wan? “George was very interested in exploring Anakin and Obi-Wan again, he wants to tell more stories about the relationship. The voice actors, Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor, I get them together, they’ll read the lines, they’ll start talking. I’ll tell them, ‘see, what you’re doing right now, that’s what Anakin and Obi-Wan should be doing.’ Anakin will do something outrageous and Obi-Wan will be, ‘oh well, that’s Anakin.’ That kind of feeling is what you want to get between them.”

Witty dynamic

Audiences are treated to a dynamic between Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan that is very reminiscent of the witty dialogue between Luke, Han Solo and Princess Leia in the original trilogy. Indeed, the repartee between the three characters, as well as their clone soldiers, is very reminiscent of the original trilogy’s dialogue. The jibes are quick and sharp, the ripostes snappy and smart.

And here’s something else fans will have to get used to: unique clones, something Filoni has great fun with in the show. “George wanted to give them personalities, roles. The clones have different haircuts, tattoos. They’ve been in different places. A clone that works with Plo Koon is different from a clone who worked with Anakin. You’ll see a change in them.”

Just how much did he enjoy working on the clones? “I could spend an entire season on the clones,” Filoni said.

At Celebration Japan and the San Diego Comic Con, fans were treated to special “Clone Wars” previews, where Filoni presented scenes from the movie, and talked in panel interviews about the production.
Right now he’s working on the end of Season 1, and he has some ideas brewing for Season 2.

So are we going to see a lot of his favorite character, Plo Koon? Dave replies, “Maybe in the series, but not so much in the film. But we developed his character and you’ll see a lot of him in the series. It’s like a joke now between George and I, he thinks I want to sneak him in the script, and I’m like, ‘No.’”

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” opens in Philippine theaters on Aug. 20. The TV show airs on Cartoon Network in January 2009.