Star Wars Prequel: Scoops, Rumors and LiesThe Buzz is Building
by Brad Cook The signal-to-noise ratio has been pretty high in favor of noise during the five years since advance word of this movie started reaching the fans, but as the release date grows nearer, more and more of what leaks to the 'net sounds like the real deal, however sketchy it might be. Of course, all that information only leaves you feeling like you know less about The Phantom Menace, not more, but that hasn't stopped many fans on the web from speculating anyway.
Each fan site has its own cast of characters, which includes a shadowy network of informants who go by names like "Mode," "TrueFan," and "Bothan Spy." Each claims to be an insider at some level, whether as an employee or a friend of an employee at Lucasfilm or ILM. They have supplied names of characters, photos from the set, and tidbits about the scenes being filmed in England's Leavesden Studios and on location in Tunisia. And with the level of secrecy surrounding the film, they have also caused many fans to wonder if just maybe the leaks are part of a plan carefully orchestrated by George Lucas himself to completely control the flow of information about the film. Perhaps someday conspiracy hound Oliver Stone will make a movie about the labyrinth of rumors and myths which have surrounded Lucas and Star Wars ever since the late 70s, but for now we can only watch it all unfold and do our best to differentiate between what's bogus and what's not. I can understand, though, how these conspiracy rumors start. For example, last year Harry Knowles ran photos on his web site which showed some ships from the film being built. The photos were in black-and-white and were supposedly shot by an informant on the set. A few weeks later, different photos of the same ships appeared on the official site. Coincidence? I think it's best to leave it at that for now. "We're not a serious news publication or anything, just a bunch of nosy fans," says Chitwood. "When people are able to back up what they say with evidence, you generally know they are legitimate. The fakers are usually very easy to spot." According to Chitwood's compatriot Linder, "One interesting thing that the Special Editions did for us is give us the opportunity to perform a kind of litmus test on our various 'wanna-be' informants. We were able to weed out the tricksters that were feeding us bogus information and get in good with the ones that were correct."
"A lot of us following this prequel thing have said that if Lucasfilm put us on the payroll we could clog up all the leaks," declares Linder. But, even if the leaks come from legitimate sources, who's to say that they aren't passing on bad information based on what they think they know about the film? When I asked what percentage of rumors they thought were false, estimates varied widely, but the consensus was that, while many other sites post just about anything which gets passed their way, these guys are trying to post only what they are pretty sure is true. **BREAK "I think that looking at the rumors as anything more than amusement would be a bad approach," warns Chitwood. That's a statement to keep in mind while perusing the web. Many of the sites I visit regularly have message boards where readers can post their thoughts, and unfortunately they often take the smallest bit of information and analyze it to death without knowing how it fits into the bigger picture. It is most likely that sort of mentality which has led to the rise of ridiculous rumors such as the "40 percent of the footage is out of focus" claim, which managed to make the national news. When that rumor, which started on Knowles' site, began to spread like wildfire, Cunningham chimed in on his web site with "Why? Why do people feel the need to believe in stuff like this, and frantically run around the 'net in hopes of either disputing it or confirming it? Are we all that cynical and that paranoid that we might never actually see a new Star Wars film on the big screen?" Why indeed? Perhaps the fans should take a deep breath every now and again and remind themselves that this is a movie they're talking about, not Kennedy's assassination. When rumors of something called "midichlorians" - which are supposedly responsible in some way for a person's ability to use the Force - first appeared, the fans went into a tizzy, despite the fact that they didn't even know whether or not it was true or, if it was, how it would be used in the film. The latest recipient of such blasting was actually a piece of official news posted at starwars.com: the title. Since most fans were expecting a title using the words "the force," "Republic," and/or "Jedi Knights," The Phantom Menace came as a surprise. Most webmasters refrained from comment or explained how the title made sense in the context of what they knew about the film, but the fans were still upset. Ironically, their outrage was part of the coverage when the mainstream news outlets reported the development, thus casting themselves in a negative light and perpetuating the "Oh, get a life already" attitude which most Americans have toward fans of fantasy and science-fiction. On theforce.net, an informal poll recently revealed that only 20% of the over 2,500 fans who responded said that they loved the title, while 40% said they hated it and 40% said they could live with it. Many have complained that it sounds too hokey, but I think it's a nice little homage to the old Flash Gordon serials which greatly influenced Lucas in the first place. And I don't see how anyone could feel strongly about it when they don't even know how it fits into the context of the film. On his site, Harry Knowles says he has seen the script, and says that the title fits in perfectly with the sleight of hand which the bad guys engage in throughout the movie. And how does Lucasfilm feel about all of this activity? Remember, Lucas' secrecy tactics are supposed to rival the CIA's, if you believe the hyperbole of some fans. "We find ourselves very appreciative and respectful of the fans' enthusiasm and interest," says Hedlund. "Since no sketch or photo can convey the power of the Star Wars story, there's no reason why we would be unhappy about it. We will continue to encourage the Star Wars internet community whenever we can."
"I think the hype isn't so much of an obstacle as the fans' expectations," says Chitwood. "Every fan has their own idea what the perfect prequel will be, and I guarantee you that Lucas didn't make it exactly to their expectations." "We've had seventeen years to direct our own versions of Star Wars 1 in our mind's eye," adds Sauriol. "The film can only live up to its hype if you look back on it two years from now and get the same desire to see/talk about it that you still get from the original trilogy." "People loved 'Jedi,'" points out Cunningham, " and in retrospect the film was a huge disappointment, but it's still Star Wars. This will be no different. If anything, I notice everyone is cautiously optimistic or downright pessimistic about this one, which will make it easier, I think." Once the film has come and gone and the box office receipts and fan opinions have been tallied, will these guys stick around for Episodes Two and Three, due out in 2002 and 2005, respectively? Most said they will, with Cunningham adding this caveat: "I hope that other webmasters will realize the effect we've had on this film, even the negative effect, and look to that as a mandate for change in direction for the other two." With seven months to go until The Phantom Menace's release, and with news of the film's existence filtering into the "real world," now is the time to brace yourself for the wave of promotions and media attention, in addition to extensive fan discourse, which will surely accompany the first Star Wars film in 16 years. At least this time there won't be any ewoks.
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There is a handful of major players in this game: theforce.net, which is
run by, among others, Scott Chitwood and Brian Linder;
www.aint-it-cool-news.com, Harry Knowles' well-known site for all sorts of
movie news; www.darkhorizons.com, Garth Franklin's film site which he runs
from Australia; www.jedinet.com/prequels, Carl Cunningham's site known as
Prequel Watch; www.starwarz.com, a site run by fan Lou Tambone, better known
as "Tbone Fender;" www.corona.bc.ca/films, Patrick Sauriol's film news site;
and www.starwars.com, the official, Lucasfilm-sanctioned web site maintained
by Marc Hedlund.
Everyone I spoke with (Knowles was unable to respond to my questions in time
for this article) has seen a good amount of inside material about the film.
They all say that they post less than they know about the film so they don't
spoil it for anyone. Some even complain that they know more than they would
have liked to learn, but that's a lesson from the "be careful what you wish
for" school. While Lucas runs a tight ship, there have apparently been a
few loose lips aboard.
Finally, with so much attention paid to every last detail of this film, can
it live up to the hype and hysteria?