Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

Nope, he actually wanted to stick with muppets/puppets...
CG really started when the Jar Jar suit was damaged in Tunisia during a sandstorm.
Rick was the one to urge him to go CG for characters.
George was pissed. It's all on the old 80-gazillion part series on the DVD's.

You have a number of incorrect facts here.

First, Jar Jar (and the rest of the Gungans) was conceptualized as a CGI character from very early on in pre-production. Aside from Ahmed Best's reference suit, there was no Jar Jar costume: the closest to a physical Jar Jar was a crude puppet made for pre-vis.

Second, it was the Mos Espa sets which were destroyed by the first major rainfall in Tunisia in 20 years.

Third, the DVD's documentary shows it was McCallum who was pissed over the destruction: Lucas himself was pretty blase about it, telling Rick the same thing happened on location for Star Wars and everything turned out fine.

[popeflick]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Oh, I know that part...I'm talking post Clones when Lucas was talking about all the shots he was going to have to address for Empire because he couldn't get around to them during the SE for Empire, combined with word I received that Lucas was in fact planning on replacing Yoda to make him sync up with the rest of the saga, and how Return of the Jedi was going to be a nightmare. I was told the rudimentary animation had already been done, as training for Clones.

Can you please post a link to any of your conjectures? Because I believe that's all they are. Bs conjecture on your part. Thanks.

[Cobra Kai]

Bill Hunt from thedigitalbits is the one who claimed, according to his sources, that GL was seriously considering it, and that they were indeed doing yoda tests for both Empire and Jedi.

Not that it matters, but is it really a stretch to think GL would consider replacing yoda, after all the horrible decisions he has made? I mean, he thought it was a good idea to have cg clone troopers instead of putting guys in actual suits...

[HeavyHitter]

I sometimes wonder why Lucas just didn't completely remake the original trilogy all together. Give us the original "rough cuts" and re-create Ep 4-6 - it would have then blended with Ep 1-3.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Cobra Kai

Bill Hunt from thedigitalbits is the one who claimed, according to his sources, that GL was seriously considering it, and that they were indeed doing yoda tests for both Empire and Jedi.

Been reading the BITS since 1997 and I don't remember such a thing. Perhaps you can post the quote?

Not that it matters, but is it really a stretch to think GL would consider replacing yoda, after all the horrible decisions he has made? I mean, he thought it was a good idea to have cg clone troopers instead of putting guys in actual suits...

You mean a faceless army of guys in armor that need to be replicated by the thousands shouldn't be CG? Better tell the dozens of other filmmakers that have done the same thing since too.

[Cobra Kai]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Been reading the BITS since 1997 and I don't remember such a thing. Perhaps you can post the quote?



You mean a faceless army of guys in armor that need to be replicated by the thousands shouldn't be CG? Better tell the dozens of other filmmakers that have done the same thing since too.

"For those of you who hate the past changes (and the new BD changes), believe me I get it. Let me just say, it could be a LOT worse. Sources well-positioned to know have told me that Lucas actually seriously considered replacing the puppet Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi with the all-digital version, and even had tests conducted to see how it would look. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. (For the record, I'm told that the digital Yoda just didn't look right or mesh well with the real, physical, practical Dagobah sets. Shocking, I know.)"
http://thedigitalbits.com/item/star-...-complete-saga

Also, creating an army of cg troopers that are in the background of a shot is one thing. But every single shot, every close up was done with cg, and it looked like crap. There is absolutely no reason not to have guys in suits, especially when they are at the center of the action.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by popeflick

Can you please post a link to any of your conjectures? Because I believe that's all they are. Bs conjecture on your part. Thanks.

Not sending you my email from my friends, and Cobra Kai already did most of that work for me, so, walk with God, and have a great day.

[Bluyoda]

Originally Posted by Thomas Guycott

You have a number of incorrect facts here.

First, Jar Jar (and the rest of the Gungans) was conceptualized as a CGI character from very early on in pre-production. Aside from Ahmed Best's reference suit, there was no Jar Jar costume: the closest to a physical Jar Jar was a crude puppet made for pre-vis.

Second, it was the Mos Espa sets which were destroyed by the first major rainfall in Tunisia in 20 years.

Third, the DVD's documentary shows it was McCallum who was pissed over the destruction: Lucas himself was pretty blase about it, telling Rick the same thing happened on location for Star Wars and everything turned out fine.

Ahmet Best was wearing an intricate Jar Jar costume throughout the entire shoot, and they initially planned on just doing a head and neck replacement, but after some tests John Knoll said it would be easier to do the whole thing in CG, as it was quite tricky to attach the CG head and neck to the body, and Geroge Lucas was visibly bummed out, due to the fact that they had spent $1.3 on the suit, which was not going to be used in the final product. However, they did leave some shots of Ahmet in the suit in the movie, when you can only see an arm or a leg, etc..

You guys need to get your facts right, before posting nonsense on here.

It's all in the extras, which you apparently watched, but remembered wrong.

Well, the Gungan army is a different thing, and I am sure they envisioned them in CG from the get go, as one can clearly observe looking at the storyboards and talks.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

I sometimes wonder why Lucas just didn't completely remake the original trilogy all together. Give us the original "rough cuts" and re-create Ep 4-6 - it would have then blended with Ep 1-3.

The prequels are virtual remakes already, I doubt Lucas would've wanted to make them a third time.

As for the Yoda replacement, I'm with Ernest on this. I heard the same thing a few years ago (which may have been the Bits article). Reminds me of the Empire audio commentary where Lucas said that if he'd made it today he'd have had Yoda bouncing alongside Luke in the Dagobah training scenes...the horror...the horror...

[MechaGodzilla]

Well, if Lucas really started to consider even replacing the Empire/Jedi Yoda with the CGI version, then - as much respect and appreciation as I have for him and his contribution to cinema and pop culture - I'm glad he isn't in control of the saga anymore. I'm not completely anti-special edition, but the 2011 changes started to take it too far even for me, especially the "nooo" in Jedi.

[Panama Jack]

It seems I remember reading an interview with Lucas just before the Blu-ray release where he was asked if he would ever replace the puppet Yoda in ESB & ROTJ (probably because they had replaced the puppet in TPM), and he said he would "never" do that. I can't find it now, but I do remember reading something where "never" was the key word he used.

[popeflick]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Not sending you my email from my friends, and Cobra Kai already did most of that work for me, so, walk with God, and have a great day.

Well I wasn't asking you for email, but let's be fair: that claim is still anonymous which really doesn't mean anything when it comes to verifying the truthfulness of that statement. In fact, it usually implies the opposite: if it was said then what's the issue with going on record? Nothing.

[HD Goofnut]

Just scored this for $16 shipped.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Panama Jack

It seems I remember reading an interview with Lucas just before the Blu-ray release where he was asked if he would ever replace the puppet Yoda in ESB & ROTJ (probably because they had replaced the puppet in TPM), and he said he would "never" do that. I can't find it now, but I do remember reading something where "never" was the key word he used.

Ah yes, I forgot that everything Lucas says in public is the gospel truth.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Ah yes, I forgot that everything Lucas says in public is the gospel truth.

Was Yoda ever replaced in Empire or Jedi, yes or no?

[Edinburghoscar]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Just scored this for $16 shipped.

Nice one

[stvn1974]

I am just thankful Lucas didn't replace Yoda with Howard The Duck. What Lucas said in the past is carved in stone...until the next release where he contradicted everything he said in the past.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Was Yoda ever replaced in Empire or Jedi, yes or no?

Nope. But one swallow doesn't make a tauntaun; lying comes as easy as breathing to Lucas, and the worst thing is that he believes every word of it. My personal favourite was when he said that the sequel trilogy was an invention of the media, even though Spielberg and McCallum (who was supposedly Lucas' lap dog) were on tape saying that George always had nine films planned.

There hasn't been a regime as revisionist as Lucasfilm since Joe Stalin airbrushed poor old Trotsky out of history. Still, at least Lucas doesn't kill his enemies with an ice pick through the noggin.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Just scored this for $16 shipped.

Gawd, I wore that album out. It was just before home video hit and playing a soundtrack was as close as we could get to 'popping in a movie'.

And it's such a great soundtrack and so perfectly matched to the screen. This was thirty some years ago and I can still remember how vividly I could picture the duel while listening to the album.

[popeflick]

Reports are breaking out of LA that Harrison Ford crash landed his small plane and is now at a local hospital...

http://news.yahoo.com/actor-harrison...233537620.html