Talk:Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones/after

Plot

Attack of the Clones is set ten years after the events of The Phantom Menace.

Production

Writing

The film's title, Attack of the Clones was first revealed on August 6, 2001 on the official Star Wars website by series creator George Lucas. The announcement claims that the title "harkens back to the sense of pure fun, imagination and excitement that characterized the classic movie serials and pulp space fantasy adventures that inspired the 'Star Wars' saga". The film's title met with negative reaction comparable to the announcement of The Phantom Menace (1999). The film's lead actor, Ewan McGregor, heard the title for the first time from journalists, calling it a "terrible, terrible title". Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars film trilogy, also first heard the news from journalists. He described it as a "retro" title, and was displeased with it. Lucasfilm employees were also kept in the dark until the official announcement, and expressed disappointment when they heard it. The film's title was compared to other B movie films with "Attack" in their title, such as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958).

Filming

For the first time in cinema, Attack of the Clones was filmed entirely digitally, with digital cameras, which allows the backgrounds to be changed or altered without bringing film footage into a digital environment. Lucas, convinced that film would one day be purely digital, said at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas in 2001, "I will never make another film—on film—again."

Release

Theatrical run

The two-and-a-half-minute launch trailer for the film made its worldwide premiere on the Fox Broadcasting Company on March 10, 2002. Outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas said that workers who wish to watch Attack of the Clones would call in sick at work, which they predicted could end up costing the American economy more than $319 million.

The film was given a fully digital premiere at Odeon Leicester Square in London, Britain in May 2002.

Before the film's theatrical release, pirated copies circulated online via Internet Relay Chat and peer-to-peer networks and in countries like Malaysia.