Does anyone actually remember when they announced the prequels?

There have been many threads on links before the prequels, and interviews with George Lucas before 1999, but does anyone remember when they announced the prequels?

I heard about them probably in 1997 when the OT Special Edition came out. I remember hearing that Liam Neeson was going to be in it. But does anyone remember in 1994 when they offically announced the prequels?

How specific was Lucas other than it would be Episode I, II, III?

Was it a press conference or was just something written in a Star Wars magazine?

Did Lucas give a timetable on the movies or just say they were coming soon?

How was the reaction among the Star Wars community, joyous, hesitant, or cautious?

As I said I don't remember them being announced, I just remember hearing from a friend sometime in early '97.

Strilo edit: This thread is too close to the other thread here. Let's move this topic over there.

 

They did not announce it in 1994. The SEs weren't even announced until like 1996. The prequel announcement came later. I'd guess in 1997.

 

I remember something being mentioned in '95 or '96. ANH SE was about to come out or had just been released. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I actually remember them giving the title.

 

The SEs didn't come out until 1997. The TPM title was announced in February or March 1998.

 

The thing about it is that it wasnt like "ATTENTION: THERE WILL BE A STAR WARS PREQUEL TRILOGY!!"

The "announcement" was more gradual and subtle--basically, Lucas was announcing it for 20 some-odd years. In 1977 he said he wanted to do a film that was about Obi Wan in his youth, which eventually grew to him saying that he had a plan for a nine-film trilogy, and that following the completion of ROTJ, they would go back and do the first trilogy--of course following the instatment of the episode listing, first with Empire in 1980 and then the re-titling of Star Wars to Episode IV in 1981, it was virtually a given that they would be made.

So they have been "announced" for a long time--what wasnt known was how long Lucas would break from Star Wars following the completion of Return of the Jedi. In fact, the May 1980 issue of Bantha Tracks announced : "Now that the Empire Strikes Back has been completed, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Is preparing work on the third film in the Star Wars saga, to be called Revenge of the Jedi. Preproduction will begin in January of 1981, and the film is tentatively scheduled for release during the spring of 1983. Revenge of the Jedi will complete the middle trilogy of the nine-part Star Wars epic. Following its completion, the first trilogy will be filmed, and then finally, the last trilogy. Should production on the nine films continue at the same rate, we can expect to see the ninth film released in the spring of 2001."

Weird, huh?

Lucas took a long hiatus from Star Wars after 1983--due to the fact that the production of ESB and ROTJ were far more draining than he realized, that the completion and consolidation of Skywalker Ranch was more important, and because his divorce had left him far more financially troubled than anyone realized.

Of course everyone asked him when the new movies would be made because he had always promised them--throughout the 80's he would always say that "one day" he would finish the trilogy by making the prequels [and then the Sequel Trilogy!]. After making the Young Indiana Jones series in 1992, Lucas realized that he enjoyed directing, which he finally got to do on the series, more than he realized or remembered. The show's pioneering CG techniques also alerted him that a new horizon of inexpensive, photo-real computer techniques had arrived, and he began thinking about the prequels, which he could realistically and cheaply make with much of the crew of the Young Indy series.

In 1993, Jurrassic Park ushered in a new digital age and Lucas finally put his plans into motion. Lucas began preliminary work on the writing stages.

This is as close as you will come to an official "Announcement", since Lucas finally said that the prequels were actually being put into motion.

Following this, Lucas would turn to Young Indy producer Rick McCallum and the two would start putting together some sort of plan. Lucas begins work on scripts FOR ALL THREE MOVIES, with plans to FILM ALL THREE PREQUELS SIMULTANEOUSLY AND RELEASE THEM AT ONE YEAR INTERVALS. Most people today dont remember this. Meanwhile much of the Young Indy crew is hired, such as Gavin Boquet and David Tattersal, Production designer and DP, respectively. The first film is scheduled to be released in 1997, with Lucas "possibly" directing the first film.

While all of this was happening, 'announcments' were being made, but i dont think they were even "official" press releases--it was just Lucas making statements in interviews, which were then picked up by the press., as far as i can tell.

In 1995, Lucas completed the first draft of Episode One, and shortly after, the plan of simultaneously shooting them is dropped. The writing of it would unexpectedly take so long that the release of episode 1 was pushed back to 1999, and the trilogy's final film from 2003 to 2005.

In late 1996 casting begins, and by 1997, principle photography on Episode One is underway.

So there is the sordid history of the prequel announcements. 1993 I believe is the acccepted "Announcement" year, as that was when Lucas firs

 

Lucas announced that he was going to make the Prequels in an interview with Leonard Maltin on Entertainment Tonight in 1994. i remember it. they were both walking outside at skywalker ranch i assume. and lucas was saying the movies would be about young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. And "Mrs. Skywalker" meaning Padme who he said he hadn't named yet. it was pretty cool. but he did announce it.

and the SE's were announced in 1994 too. late 94. i have the Star Wars Insider that announces them.

 

The october 4th, 1993 issue of Variety has Lucas stating that he is working on the next Star Wars films, due to be released in 1997.

So the earliest thing to an "announcement" is 1993. But as i said earlier, and as youve actually just demonstrated, it was more of an organic thing--there were continuing 'mini-announcments' all through the early 90's, which were revisions of announcments from the early 80s', which in turn were revisions of announcments from the late 70's.

 

It was announced in a commentary on the tapes of the last home video release of the theatrical versions of the OT(which I have).

 

AFAIK, the prequels were announced in a hidden message from George in "Star Wars Screen Entertainment" back in 93-94.

This is the message:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away Good and Evil battled to
determine the fate of the Universe. The struggle is chronicled in
STAR WARS, nine episodes which depict the reign of the Empire and a
small, brave band of rebels who threatened to topple it.

The middle third of the story was told in Star Wars: A New Hope,
The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. We followed a young
farm boy, Luke Skywalker, and his commitment to the Rebel Alliance.

We watched as Luke learned about the Force from Obi Wan Kenobi and
Yoda, and felt his pain when he discovered that Darth Vader, the most
highly regarded commander in the Imperial Navy, was his father.

The STAR WARS saga actually begins 40 years before Luke has the pivotal
meeting with Obi Wan that sends him down the path to his destiny. The
first three episodes begin with the friendship of a young Ben Kenobi
and Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker. When Ben meets Anakin, he sees
that the talented pilot is very strong with the Force and decides to
train Anakin in the ways of a Jedi. But the Emperor senses Anakin's
growing power, and determined to harness it for the Empire, sways the
young Jedi to the Dark Side. Anakin Skywalker ceases to exist, and in
his place Darth Vader emerges.

The new movies will feature all the action of the first three. Much of
the drama, however, will revolve around betrayal -- between friends and
within the Empire. In this part of the story, things are not always as
they seem and you never quite know who the good guys and bad guys are.
I plan to start the screenplay for episode one by the end of 1994, and
release the prequels by the year 2000.