Lucas Offers New Hope with "Clones"

Well, if you believe the early buzz--and Lucas' own secret memos--than it looks like the Jedi master is back with Attack.

Both Newsweek and Time have stories in this week's issues touting Clones as a return to form for Lucas and the Star Wars franchise after the creative disappointment of Stars Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace

"The last movie did not live up to expectations," writes Lucas in a pitch memo to toy maker Hasbro--one of the key Star Wars merchandisers--obtained by Newsweek.

Indeed, while The Phantom Menace film grossed a whopping $431 million domestically (the fourth highest tally of all time) and nearly $1 billion worldwide, the film disappointed critics and fans alike, who singled out the plodding, far from menacing plot (about a--yawn--trade war), clunky dialogue, nails-on-chalkboard peformances by Jake Lloyd as the young Anakin Skywalker and the appearance of the most loathed character in the Star Wars universe: Jar Jar Binks.

In terms of merchandising, Lucas concedes to Hasbro that Menace was "overlicensed," "over-shipped" and "oversaturated." The movie was a marketing catastrophe for many licensees--including Hasbro, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pepsi (which made 8 billion cans featuring Star Wars motifs)--who lost money and wound up with warehouses full of lame Star Wars-related junk (Jar Jar ties, anyone?).

To avoid a disastrous repeat, the 57-year-old filmmaker says he's cutting down the licensees by one-third for Clones (from more than 80 to less than 50). More importantly for fans, the head Jedi promises Attack of the Clones, which invades theaters May 16, will have a "darker feel, closer to the original saga," with "no silly characters or kids."

Lucas, who wrote the first prequel by himself, hired writer Jonathan Hales, who worked on Lucas' Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, to tighten things up and make the dialogue more palatable. Jar Jar has been blessedly reduced to a bit part, appearing only briefly in Attack of the Clones. And 'N Sync, who supposedly shot a cameo for a Jedi battle scene, reportedly wound up on the cutting-room floor.

"George is now much smarter about what he should do and should not do," a source close to the director told Newsweek. "He's not a stupid man. He doesn't want to hurt the franchise."

Meanwhile, Lucas has been leaking a rough cut of the film. First, Internet movie gossip Harry Knowles, whose Ain't It Cool News is frequented by Star Wars fans, got a sneak peek last month and posted a raving review on his site. Now, adding some credence to that early hype, Time magazine's Richard Corliss and Jess Cagle have viewed an early version of Attack of Clones and have put their thumbs up.

"We can say that Clones seems poised to get the series back on track--and provide an exhilarating two hours of serious fun," they write in the current issue of the news weekly. "It should easily ace the last movie in thrills...and chills."

While the upcoming film deals in gloomier themes, the Episode III finale will trump it, with Anakin finally becoming Darth Vader--something Lucas concedes audiences might not be prepared for.

"The next film is really dark," Lucas tells Time. "The issue is, will people stand for it? But I've got to tell the story. And when I finish it, I'll be 60. I've got a lot of things I want to do with my life other than more of this. I've got a bunch of TV shows that I want to do. I've got a half-dozen movies that have stayed in my brain the past 30 years...I'm in a position now where I can say, I'm gonna make this movie because I wanna see this movie."