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Kenny Baker Will Be In Ep2

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the contrary-to-other-rumors dept.

linderdm writes: "It looks like, once again, we have been subject to misinformation concerning Episode II. According to the Official Star Wars Web site, Kenny Baker will indeed be returning to act in Episode II, making him and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), the only two actors to appear in all of the Star Wars movies to date." Good to hear that the old bit was just a nasty rumor.

10 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Oh my God... by Mtgman · · Score: 5

    They've resurrected Kenny! You bastards!

    Steven
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    -- I have marked myself unwilling to moderate-- I don't have other accounts to artificially inflate the karma of
  2. These aren't the rumors... by Tyrannosaurus · · Score: 5
    These aren't the rumors you're looking for.

    These aren't the rumors we're looking for

    You can go about your business

    You can go about your business

    Move along.

    Move along.

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    Gort! Klatu Barata Nikto!
  3. Shame by Vanders · · Score: 4

    I'm actually quiet upset that Mr Lucas has choosen to go with Kenny after all. I mean, when i heard that he had done the sensible thing, and gone with CGI, i was really looking forward to EP:2. After, all, if it was anything as good as EP:1, it's going to be briliant!

    George Lucas should reconsider his decision not to use CGI for R2D2. It's not fair to abuse Kenny any farther by forcing him into that tiny costume to play a robot any more, when CGI can deliver the results much cheaper, and create a far more realistic looking robot than a costum ever could.

    Oh well, i can only hope George comes to his senses.

    --
    Syllable : It's an Operating System
  4. Slashdot news by maggard · · Score: 5
    Slashdot Editorial Process:
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    3. Ignore previous iterations of exact same or reasonably similar postings
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  5. Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5

    News for Nerds. Stuff that is unverified.

  6. measuring geekiness in movies by jesterzog · · Score: 4

    making him and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), the only two actors to appear in all of the Star Wars movies to date."

    I guess you can really judge the geekiness of a movie when the only two guys that have a social life are a couple of robots. :)


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  7. Truth somewhere in the middle? by jalefkowit · · Score: 5

    Judging from the story on starwars.com, it's not entirely clear whether Lucas is 100% disavowing this rumor or not. Take a close look at Lucas' exact words:

    "The robotics technology inside the Artoo models have advanced to the point where they can achieve most of the performance I need right along side the other actors. Still, there's an element of humanity to Artoo that comes from having Kenny Baker inside. We've always had Kenny scheduled for a number of shots during the final week of shooting at Elstree Studios."

    Lucas certainly isn't enthusiastically stating that only Kenny Baker can play R2D2. It sounds to me like Lucas is saying that most of the R2D2 shots can be done with robotic technology; he just wants Kenny to come in for a few specific shots that, for whatever reason, the robotics can't handle. (I'll leave speculation as to whether this is due to technical limitations or to avoid looking publicly like he was dumping Kenny Baker as an exercise for the reader.)

    Truth be told, for all the to-do about this story, my sentiments are mixed. While Baker made a great R2D2, Terry Gilliam makes a great point in his commentary track on the Criterion Collection DVD of Time Bandits , which Baker starred in. He says that it's a shame that actors like Baker are forced by their height to spend their lives playing robots and Ewoks, hidden under costume and makeup, rather than playing actual human beings who just happen to be shorter than most. Something worth thinking about while we all wring our hands over whether Kenny gets to spend a week in a robot suit.


    -- Jason A. Lefkowitz

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    Read my blog.

  8. Robo World Cup by TeVi · · Score: 4

    Cool! Will he appear in Robo World Cup as well now?

  9. Recipe for R2D2: by Lonesmurf · · Score: 5

    CGI Version:

    o 1 part Cylinder,
    o 1 part Sphere,
    o Various Cubes,
    o 1 part Chees-O(tM) blue and white random splotch texture map

    Instructions -

    1. Place Sphere on Cylinder.
    2. Place Cylinder and sphere on Rectangles
    3. Place Chees-O(tM) blue and white random splotch texture map on everything.
    4. Hit Frapee!

    Real life Version

    o 1 part trashcan
    o 1 part dome-thingy
    o Various size shoeboxes
    o VerySmallMan(tM) (note that midgets don't work in this recipe)
    o Silver and light blue spray paint.
    o Duct tape. Lots and lots of duct tape.

    Instructions:

    1. Place VerySmallMan(tM) in trashcan and place dome on top of trashcan. Seal with duct tape. Ignore ear shattering screams from VerySmallMan. Yes, he can breath, you did punch holes in the trashcan, right? RIGHT?
    2. Duct tape shoe boxes to trashcan.
    3. Spray paint.
    4. Frapee!

    Rami
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    rJames.org - illustration
  10. More from the George Lucas rumor mill by Jon+Erikson · · Score: 5

    Why are people here naive enough to actually believe anything they hear about the next Star Wars movie? It seems blatently obvious that all of these rumours are being put about deliberately by Lucas and co. just to drum up extra interest in the film without paying for it.

    After all, he's already shown how little he cares for the people that buy his films with his DVD and "special edition" video policy, so what's a bit of public manipulation to him? Just ignore the hype, go see the film if you have to (it must be nice having fans that will go no matter how crap the film is) and then realise that it's another massively overhyped CGI-driven movie for ten year old kids with no tolerance for a plot.

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    Jon E. Erikson

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    Jon Erikson, IT guru