CLASSIC ART: VOLCANIC CONFLICT!

The George Lucas equivalent of 'Hell' to be realised for the dramatic finale to Episode III, as the volcanic realms of Mustafar unleash their dark and terrifying powers of energy and destruction in this great concept art by Erik Tiemens. which also clearly makes Mustafar a firm part of the originally planned planet-spanning Clone Wars battle montage sequence to have started the film.

DELETED SCENES: THE BIG LEAP!

As the enemy Invisible Hand vessel comes under fierce attack from Republic forces high above Coruscant, our trapped Jedi heroes and the newly rescued Supreme Chancellor Palpatine must traverse dangerous areas inside the vessel whilst continuing their perilous escape attempts, during one of many opening deleted scenes from Episode III.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: A GALAXY IN MOURNING...

The funeral procession begins through Theed City on Naboo.

Dignitaries from across the galaxy assemble alongside the devastated peoples of Naboo to mourn the loss of their heroine in politics, the woman who saved their planet from Trade Federation domination thirteen years earlier as their former Queen: Padme Amidala. Her passions and legacy to stop tyranny will live on with the birth of the slowly-building Rebellion against the Galactic Empire, of which her two now secretly hidden and Jedi-powers children, Luke and Leia Skywalker, protected on separate worlds, will ultimately be amongst its greatest heroes and leaders.

"I think they call it the "End Dress." It's really, really beautiful. I think Trisha (Biggar) wanted to get an ocean sense. Someone said to me that it was very 'Orphelia.' With the flowers and the hair, it looks like I'm drowning."

Natalie Portman - Dressing the Galaxy book - 2005

"My favourite costume that Trisha designed for the Prequel Trilogy is the one Natalie wears in her funeral. It's a very moving shot in which her open coffin slowly glides under the camera. I remember asking Trisha why she chose the specific fabric and color for that dress. She looked at me in bewilderment, and very gently explained that the colour - this beautiful azure blue - and the rippled fabric matched the ethereal and melancholy landscape of the Naboo lake retreat at Lake Como, where Padme and Anakin fell in love. This is where Padme had wanted to escape with Anakin, and the funeral gown symbolizes her spiritual return to that lake."

Rick McCallum - Dressing the Galaxy book - 2005 

Filmed at ILM, around 50 Lucasfilm staffers were called in to play Naboo inhabitants for background crowd scenes, some wearing multiple, differing costumes when photographed. Amongst the people would be veteran Star Wars behind the scenes chronicler J.W. Rinzler, who recalled: "The group was shot at different angles and elevations, so the filmmakers could replicate us wherever they wanted to in relation to wherever the camera was." 

Iain McCaig's approved costume design for Padme, given a "Fabuloso" stamp by Lucas.

Goodbye, Padme.

Clutching the Japor snippet that was once supposed to bring luck.

Behind the scenes of the costume tests and filming.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: NICK GILLARD AND THE ART OF LIGHTSABER CONFLICT!

Delivering the duel fans had waited for, Nick Gillard, with Kyle Rowling and Michael Byrne, observe Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in posed action for Annie Leibovitz's special Episode III coverage in Vanity Fair - 2005.

With the thrilling duel between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi against the lethal double-bladed nastiness of Darth Maul, Prequel Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard delivered action not previously seen or experienced in the saga to thrilled audiences and fans worldwide. Now, with Episode III, and the eagerly awaited lightsaber conflicts detonating the end of the saga, especially the emotional final conflict between Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader and his former friend and master in Obi-Wan, the accomplished, thoughtful Gillard, with an exceptional British and Australian stunt team alongside him, as well as enthused work from stars Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor, was ready to deliver the exciting goods once again, with years of planning on his side going into 2003-2005 and an excellent grasp of the main characters, giving them their own unique fighting styles that have endured for over twenty years.

Star Wars Aficionado celebrates and thanks Nick Gillard for his iconic work. 

Kyle Rowling and Hayden go through a specialist move.

Going through the moves with Nick Gillard on Episodes II and III.

Making a point with Ewan, who took to the dance-like Lightsaber duelling with speed.

Ewan and Hayden working with Kyle Rowling on the film's opening duel with Count Dooku.

"Hayden worked really hard. He did six hours of sword fighting every day with us, and then he did two hours of training plus an hour solid of weights and an hour of cardiovascular work. And he had to eat about six times a day!"

Nick Gillard - STAR WARS INSIDER MAGAZINE - January/February 2006

"I think we both really work well off each other. He's (Hayden)  a great actor and he did a really good job in this. Yeah, I think we worked really hard on this one and we were all really comfortable."

Ewan McGregor - Unknown Internet interview quote - May 2005

The epic duel as realised at the FOX Studios, Australia, towards the end of Episode III's filming.

Nick Gillard watches the action closely.

Obi delivers a kick blow to Anakin.

Coordinating the filming of the Mustafar lave flow skiff duel scene.

On Episode II, a great posed shot with Samuel L. Jackson and Ewan McGregor.

Nick Gillard BREAKS The Internet STAR WARS Prequels MASSIVE Interview - YouTube

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: WOOKIEE WAR BUDDIES!

Comrades in Wookiee-dom: Chewbacca and Tarfful. Image: Keith Hamshere.

It's a system that the Republic cannot afford to lose to the Separatists, as Master Yoda brings a force of Clone Troopers to the lush and tropical Wookiee world of Kashyykk, liaising with its fierce armies lead by the furry leader Tarfful (Michael Kingma), and his special aide in the legendary Chewbacca, once more played by the iconic Peter Mayhew. Fans loved this first official onscreen visit to Kashyyyk, and the return of loveable Chewie, in a sequence that ultimately proved far too short.

Peter Mayhew: A Lost Interview With Star Wars' Original Chewbacca

Back in an all-new yak hair costume after thirteen years away: Peter Mayhew is Chewbacca!

Mayhew in costume for publicity, holding a unique cane stick not seen in the film. Image: Keith Hamshere.

"I got a call from Rick McCallum last year (2003), and he wanted to check on dates and my availability. It was one of those nice phone calls that you get. It's great to know that you're going to do something that you've had in the back of your mind for a long time."

Peter Mayhew- Star Wars Insider issue 79 - Jan/Feb 2005

"Chewie is up to all sorts of things in Revenge of the Sith - battles, rescues, all the good stuff. I have a reasonable chunk of screen time."

"After so many years, it's great that Chewie is finally getting the recognition and background details that the fans want to know."

Peter Mayhew - Starlog magazine issue 334 - May 2005

Liaising with Tarfful, Yoda and the Jedi before battle begins.

A guide to the Episode III Wookiees.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: PADME AND THE DELEGATION OF 2000 TAKE ACTION!

Padme gets serious in diplomacy with this memorable outfit.

On Coruscant, the Clone Wars continue on despite the defeat of Count Dooku, with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's senatorial powers seemingly undiminished nor scaled back, as he had prior promised he would. Now is the time that a group of war-weary senators, ultimately led by Padme Amidala (garbed in one of her most striking diplomatic outfits), meets with Palpatine, watched by the leader's loyal friend and bodyguard of sorts in Anakin Skywalker, to discuss the future and an end to the galactic warfare. The Delegation of 2000 sadly fails in their task, brushed aside by Palpatine, of which Padme feels frustrated that Anakin is not in her corner on the subject, adding strain to their relationship.

Anakin watches as Palpatine brushes the Delegation's genuine concerns away.

The Delegation of 2000 has been soundly defeated.

An intriguing deleted sequence that we all wish had been put back into the film, boosting Natalie Portman's role in the film, and especially after so much prior production publicity linked to this sequence had been given to the fans, including the appearance of a Mon Calamari senator. 

Revenge of the Sith at 20: Revisiting the Cut Scenes | StarWars.com

Posed publicity/costume reference images by Keith Hamshere.

Continuity polaroid of Natalie Portman in costume for the deleted Scene 89.

Costume camera test scene.

"The biggest change was that, when I wrote the first draft, I had way too much stuff. It was a longer movie. I had a whole thing about Padme helping to start the Rebellion. Obi-Wan also had a whole piece, and there was more about the Emperor. And R2-D2 and C-3PO had bigger roles. But I realized that, one, I had too much material, and two, it was extraneous. Also, the film - which is the third act - really had to be about Anakin and his fall from grace. Anything that didn't deal with that had to get out. So I cut everything except Anakin's story."

George Lucas - Starlog 337 - August 2005

Portman in her stunning costume for a posed photo shoot with the costume team (including designer Trisha Biggar and Ivo Coveney), for Vanity Fair magazine's coverage of Episode III. Image by Annie Leibovitz.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: A JEDI'S CONCERN...

A concerned Obi-Wan Kenobi in Padme's apartment on Coruscant.

Before being called to leave Coruscant to search for General Grievous on Utapau, Obi-Wan Kenobi makes a morning visit to Senator Amidala at her apartment. The reunion is a warm one at first, but Obi-Wan's concerns for his moody former Padawan are clear - Anakin's personality and feelings are especially clouded, not just by his troubled obligations to the Jedi, Obi-Wan and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, but also in his relationship with Padme, a situation of which Obi-Wan is fully aware that the couple are in love and will keep secret, maintaining their friendships. He asks Padme to keep an eye on Anakin and offer support during his important absence.

Ultimately cut for time and pacing reasons in 2004/5, the intriguing character-based scene (shot around July 2003), bizarrely never made it onto any DVD or Blu-ray deleted scene extras (especially strange as Padme actually references the meeting to Anakin in the film). 

Old friends happily reunited.

A page from the filmed but deleted sequence filmed at the FOX Studios, Australia.

Multiple camera filming of the scene.

The Jedi Council contact Kenobi informing him of his urgent mission to Utapau.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: SITH TALK!

The final stages of Palpatine's plans to convert Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side begin during a night at the opera, as the successfully seeded idea of preventing loved ones from dying festers for ill-will and obsession in the young Jedi's mind, of which the only way for Anakin to learn this unique power, and save his beloved Padme from an ominous prediction, is not from one of his own brotherhood...

The shocking legacy of Darth Plagueis the Wise is revealed.

The powerhouse scene from Episode III that everyone remembers, beautifully played by Ian McDiarmid, who clearly relished the opportunity to start becoming Darth Sidious properly by the end of the film. 

"The greatest fun of all is a big action sequence, which you probably wouldn't think as such, and that's the scene in the opera. Hayden and I sitting together... and just talking as the opera is playing. But interestingly enough, people have told me this and I was very pleased to hear it, it's as full of action in a way as any sequence involving spaceships or lightsaber fights because it's thought in action. It is a kind of saber battle but of the intellect. And the scene was a joy to do because i get to work with Hayden and we were with each other every second of the day in our eyes, which is exactly how actors really like to act."

Ian McDiarmid - Episode III DVD release press launch - 2005

Getting ready to film.

Above angle of the makeshift set, that will be considerably enhanced with CGI in post production.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: BRIDGE BATTLE!

On the bridge of the Invisible Hand, our Jedi heroes, plus Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, have the dreaded General Grievous in their hands and spring a trap to finally capture him so as to end this long-running Clone Wars, of which all kinds of hell erupts in the best Star Wars lightsaber action tradition. 

A great shot showing the on set lightsabers and the blue clad stunt doubles playing Grievous's lethal Magna Droids.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: THE SLAYING OF SHAAK TI!

Facing the wrath of General Grievous.

Having landing, against all odds, on General Grievous's command ship during the epic Battle of Coruscant, Obi-Wan and Anakin are en route to discover what bas happened to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his Jedi protector in Shaak Ti. Ti's fate is soon revealed, however, as the two Jedi soon prove helpless in preventing their friend from being slain by the brutal lightsaber-wielding evil of the Separatist droid leader, General Grievous.

The original slaying of Shaak Ti was one of a large number of scenes for the movie set aboard the Invisible Hand involving Anakin and Obi-Wan which were either deleted, trimmed down or reshaped/re-filmed. This original introduction to Grievous was replaced with an all-new sequence for the character partly filmed in additional photography that would be set on the vessel's bridge. 

Derek Thompson's June 18th, 2003 storyboards for the scene.

Shaak TI referencing in the original Episode III filming script from Nick Gillard's collection.

Concept art for the scene.

Anakin and Obi-Wan stop in a corner and witness the captured Shaak Ti.

Actress/Supermodel/designer Orli Shoshan on set as Shaak Ti. 

The shocking death scene.

Orli remains in the dead position as the technicians mill around the FOX Studios set.

Obi-Wan and Anakin prepare their next unexpected move.