By Ian Godfrey
Coming soon from a galaxy far, far away is the fifth installment of the Star Wars saga: Attack of the Clones. Set ten years after the events of THE PHANTOM MENACE, notonly has the galaxy undergone significant change, but so have our familiar heroes Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), PadmŽ Amidala (Natalie Portman) and Anakin Skywalker(Hayden Christensen) as they are thrown together again for the first time since the Trade Federation invasion of Naboo. Anakin has grown into the accomplished Jedi apprentice of
Obi-Wan, who himself has transitioned from student to teacher. The two Jedi are assigned to protect PadmŽ whose life is threatened by a faction of political separatists. As relationships form and powerful forces collide, these heroes face choices that will impact not only their own fates, but the destiny of the Republic.
While die hard fans have been anticipating the new film since they saw the old one, the hype among average movie goers got started last November when the first trailer known as “Breathing” debuted on the film, Monsters Inc. Since then there have been three more trailers, “Mystery”, “Forbidden Love”, and “Clone War.” Each of these trailers gave audiences a brief glimpse into Attack of the Clones and generated high revenues for the movies they were attached such as “Ice Age” and Monsters Inc.
The merchandise should be hitting stores in April. The soundtrack, which will feature four different covers, goes on sale April 13. The toys for the movie, as well as the numerous coloring books and other paraphenelia will be put on sale at midnight on April 23. As when the toys for Episode I, The Phantom Menace were released, retailers are expecting long lines of anxious fans and collectors to quickly empty the shelves. The most anticipated action figures of the new film are expected to be the new villains, Count Dooku and Jango Fett. All the Jedi characters will also be very popular.
Posters for the new movie are already available online at www.allposters.com. The single sided poster goes for around $50. The double sided with watermark, which is more of a collectable, costs around $100.
The buzz for the new film has also made Star Wars merchandise on Ebay to rise so you can’t expect to find any upcoming products at auction for a cheaper price. As stores sell out and shortages occur, anything Star Wars on Ebay is likely to be even more expensive.
For more information on the new Star Wars film or any aspect of the Star Wars universe go to www.starwars.com and for spoilers, product release dates, and much, much more go too www.theforce.net or www.jedinet.com. May the Force be with you.
