Other Titles • Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones • Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience (2002) • Star Wars II (2002) • Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones (2002) • Star Wars: Episode II - Angriff der Klonkrieger (2002)
In addition to the digital work done at ILM, Attack of the Clones’ far-flung locales called for special sets and home bases for the production. Although all four previous Star Wars films were based in London, that tradition changed when Lucas and McCallum elected to film EPISODES II and III at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. (A small amount of additional shooting did take place in England’s historic Listree Studios and Ealing Studios)
The Australian leg of the production journey began on June 26, 2000 and continued for two-and-a-half months, after which the company moved to Italy for location shooting. The Royal Palace at Caserta, which doubled as Queen Amidala’s -palace in The Phantom Menace, again forms part of the Naboo background to be seen in Attack of the Clones. Caserta served as the perfect locale to capture Naboo’s advanced society and rich culture.
In northern Italy, Lake Como’s manicured gardens, crystal clear waters, and stunning Villa Balbianello served as locations for scenes depicting the blossoming romance between Padme and Anakin. The locale, which Lucas himself scouted during a vacation, impressed cast and crew members with its many splendors, especially Hayden Christensen, who enjoyed his first trip oversees. "Lake Como is so beautiful it looks almost surrealistic," he says. "It looks like it belongs in a Star Wars movie."
Even an unexpected Lake Como rainstorm failed to dampen the production’s enthusiasm — or shooting schedule. Lucas simply relocated the scene to underneath a series of arches at the side of the villa. At the end of the day, the storm, miraculously, cleared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving a gorgeous rainbow that appeared in the back of the shot. "People will think it’s a digital creation," says Lucas, "but it’s real."
In September 2000, the production moved to very familiar territory: Tunisia, the real world location that has doubled as the desert planet Tatooine in two of the previous Star Wars films. While braving 130 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures was par for the course for this locale, the production managed to avoid the kind of massive storm that decimated many sets during the 1997 EPISODE I and 1976 EPISODE IV Tunisia location work.
Principal photography continued at the Plaza de Espafia in Seville, Spain, which doubled for the beautiful city of Theed, the Naboo capital. On location in the historic inland port, hundreds of enthusiastic Star Wars fans of all ages gathered, hoping to get a glimpse of the stars and filming. After shooting had wrapped for the day, many of the filmmakers greeted the fans and signed autographs.
George Lucas long has noted that sound and visuals work together in telling his stories, and Attack of the Clones is no exception. The film showcases the talents of two artists whose work has been acclaimed worldwide. Once again making their unique contributions to the Star Wars universe are picture editor /Oscar®-winning sound designer Ben Burtt and five-time Academy Award-winning composer John Williams.
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