A Word from Kirk Pennell
Director of "R.2.: THE EXTRA-SPECIAL ASTROMECH"

Star Wars and E.T. have always been some of the films closest to my heart. My friend and co-producer/writer Cory Pacione built an R2-D2 replica which was so incredible, that we just HAD to make a film with it.

We had always wanted to do a fanfilm that would stand out and still have a great story. The E.T/R2 angle came about and seemed like the perfect idea. Our goal was to capture that E.T. look in our cinematography, which meant night shoots. That isn't the easiest thing to schedule, expecially with a 7 year old on school nights.

The cast and crew were made up of family, friends, and even a family dog. Donations from local businesses and clubs were what made production possible. From costumes and props to cameras and locations, each item was either borrowed, donated or made. We had a shoestring budget of 300 dollars, which was really for pizza and lots of sugar for our great cast and crew.

We sincerely hope everyone gets a kick out of our take on what may have happened... not so long ago, in a town not far away.

Kirk Pennell

Director, R.2.: The Extra-Special Astromech