Jedi Justin recorded the radio broadcast of Rick McCallum's interview with Rove in Australia.

Rove Live interviews Rick McCallum - 3.8 MB MP3 file

In the interview, McCallum plays word games by denying that Hugh Jackman is "set and signed" for Episode III. Of course that's true, but he can't deny he helped fuel the talk at Celebration II. Anyway, Justin also provided a transcript of the interview. Enjoy!

Rick McCallum - Rove Live Interview Saturday May 11th 2002 (2Day FM [Sydney])

-START OF INTERVIEW-

ROVE: Get out your lightsabers and Jar Jar Binks voodoo dolls and welcome Rick McCallum. *Applause* Hello Rick.

RICK: How are ya?

ROVE: Very good, how are you?

RICK: Pretty good.

ROVE: Now, are you excited about the movie being released?

RICK: I am actually, we just actually, umm George has gone completely mad. We were shooting about three or four days ago. He was still making changes to the movie.

CORINNE: Three or four days ago?

RICK: Actually on Monday, we had our last, he was fixing a shot.

CORINNE: Will you ever produce anything he does again?

RICK: Well I want to try and do episode three. I want to retire after that.

ROVE: So you haven?t even seen a finished product then?

RICK: Yes, no we have. I mean, we had the film finished about two and a half weeks ago and then he got this fantastic idea to change something so we did it and then we took a look at it again on Wednesday. Then I got on the plane and got here.

ROVE: And so how long has it taken to create the entire film?

RICK: Well, its been about four years, non-stop and we?ve been working on Episode III already for about six months. We start shooting in Sydney next June. We move the whole operations back here this year, in November then we start set construction. So we?re excited, we had a great time there.

ROVE: So there?s not much of a break between creating Episode II then going and creating Episode III.

RICK: None, none whatsoever.

CORINNE: There are a lot of different locations in this family, how many different continents were you filming on? Have you seen the whole world now?

RICK: Well yeah, we shot in five countries, altogether. We started, the bulk of the shooting was done in Sydney then I took the whole Australian crew to Tunisia, to Spain, to Italy and even Boulder. I took them back to England where we shot for about a week and a half.

CORINNE: Wow, I want to come work for you. It sounds like a Contiki tour.

RICK: Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

PETER: The word coming out of, I guess nobody?s really said but the word coming out is that this is, yeah it?s great and it?s a lot darker then maybe Episode I? Is that the case?

RICK: Definitely, much much darker. This is the beginning of the downward spiral of Anakin Skywalker. You get the first glimpse of the damage that?s inside of him and why he does some of the terrible things that he starts to begin to do. I mean that will manifest itself much more strongly and much more dramatically in Episode III but you get to see the hint now.

ROVE: Everyone obviously is wanting to know what?s going to be happening in the movie and things like that. I must admit that I was in a toy store yesterday and I went and had a look because all the action figures come out before the movie?s due so you can say ?Look, there?s this character and this character?.

RICK: That?s the dark side of the force.

ROVE: Oh yes, oh yes.

RICK: That gives us the freedom to be independent.

ROVE: You should just, as a joke, make a character that?s not going to be in it at all. Like a clown or something to throw people off the track. People want to know a lot and that?s why on the Internet and things like that you hear a lot of rumors that come out long before the movie?s due ? true or otherwise. What has been your most favourite rumor that you have heard while making this movie?

RICK: Well, every week, I mean first you have to understand that about eighty five per cent of it is just completely made up and then the other fifteen per cent which is true is more by accident then anything else. But, I pull down the stuff every week. I don?t look at it every day but I?m amazed because it is, it?s just a group of people who absolutely love Star Wars, would do anything to try and find out what is about to happen and what has already happened trying to bend their will to make it happen for us. It?s just fun, I mean the most outrageous stuff, it happens every day. I mean, it?s usually about an actor who?s going to be in it. The latest is Hugh Jackman has definitely been set and signed to do Episode III.

ROVE: Not true?

RICK: Not true.

ROVE: Well there you have it, it?s almost a little mini bombshell there.

CORINNE: But Alf Stewart?s definitely in?

RICK: Definitely.

ROVE: Well Rick, we?re going to take a bit of a break, can you chatter for a bit longer?

RICK: Oh yeah.

-Break-

ROVE: And we?re still joined by the producer of Star Wars Episode II ? Rick McCallum. Now Rick, I must ask you, what was it like working with George Lucas on a project like this? Which is pretty much, it?s his baby.

RICK: Well, they?re great. I?ve been working with him nonstop for thirteen years. We did Indiana Jones together and now this, it?s just a .. You know, he doesn?t communicate a lot, I know exactly what it is that he wants. You know, it?s his world, his imagination so my job principally is to enable him and create an environment and make sure he?s got all the tools to express himself. I mean, we have about two thousand people who actually work on the movie over the four year period so there?s allot of stuff that has to happen. Like I said, we shoot all over the world ? you know I think I?m more in charge of catering then anything else.

ROVE: Important though.

RICK: Exactly.

PETER: Rick, how difficult is it to make a film that?s, I guess has it?s beginnings in 1977 with Episode IV ? A New Hope and trying to get appeal to a new generation of fans but also keep the old generation happy?

RICK: Well, I think we probably had that problem on Episode I. I think that if you were between eight and fourteen then Jar Jar was your favorite character and you loved the movie but if you were over fourteen then Jar Jar represented everything repugnant to you. So, I think this film has something for everyone and it?s much more adult but we had to start somewhere, we had to create the themes, the politics of what?s going to happen for the next five chapters and there was just a lot of setting up to do and we also knew it was going to be a difficult thing because we were dealing with an eight year old kid. But I think once you get the opportunity and hopefully we?ll have that opportunity in 2005. All those films will be done and we?ll be able to have a huge marathon of fourteen hours of Star Wars films tied together.

ROVE: I?m so there for that.

CORINNE: So, Rick is Jar Jar Binks making a return in Episode II?

RICK: Definitely.

ROVE: Were you under pressure to diminish his role because I hear he?s not in Episode II as much as he was in Episode I?

RICK: Well, I think a lot of people would like to believe that they actually put enough pressure on that but he was always part of the original saga that George wrote twenty five years ago. He does have a pivotal role, he?s in it only for a few minutes but I think it will be interesting when people see it because I?m sure they?re going to boo him right off the screen. But he does have a part to play in this, it?s an important part. Again, I think you?ll understand why he was there in the first place.

CORINNE: He?s the Jerry Lewis of Star Wars.

RICK: Absolutely.

PETER: When are the Wookies coming?

ROVE: Good question Pete!

PETER: When are the Wookies coming in?

RICK: God, I hope they?re in for three.

CORINNE: And Ewoks, are we gonna have Ewoks?

RICK: No, definitely no. No, we?ve learnt our lesson on that one.

ROVE: Now Rick, I?d like to ask, talking about rumors previously, I don?t know whether this is true or not so please clear it up for me. Is it true that N*Sync shot some scenes for Episode II but they ended up on the cutting room floor?

RICK: No, totally untrue. They?ve never actually done an album at Skywalker Ranch but they come and do, you know if they have a show they?re doing in London and have got some stuff they have to pre-record they?ll come up to Skywalker Ranch and actually do their music and they?ve always been great fans. And they came down on the set while we were shooting in ILM some miniatures and of course then everything goes out of control.

ROVE: Of course, cos they?re seen on set.

RICK: Absolutely.

PETER: I must say that there is nothing like .. I remember watching Phantom Menace when it was released three years ago and sitting in the cinema, in a full cinema, obviously all the sessions are sold out for at least a week and hearing the John Williams Star Wars music start ? the audience just goes mad. That?s why I can?t wait ?til Wednesday, Wednesday I think I?m seeing the film so that?s what I?m looking forward to. Do you sit in cinemas with fans and watch the film Rick? Or do you just watch it with George?

RICK: Well, we usually have all of our friends come up and we did that about five or six weeks ago. We had a whole bunch of directors come up and see the movie. But it was a pretty awesome group of people. It was amazing how they just lost it, they were just overwhelmed by the imagery. So, that?s our test screening. It?s you know, what do our friends think? What do out peers think? And then we usually don?t have enough time to make any changes, any dramatic changes anyway so we just have to go for it.

PETER: That?s probably the best home video night I?ve ever heard of. Come watch this little film we?ve shot.

ROVE: Well Rick, thank you very much for chatting to us.

RICK: Not at all, we look forward to being here for a year.

ROVE: Oh yeah for sure and of course Star Wars Episode II ? Attack of the Clones opens around the country on Thursday. Start queuing up, sleeping out, whatever you need to do.

CORINNE: I think it starts at 12:01AM Thursday morning for the first screening.

RICK: Can I say one thing?

ROVE: Yes.

RICK: Yoda kicks some serious butt in (indecipherable). *Cheers and screaming*

ROVE: I can?t wait, thank you very much Rick McCallum.

RICK: Not at all, see you guys.

-END OF INTERVIEW-