Lucasfilm and Apple Bring Star Wars: Episode II to Starwars.com and Apple.com

SAN RAFAEL and CUPERTINO, California—August 10, 2000—Building upon the incredible success of the Star Wars: Episode I movie trailers, which recorded more than 35 million downloads, Lucasfilm and Apple® are teaming again to bring Star Wars: Episode II to the web exclusively in QuickTime™, Apple’s streaming media technology. Lucasfilm’s www.starwars.com now offers viewers worldwide a series of updates direct from the set of Star Wars: Episode II, now in production at Fox Studios in Australia—the first-ever, web-based, behind-the-scenes look at the making of a major motion picture as it happens. In addition to the regular updates, starwars.com will feature forthcoming Star Wars: Episode II documentaries produced exclusively for the web and streamed only in QuickTime. Both starwars.com and apple.com will feature Episode II movie trailers.

“We’re pleased to be working with Apple again to make our on-location footage available exclusively in QuickTime, which offers the best quality for streaming video over the Internet,” said George Lucas.

“We love Star Wars, and we’re pleased to be working again with George and his team to bring Episode II to the Internet,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We had incredible success streaming the Episode I movie trailer exclusively in QuickTime, and the new Episode II content is sure to create another Internet milestone.”

Under the multi-year agreement, all video-based Lucas content for Star Wars: Episode II on starwars.com will be streamed exclusively in QuickTime starting with the “on location” series. The series initially hosted by Ahmed Best, the alter ego of Jar Jar Binks, will take viewers “on location” to the set of Episode II currently in production at the Fox Studios Australia. Unrehearsed, unscripted and unedited, “on location” and its intrepid host will guide viewers through the making of Episode II as it happens.

To go “on location,” viewers simply need to download the QuickTime player, which is available free for Macintosh® and Windows users worldwide at www.apple.com/quicktime, then point their browser to www.starwars.com.

The Lucas/Apple deal builds upon the incredible success of the Star Wars: Episode I movie trailers, which were streamed exclusively in QuickTime. The second trailer set an Internet record attracting over 6.4 million downloads in the first three weeks of its release in March 1999.

About Apple
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

About Lucas Online
Lucas Online, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd., was founded in 1997 as a digital destination for entertainment, education, reference and e-commerce for Lucas’ intellectual properties and business units. Lucas Online provides video streaming, interactive content and news updates and is also engaged in research and development focused on the potential of the Internet. Lucasfilm is one of the leading film and entertainment companies in the world. Lucasfilm’s businesses include George Lucas’ film and television production and distribution activities as well as the business activities of the THX Group. The Lucas group of companies also include LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC, Lucas Digital Ltd. LLC, Lucas Licensing Ltd., and Lucas Learning Ltd.

Press Contacts:
Vanessa Rios
Apple
(408) 974-0610
vrios@apple.com

Jeanne Cole
Lucasfilm Ltd.
(415) 662-1962

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