There are parts of the duel when Anakin and Obi-Wan move even faster than the Maul/Obi-Wan duel in Ep1. This is due to the lighter graphite-bladed lightsabers being used for this film, but mostly due to the skills of the actors, and the demands of the scene.
The shooting of the Anakin/ObiWan duel scenes is now complete.
The new bad guy has connections to Darth Sidious.
Kyle Rowling was one of the stunt doubles seen on the webcam recently wearing the blue suit on the green set. Kyle was not the only actor there...
The "new bad guy" is not referring to Darth Vader. It will be an original, separate villain.
Pablo could not confirm whether or not the March 2004 pick-up shots will be done in Sydney or England (Leavesden).
We will not see a new answer to why Darth Maul had mentioned "getting revenge on the Jedi" in Ep1. Pablo states that line was answered in Ep1 with the mention that the Sith had been extinguished a millennium ago and hinted that the Jedi were the ones who did it.
For the three remaining days of shooting left, it is possible that the webcam will have stage access. But Pablo expects the scenes scheduled for these days are ones that George will likely want to keep secret.
There may be an EU/canon conflict due to what one character in the film says has happened. Pablo states that it is too early to know if the dialogue will make it into the final film, and also has faith that the EU will adjust to this possible new statement.
It is possible to have both lots of action and emotional depth to the film. Pablo believes the Obi-Wan/Anakin conflict has the potential to be the most incredible action scene - and have intense emotional impact, due to who we will see fighting, why they're fighting to begin with, and the final outcome.
Nick Gillard's Jedi character in the film is appropriate, given all of Nick's work on the prequels so far. Pablo was surprised he did not notice Nick's character's cameo in when reading the script the first time, especially given the character's name.
Hyperspace will feature video content in the future. There are very cool things being planned for Oct, Nov and beyond!
Pablo would not necessarily say that the big chair seen on the set is "the" Palpatine chair.
Regarding the last 10 minutes of the film, Pablo has not seen the animatics, but he has seen the visual script and watched the shooting of those scenes. He believes it keeps with the traditional endings of Star Wars films, but since we know the futures of the characters and the locations we will see glimpses of, the ending will have more of an impact than usual.
We will see evidence that Obi-Wan's Jedi skills have improved since Ep2 and he is also noticeably higher up in the Jedi hierarchy.
Obi-Wan is still not fond of flying, and we will see new reasons why he still bemoans it.
It was not Bonnie Piesse that was seen on the webcam on Wed night standing next to Obi-Wan. That was Tom Maynard, an Obi-Wan stand-in.
The Obi-Wan/Anakin duel will be the biggest, longest and best duel in the saga, but that does not mean that the other duels in the film (Dooku, Mace, etc) are not good on their own.
Ackbar does not command a fleet in battle.
Anakin will be a Jedi Knight in Ep3, no longer a padawan.
When Pablo returns to the ranch his work first focus on the databank entries will include Asajj Ventress, Durge, and other Clone War related material.
We will not see the Jedi Trials in the film.
The Ep4 Darth Vader line, "When I left you, I was but a learner, Now I am the master" will still make sense given Anakin and Obi-Wan's past together.
Once shooting has wrapped, webchats are expected to continue but on a less frequent basis. None of the main talent (such as Hayden or Ewan) are expected to do a webchat before March pick-ups but anything's possible.
Not all of the suited Darth Vader scenes have been shot. (Clue to what is involved in those secretive last 3 days of shooting? )
Pablo asks that fans have patience in wanting to see the Darth Vader suit. They do not want to introduce such a thing with a small webcam image or vague set diary.
It is way too early at this point to talk about details of the teaser trailer.
We will not see any bowler hats in Ep3 but there will be a character's whose name should remind you of a bowler hats.
When asked "Will Yoda and Sidious will get it on?", Pablo said it is not that kind of movie.
No common brand names will be seen in the film but there is one speeder that has a very detailed name in the script.
Geonosis will not be seen in Ep3.
Rohan Nichol, who plays a young starship captain, has nothing to do with Han Solo. The starship captain character was almost a continuity issue but was later resolved.
It is incorrect to guess that we will see a total of four new planets and that we would be seeing them for the first time from the ground.
There will be some new and old capital warships seen in the opening space battle.
Pablo hopes there will be some new official casting announcement soon. Two yet unannounced characters are shooting scene(s) next week and Pablo may have to omit them from any set diary since the contract memos have not been signed.
One of the characters shooting next week is young, but not an infant. It is also a character brand new to the Star Wars story.
Given the nature of the involvement of Padme's family in Ep3, Pablo would be very surprised if their scenes were cut.
There are moments of reflection now that principal photography has almost wrapped. Some are looking forward to moving on to future projects and others are looking forward to the next step in production.
Hyperspace members will get the first looks at the upcoming Select pics and "Making-Of" documentaries.
Temuera Morrison just walked by Pablo's office.
Pablo never feels an urge to divulge a big secret. Since LFL will be writing about Ep3 over the course of the next 2 years, it is good to keep some secrets so there is something to write about.
It is unlikely that Ian McDiarmid will do an interview for Hyperspace at the present time, but the chances of such an interview will become more likely closer to the release of the film.
There are no scenes in which N1 Starfighters are scripted. But Pablo can think of one scene where they may be added.
New Select pics will not be seen daily, The pics will be spaced apart so LFL does not run out of material too quickly.
There will not be any grand surprises but we will have a sense of familiarity with how the story of Ep3 unfolds. What surprises there are will revolve around the new locations, characters and elements that no one had predicted. For the prequels, the big surprise was when we learned in Ep1 that Darth Vader was once an innocent little kid.
Pablo may get in one more webchat before he leaves for the United States. Once back at the ranch, he is not planning to do any webchats but will be on the OS message boards from time to time.
Hayden's last day of shooting is Sept 17th, also the last day of principal photography.
Bossk is not in Ep3.
Pablo believes all the set diaries and webchats will remain archived on the Official Site for future reading.
Scenes involving the infant twins have already been shot.
Pablo has never heard about the possibility of Robbie Williams making a cameo in Ep3.
Dantooine will not be seen in Ep3.
When describing whether or not Padmι will have any action scenes, Pablo said she while she doesn't sit around all day, she doesn't exactly wrestle a Nexu either.
Mandalorians are not in Ep3.
A young Han Solo is not in Ep3.
The character who ordered the clones was seen onscreen in Ep2. ( dooku is the one behind ordering the clones i garantee it)