When the Star Wars prequels were released, they received a mixed response and divided opinions. That remains the case in some ways, but as the years have passed, the people who watched them in theaters as children have made it clear that, as adults, there's a lot they love about the movies.
1999's The Phantom Menace was George Lucas' opening chapter in this prequel trilogy, and he followed it with 2002's Attack of the Clones and 2005's Revenge of the Sith.
Now, Empire Magazine (via SFFGazette.com) is celebrating the movies with a special issue featuring new photos and interviews with the cast and crew. According to the site, that includes conversations with stars Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Brian Blessed, and more.
Producer Rick McCallum, stunt co-ordinator Nick Gillard, and concept designer Iain McCaig will break down the Podrace in Episode I, the arena battle in Episode II, and the Mustafar duel in Episode III. There's also going to be rarely-seen concept art from the movie.
They're taking a major deep dive into the prequels too with designer Ellen Lee Moon sharing the story behind her iconic Phantom Menace poster!
As well as two collectable covers, there's a special illustrated version by Paul Shipper which features countless characters from the movies...and yes, whether you like it or not, Jar-Jar Binks is indeed put front and centre!
Recently, McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, talked about the love the prequels now receive. "This little guy came in - he must have been nine or 10-years-old - this little boy with his mom and dad," he recalled. "And he was...you could just see that when he saw [me and Hayden] he just couldn’t hold it together. And the tears were starting to run down his face. And it was just the most beautiful thing. It just meant so much to him."
Take a closer look at these cool new Star Wars covers in the X posts below.