Released on May 16, 2002, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones turned 20 this year! The prequel trilogy has been a sore spot for many fans of the franchise, yet Attack of the Clones would go down in cinema history and change the way future films were made. Set ten years after The Phantom Menace, the film introduced viewers to the clone Grand Army of the Republic, paved the way for the fan-favorite series The Clone Wars, and gave audiences their first glimpse at Anakin Skywalker's dark side and eventual descent into becoming Darth Vader.

Do you know everything there is to know about Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones? Let’s find out as we dive into ten interesting behind-the-scenes facts about the film!

10. Cutting It Close

After the negative response to The Phantom Menace, George Lucas reportedly had trouble writing the script for Attack of the Clones. He ended up completing the first draft in March 2000, only three months before filming was set to commence.

Ultimately Lucas hired writer Jonathan Hales, whom he had worked with previously, to help finish the script. The final draft was given to the cast and crew one week before filming started.

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9. NSYNC Filmed A Cameo

While many fans might think this long-standing rumor is simply that, a rumor, the boy band did, in fact, film a scene for Attack of the Clones. While band members Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass were not in attendance, the rest of the group and Joey Fatone’s brother were reportedly dressed as Jedi and appeared in the background of a scene with Obi-Wan and Master Yoda.

No one knows for sure why the scene was cut, but the band members speculate it is because of the backlash received after news of their cameo leaked.

8. Jar Jar’s Big Adventure

The majority of the negative feedback from fans about The Phantom Menace was directed at the Gungan character, Jar Jar Binks.

During a 1999 BBC interview, George Lucas defended the character and said he believed that fans didn’t like Jar Jar because they didn’t like humor. Lucas went even further by making the working title of the film Episode II - Jar Jar’s Big Adventure. He even released the second draft of the script with this title to prank the cast and crew of the film.

7. Temuera Morrison Flew To The UK For One Shot

You read that right! Morrison was introduced to fans as Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones. It was revealed at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 that a few weeks after filming wrapped, he was asked to fly from his home in New Zealand almost 8,000 miles to England for reshoots. When he arrived, he only filmed one shot and one line!

6. The Search For Anakin Skywalker

With the popularity of Star Wars, it is no surprise that more than 400 actors were screen-tested for the pivotal role of grown Anakin. Paul Walker, Collin Hanks, Ryan Phillipe, Christian Bale, and Heath Ledger were among those considered. Leonardo DiCaprio even confirmed that he had met with Lucas about the role but chose to turn it down.

Hayden Christensen landed the role because of his chemistry with co-star Natalie Portman and because Lucas said that he liked the way they looked together.

5. There Were No Physical Clone Troopers

According to animation director Rob Coleman, every clone trooper in the film was computer generated. There were a few trooper helmets created that were used for some motion-capture footage, but no trooper uniforms were ever created for the film.

4. Familiar Faces In The Jedi Archives

When Obi-Wan visited the Jedi Archives, he and Jocasta Nu had a quick conversation about one of the many busts. What fans may not have noticed is that there were some familiar real-world faces hidden among the Jedi.

George Lucas, animation director Rob Coleman, model supervisor Brian Gerard, and visual effects supervisors Pablo Helman and John Knoll all had a bust in the Jedi Archive.

3. Goodbye Puppet Yoda

Attack of the Clones saw Master Yoda use a lightsaber for the first time, and it gave fans their first look at a fully CGI version of the beloved character. In each film before Attack of the Clones, Master Yoda was a puppet controlled and voiced by Frank Oz. While Oz continued to provide the voice of Yoda, Lucas opted for CGI rather than continue using the decades-old puppet.

He did have one condition for this decision. The animation department had to perfectly replicate the puppet's movements, including all of the micro-movements. Animation Rob Coleman mentioned how the team perfected Yoda’s ears jiggling every time his head moved.

2. Ventress, Is That You?

Fans of The Clone Wars animated series may recognize this artwork to be Count Dooku’s apprentice, Asajj Ventress. According to artist and filmmaker Ian McCaig, however, this is the original concept art for Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones. The plan was originally to create a darker female character to contrast the good in Padme’s character. They wanted to explore the darkness that could be within a female character.

This plan changed when legendary actor Christopher Lee signed onto the project, and Lucas felt he would make the perfect Sith Lord. The concept art later served as the inspiration for Asajj Ventress.

1. Lucas Changed Filmmaking Forever

George Lucas ushered in a new era of filmmaking with Attack of the Clones. While digital cameras were common in other fields, they were not used in filmmaking. Many filmmakers believed that it would be impossible to film an entire feature-length project without actual film in the cameras. Enter George Lucas.

Lucas firmly believed that digital cameras could not only be used to make feature-length films but that they would allow more creativity for the directors and streamline the entire process of filming and editing. Sony agreed, and with less than a year to create these cameras, they partnered with Panavision and produced four digital cameras with the ability to film an entire feature-length movie. The cameras were delivered to the Star Wars set just days before filming commenced.

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Source(s): StarWars.com [1], [2], WhatCulture, Mental Floss, ABC7 News, Cheat Sheet

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10 Interesting Behind The Scenes Facts About 'Attack of the Clones'