Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, George Lucas’ polarizing 1999 prequel that introduced audiences to a 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, double-bladed lightsabers, and Jar Jar Binks, is returning to cinemas on May 3 as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, Lucasfilm has announced. A new poster that artist Matt Ferguson created to coincide with the re-release can be found below.
StarWars.com on The Phantom Menace:
The Phantom Menace, Episode I of the Star Wars saga and the first film in the prequel trilogy, originally arrived in cinemas on May 19, 1999, following tremendous hype. Written and directed by George Lucas, it introduced the world to young Anakin Skywalker, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Padmé Amidala, and the evil Sith duo, Darth Sidious and Darth Maul. The Phantom Menace would be a landmark in the development of visual effects and become one of the highest grossing movies of all time. For more, check out StarWars.com’s in-depth oral history of the film, which features interviews with Lucas, John Knoll, Doug Chiang, Ahmed Best, and more.
Prequel numbers (worldwide):
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace: $1,027,082,707
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones: $653,779,970
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith: $868,390,560
Ferguson’s new poster:
Memorable quotes from The Phantom Menace:
- “A communications disruption could mean only one thing. Invasion.” – Sio Bibble
- “My Lord, is that legal?” … “I will make it legal.” – Nute Gunray and Darth Sidious
- “There’s always a bigger fish.” – Qui-Gon Jinn
- “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda
- “Are you an angel?” – Anakin Skywalker
- “Now this is podracing!” – Anakin Skywalker