Portal:20th Century Studios

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm, distributed by 20th Century Fox and starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, and Frank Oz. It is the fourth film in the Star Wars film series, the first film of the prequel trilogy and the first chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Set 32 years before the original trilogy, during the era of the Galactic Republic, the plot follows Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they try to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo in hopes of securing a peaceful end to an interplanetary trade dispute. Joined by Anakin Skywalker—a young slave with unusually strong natural powers of the Force—they simultaneously contend with the mysterious return of the Sith.

Following the release of Return of the Jedi, Lucas was unmotivated to return to the franchise and continue the story beyond Return of the Jedi, though the backstory he created on Anakin sparked interest in him to develop a prequel trilogy. After he determined that computer-generated imagery (CGI) had advanced to the level he wanted for the prequel trilogy's visual effects, Lucas began writing The Phantom Menace in 1993 and production began in 1994. Filming started on June 26, 1997, at locations including Leavesden Film Studios and the Tunisian desert and ended on September 30. The film was Lucas's first directorial effort after a 22-year hiatus following the original Star Wars in 1977.

The Phantom Menace was released in theaters on May 19, 1999, almost 16 years after the premiere of Return of the Jedi. The film's premiere was extensively covered by media and was greatly anticipated because of the large cultural following the Star Wars saga had cultivated. Upon its release, The Phantom Menace received mixed reviews. While the visual effects, action sequences, musical score, and some performances (particularly Neeson and McGregor) were praised, criticism was largely focused on the screenplay, direction, tone, pacing, and characters, most notably Jar Jar Binks. Despite the mixed reception, The Phantom Menace was a box office success and broke numerous box office records during its debut. It grossed more than $924.3 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1999, the second-highest-grossing film worldwide and in North America (behind Titanic), and the highest-grossing Star Wars film at the time.

Credit: 20th Century Pictures

Cedric Hardwicke and Fredric March in the 1935 film Les Misérables

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Ewan Gordon McGregor OBE (/ˈjuːən/ YOO-ən; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor who has starred in numerous film and musical roles. His first professional role was in 1993, as a leading role in the British Channel 4 series Lipstick on Your Collar. He then achieved international fame with his portrayals of heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama films Trainspotting (1996) and T2 Trainspotting (2017), Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), poet Christian in the musical film Moulin Rouge! (2001), SPC John Grimes in Black Hawk Down (2001), young Edward Bloom in Big Fish (2003), Rodney Copperbottom in Robots (2005), Camerlengo Father Patrick McKenna in Angels and Demons (2009), "the ghost" in Roman Polanski's political thriller The Ghost Writer (2010), Dr. Alfred Jones in the romantic comedy-drama Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011), Lumière in the live-action adaptation of the musical romantic fantasy Beauty and the Beast (2017), the adult version of the titular character in the fantasy comedy-drama Christopher Robin (2018), the adult version of Dan Torrance in the horror film Doctor Sleep (2019), and Black Mask in the DC Extended Universe superhero film Birds of Prey (2020). In 2021, he portrayed fashion designer Halston in a Netflix miniseries Halston for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

In 2018, McGregor won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his dual role as brothers Ray & Emmit Stussy in the third season of FX anthology series Fargo, and received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for both Moulin Rouge! and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. McGregor has also starred in theatre productions of Guys and Dolls (2005–2007) and Othello (2007–2008). He was ranked number 36 on Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in 1997. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, McGregor was named the fourth most influential person in British culture.

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