Working on possibly the longest 'Star Wars' movie of all time

George Lucas might be done making “Star Wars” movies, but his fans aren’t.

And possibly one of the longest and most extensive independent fan films is taking shape in Kane County.

Written and directed by Darren Crawford, “Star Wars: Forgotten Realm” could be coming to public access television and the Internet by 2009.

The Yorkville man and his crew have been shooting scenes at a Waubonsee Community College studio since early 2006.

Crawford, an operations crew chief at Batavia’s Fermilab, hopes to wrap up filming of live actors this year and spend next year creating digital environments and backgrounds for his characters.

f Max Monningh, left, of St. Charles, and Jim Kirkhoff, of Batavia, rehearse their lines for "Star Wars: Forgotten Realm". The movie was written and is being directed by Darren Crawford, a Fermilab employee.(Whitney Curtis/Daily Herald)

“I’ve been a Star Wars fan since 1977. It came out on my (10th) birthday,” said Crawford, who began writing his script in early 2005.

The story takes place between 2005’s “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and 1977’s “Episode IV: A New Hope,” which people commonly refer to as the original Star Wars.

A rebel named Yari’el, who is on her way to meet with a contact to deliver plans about an Imperial invasion, is forced down on a remote planet.

There, she is rescued by a Jedi named Web Mallick and his unit of Clone Troopers, who were believed to have been killed during the Clone Wars in a crash. Yari’el, played by Crawford’s wife, Laura, works with Mallick to fight back against the Empire.

“I was trying to come up with something that’s not repetitive, the same themes you see in the trilogies,” Crawford said. “Why couldn’t there have been a ship that crashed during the Clone Wars?”

So far, most of the scenes have been shot against a blue screen, a tactic used by Lucas to later add digital environments and planets behind live actors.

Crawford has developed some of the digital backgrounds for space battles and other scenes. He also plans to shoot larger scenes in the prairie surrounding Fermilab this spring that will involve dozens of costumed actors and real sets.

“(Crawford’s) endeavor shows his enthusiasm and his passion in doing something unique for the Star Wars community,” said Ted O’Sullivan, a Naperville man who plays Darth Vader. “The work so far has been done extremely well. He’s got a knack for filmmaking.”

Fans out in force

Crawford, 40, has a small army of Stormtroopers, Sith Lords and longtime fans of the space saga helping make “Forgotten Realm.”

“I was blown away by the amount of support we’ve received,” he said. “It’s amazing. I guess everybody realizes ‘I was a Star Wars fan as a kid, and now is my chance to act it out.’æ”

After work spread through a Fermilab newsletter, fans started coming out to help.

Co-workers with acting and production experience stepped up.

One guy called Crawford out of the blue, offering the services of a full-sized, remote control R2-D2 unit.

Members of the Midwest Garrison of the 501st Legion, Vader’s Fist, agreed to act in some of the movie’s larger scenes.

The garrison includes people from Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan who are part of an international group of nearly 4,800 who dress up as Stormtroopers, Sith Lords, bounty hunters and other evil characters. They make appearances at charity events, parades and schools.

A Warrenville man volunteered to compose additional music for the film, which will rely on John Williams’ original score.

“One of the things I didn’t expect was the amount of people who are die-hard Star Wars fans,” added Laura Crawford, who noted her husband introduced the space saga to her and their 6-year-old daughter, Victoria, who plays a young Princess Leia in the movie. “It amazes me that people want to keep this Star Wars thing going.”

Local contributions

It’s a “thing” that strikes a chord with many.

Jim Kirkhoff, a 37-year-old Batavia resident with an engineering background, heard that Crawford was looking for a few more actors.

So he signed up for a screen test and now plays Jared, an archaeologist hired by the Rebellion to transport Yari’el.

“I said, ‘This would be cool,’” said Kirkhoff, who, like many, got hooked in 1977. “I probably did a play in fifth grade. I’m just a fan of the movies.”

Even though the endeavor is taking time, it’s OK with Kirkhoff’s wife, Suzy. She’s also a big Star Wars fan and helps him rehearse his lines.

His character, Jared, is a little bit like Han Solo from the original 1977 Star Wars — helping the rebels for money, not necessarily the cause.

“To be honest, a lot of (the acting) is channeling the Han character and taking things that I’ve seen and trying to reproduce it,” Kirkhoff said. “In the future, there’s going to be scenes with Stormtroopers and Darth Vader. To be involved in that, I just can’t wait.”

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan, the Darth Vader actor, and St. Charles resident Max Monningh, who plays the Jedi Web Mallick, will soon be taking Japanese sword-fighting lessons in preparation for their duel.

O’Sullivan, a 6-foot 5-inch member of the 501st who amply fills out his authentic Vader costume, heard it could take 40 hours of filming for material needed for a 10-minute lightsaber battle.

“I’m not looking forward to that because my outfit is extra hot,” said O’Sullivan, 51.

Laura Crawford has acting experience from college but said actors really have to use their imaginations when they are in the studio and against the blue screen. She’s looking forward to the spring shoot at Fermilab, when Imperial forces chase her and her fallen ship.

“That’s something where we get bloody. It’s an intense scene,” she said. “I am proud of Darren that he is making his dream come true. I feel everyone should have a hobby. I’m glad Darren has such a wealth of resources, helpers and supporters to aid him in his endeavor. I feel strongly that this will be the best Star Wars fan film ever.”

FVTV premiere

Darren Crawford expects the film — shot in letterbox format — to clock out at two hours.

This means “Forgotten Realm” could be one of the longest fan films ever made about Star Wars.

The Web site, www.theforce.net, hosts numerous independent films, some serious and others whimsical.

One of the more well-known projects was “Revelations,” made in northern Virginia, Maryland and the Washington, D.C., metro area. Since its posting on www.ifilm.com in April 2005, it’s been viewed more than 283,000 times but it is only 47 minutes long.

In exchange for using their cameras and editing equipment, Crawford agreed to allow Fox Valley Television, or FVTV, to premiere it.

The station is an outlet of the Southwest Fox Valley Cable and Telecommunications Consortium, which is a partnership between North Aurora, Oswego, Plano, Sandwich and Yorkville.

But after that, it likely will wind up on the Internet so people can watch or download it.

And Crawford might take one more page from Lucas’ book — including himself in a short scene in the movie like the master himself did in Episode III.

“Everybody’s been trying to talk me into doing a bit part,” Crawford said. “I’ll probably be an Imperial officer in the background.”