Star Tours 2.0 filming at last?

Over on /film, Word has leaked that filming for the long rumored Star Tours 2.0 has finally begun. We already know that some voice tracks have been laid (confirmed by the Anthony Daniels, the voice of C-3PO at Star Wars Celebration IV) and that some proof of concept testing has been done on the ‘Body Wars’ units, which are clones of the Star Tours vehicles at the old Wonders of Life Pavilion in EPCOT, and we’ve known from an animator at Lucas Film that pre-visualization on the project had begun. What hasn’t been known is would the project get the greenlight and what form it would take.

The report on /film makes it sound like it will be another space race that incorporates make of the peripheral characters we’ve come to know and love in the original series and prequels. Think Boba Fett and Jar Jar Binks. Okay maybe love is too strong a term.

My personal hope is that they take advantage of the conversion from film to digital screens to offer multiple destinations and scenarios so that every ride is different. That would drive repeatability up and ensure the attractions E-Ticket status for decades to come.

I’m hoping we’ll find out which theme parks will be getting the revised Star Tours soon. I heard a rumor that the folks at Walt Disney World didn’t want to spend the money in next years budget to pay for the new version. That would be a real shame.