In one section of the Backlot, large windows look down upon two of the professional sound stages. Earlier this year, visitors could see carpenters building a brothel set with a Parisian city backdrop for Baz Luhrman s production of Moulin Rouge , starring Nicole Kidman and Phantom Menace veteran Ewan McGregor. But with Episode Two now in full swing, black blinds are drawn across the windows overlooking both stages, making the gallery a lonely walk through darkness for visitors struggling to feel the Force. There s one consolation, however. A second-story walkway connecting two buildings in the Backlot offers a view of a car park outside one of the studios.
Backlot attendants say actors in costume sometime slip outside to bask in the rich Sydney sunshine.
To thwart shutterbugs, however, a green gauze screen has been placed across the walkway to block any unobstructed view. It s all just as well. Instead, the city is preparing for another alien invasion the arrival of up to 100,000 athletes and spectators for the Sep 15-Oct 1 Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. So completely are nerve-wracking preparations, political intrigues and petty foibles surrounding the Games captivating the local populace that Episode Two is largely flying in under the city s cultural radar. What s more, the production is set to conclude in Sydney at the end of August, two weeks before the Olympics begins.