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Watch: Topher Grace Releases His 'Star Wars' Prequels Re-Edit Trailer

by Ethan Anderton
February 28, 2014
Source: Cereal Prize

Just last week, we highlighted a new edit of Close Encounters of the Third Kind that Topher Grace screened for a small audience, including Peter Sciretta at SlashFilm. However, the first time Grace chose to re-edit a well-known piece of sci-fi pop culture, our own Alex Billington was in attendance. That event had Grace showing off an edit of the Star Wars prequels that he touted as Star Wars: The Editor Strikes Back. After the response to his Close Encounters remix last week, the actor has released the trailer he sent as an invite to his Star Wars screening. It's a very cool tease for the much shorter Darth Vader origin story.

Teaser for Star Wars Episode III.5: The Editor Strikes Back from Cereal Prize (via SlashFilm):

The use of Obi-Wan Kenobi's voiceover is extremely effective, and this makes me desperate to see how Grace cut down all three of the prequels into a better prequel to the iconic sci-fi trilogy. Grace's cut was 85 minutes, shorter than some indie movies that don't have blockbuster action. It would be cool if Disney would allow Grace to do some kind of tour with this cut of the film, just to show their respect for fans having fun with their property. The best place would be at Star Wars Celebration, or even Comic-Con in San Diego, but we're pretty sure that is never going to happen. This could be all you ever see of the experiment. Cool?

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Reader Feedback - 16 Comments

I'm so damn jealous. However, could this be released as a fan fiction movie on Youtube? How do fan made movies get away with that sort of thing I guess is the question I'm asking?

RAW_D on Feb 28, 2014

It's called a Fan Edit. And they get away with it using very smart legal tricks. It's perfectly legal to edit a movie that you own in the same way it's legal for you to make a mix tape of songs that you legally own. Now in order to distribute this kind of thing is where it gets touchy. The people who edit it post where all their sound effects, extra scenes and material comes from. If you legally own all the movies that they used to create their frankenstein edit of a movie then you are entitled to download and keep that edit. There has been no ruling to date against fan edits and distributing them to people who own the films. What you can't do is straight up post your edit on youtube. That's illegal.

Kento on Feb 28, 2014

Thanks for the insight! Makes sense.

RAW_D on Feb 28, 2014

Fair use laws allow copyright to be infringed for the purpose of criticism/review. If it offers some kind of commentary on the original, it should qualify.

OrionComplex on Feb 28, 2014

Isn't that messed up though? Why should that be against the law? So ridiculous to me. But yeah very cool edit

SkyNet300 on Feb 28, 2014

The prequels were awful garbage.

SkyNet300 on Feb 28, 2014

"Topher" is just about the worst shortened version of a name ever. Right up there with Xander.

Amanda on Feb 28, 2014

Do anyone else find these re-edits a complete waste of time?

Steven on Mar 1, 2014

He turned 3 bad movies into 1 85min movie people are actually eager to see. Now those original three movies, there's your waste of time

Richie G on Mar 1, 2014

But it's basically watching the same thing in a shorter version. While I agree the prequels are poor, I just don't see what these edits add and it not like when my son is older I will use them instead of the films, for good or bad they are what they are.

Steven on Mar 2, 2014

Editing can completely change a film for better or worse, and it can't be much worse. A re-edit can completely alter the way the movie is perceived by the audience, don't dismiss this entirely it may actually prove to be a better interpretation of the overall events of the story and the characters.

Keh-Tai Culbreath on Mar 2, 2014

The difference an edit can make is huge, best example of this is the garbage of the daredevil theatrical cut, vs the Directors cut, which is rather good.

Ross Gibson on Mar 7, 2014

I'd really like to watch this

Richie G on Mar 1, 2014

kinda cool I guess. But can't we just burn all copies of Episodes I-III as well as Lucas' edits of the originals and re-release the original theatricals of IV-VI with enhanced picture and sound. Then remake the prequels, make The Force Unleashed, make an Old Republic film based on Darth Malgus like the game trailers, and possibly one around Revan and Malak?? Now this would be cool.

Kewl Kowalski on Mar 2, 2014

that would be boring.

huey on Dec 1, 2014

Listen to this podcast of Topher on The Nerdist. Good insight on why he did this, and where is shortened name came from. http://www.nerdist.com/2014/02/nerdist-podcast-topher-grace/

onelegmatt on Mar 2, 2014

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