Everyone hates Jar Jar Binks. There's a spectrum of dislike for the Star Wars prequels (I can't jump on the bandwagon as readily as many fans), but everyone can agree that George Lucas' "key" to The Phantom Menace was an unmitigated disaster, a low-point in a saga that includes Hayden Christensen talking about sand and Bea Arthur singing while Wookie's have untranslated grunting conversations. But he was almost much worse. The annals of film "What ifs?" are filled with musicians that wanted to play now-iconic characters, but this one blows them out of the water. Jar Jar Binks was almost played by... Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson! Seriously - the bonafide legend petitioned George Lucas to play Star Wars first (and hopefully last) totally comic relief character. According to Ahmed Best, the man who ultimately brought Jar Jar to life, talking in a recent interview with Vice, Jackson wanted to do Jar Jar in traditional prosthetics, something that a late-90s Lucas simply wouldn't allow. It's often overlooked just how big a deal Jar Jaris in terms of filmmaking technology. Binks was the first fully CGI main character, hitting three years before Gollum and laying the groundwork for more sophisticated motion-capture. While the effects look a bit rubbery now, and they were executed on a terribly written character, there's no denying the ambition at play. Which only goes to make the whole Jackson possibility even worse. The rest of the interview is a fascinating read - Best talks honestly about the backlash against the character, and discuss the production and issue of race at length. Check it out at the link above and share your thoughts on Jacko as Binks down in the comments.
