The headline was good.
Simple? Yes. And straight to the point.
It would have caused any Star Wars fan to raise their eyebrows and perhaps let out some sort of a shriek:
"New Star Wars Movie To Be Filmed Near Surprise, Arizona."
It was posted on Monday to the site www.wcpm3.com. The "report" said the filming location would serve as a new planet in the series.
At first glance, the average reader may think the site is legitimate. It has some ads and at least one side bar with what appears to be other articles.
Although, truthfully, for a so-called news site--even a celebrity news site--it could up its marketing and branding.
If you did some digging and clicked on the "About" tab, you'd find the truth. Sorry Star Wars fans, you were duped. It's a hoax.
Wcpm3.com is a website, true. But it's not a news site; it's a *fantasy* news site. "All news articles on wcpm3.com are satire or pure fantasy," it reads. Bummer!
A few people fell for it. Some of the two dozen Facebook users who commented wanted to know how they could be extras when production started. The Prescott Film Festival even tweeted out a link to the article asking if it were true.
Would it be awesome if it was? Heck yes!
Are movies filmed in Arizona? Yes. Phoenix has a film office. According to its site, there have been two projects filmed so far this year. One was a documentary on the Phoenix Lights. The other is a local independent film.
If you want to see some real films, both local, award-winning and independent, the Phoenix Film Festivalbegins Thursday, April 7, and runs until April 14. You'll see films that won awards at the annual Sundance Festival and others from Arizona filmmakers.
