Star Wars fans camp out for Episode II

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Two dedicated Star Wars fans have started queuing to be first to see the new episode - four months before tickets go on sale.

John Guth and Jeff Tweiten have set up camp outside the Seattle Cinerama awaiting the release of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones on 16 May.

As well as attempting a world record for the longest wait, the pair also see their zany adventure as an art project.

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The two men, who head Seattle's Star Wars Society, plan to sleep, eat and play games outside the cinema complex until the box office opens.

Video diary

"When the last Star Wars movie came out, people slept out overnight to get tickets, but I've never seen anything as hard core as these guys," marvelled Jeff Alldridge of the Cinerama.

"We told them the tickets wouldn't go on sale until about two weeks before the opening, but they said they were doing some sort of art project on their lives and would camp outside anyway."

Mr Guth and Mr Tweiten will be keeping a video diary of their experience and have packed cooking utensils and fold-up chairs and to make it more comfortable.

"This project also explores the issue of the pursuit of happiness," wrote Mr Tweiten on his society's website.

Frivolous

"It asks how much will a person sacrifice for a temporary acquisition, and questions whether a person can be happy with just food and shelter in pursuit of that acquisition.

"It also asks, will society as a whole fear or accept people for not desiring the things they desire, or for desiring things they consider frivolous or ridiculous."

The new film follows on from the 1999 hit The Phantom Menace and will see Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Samuel L Jackson reprise their roles.

Fans queued overnight for The Phantom Menace in 1999

The anticipation for the last movie saw it become one of the fastest selling films ever, although it received lukewarm reviews from both critics and fans.

Episode III, the final film in the series, is expected to go into production in 2003 but no title has yet been announced.