They may still be in Episode II!

Nnnnnnnnnoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!    :-(

From E! Online ...

     Friday January 11 12:13 AM EST

     'N Sync Cut from "Clones"?        
     --------------------------
     Say "Bye, Bye, Bye" to the boys of 'N Sync: All that public
     moaning over their brief cameo in the upcoming Star Wars
     prequel may have sealed their fate on the cutting-room floor.

     So claims 'N Sync (news - web sites)-er Joey Fatone, who
     called into Tampa, Florida, radio station WFLZ-FM this week
     to personally deliver the, um, bad news that a battle-scene
     cameo they shot for Episode II--Attack of the Clones has been
     cut because of the subsequent fan uproar.

     "I'm going to make it officially known that they dropped it
     because people made a big deal about it," said Fatone, who
     sounded a tad perturbed about the development. "We're not
     going to be in it, and I'm not going to comment on it any more."

     So can those griping Star Wars fans finally breath easy? Not
     quite. Lucasfilm spokeswoman Lynn Hale wouldn't confirm
     Thursday whether 'N Sync will or will not appear in the final
     cut of Clones, saying "it's just too early to make that decision."

     "The 'N Sync guys were shot as extras, and whether they're in or
     out won't be determined until the final edit," Hale says.

     Even if they do make the final cut when Episode II is released
     May 16, don't expect the on-screen cameo to be very noticeable.
     Despite rumors that George Lucas cast the boys to appease his
     boy-band-crazy daughters, Lance Bass told Entertainment Weekly
     that he and his bandmates were enlisted for the scene while they
     were at Lucas' California sound studios last fall working on
     their concert video Pop Odyssey Live.

     When Fatone mentioned they were huge Star Wars fans, producer
     Rick McCallum cast them as Jedi Knights alongside hundreds of
     other extras in one of the film's battle scenes.

     Not all the 'N Sync-ers nabbed the nonspeaking, noncredited
     parts; Bass said "there was only room for four guys"--Justin
     Timberlake couldn't make the December shoot and Bass had a
     scheduling conflict, so "I gave the scene to Steve, Joey's
     brother," he said. "It broke my heart."

     His wasn't the only heart broken over the casting. Star Wars
     geeks let out a collective yelp last week when word leaked that
     'N Sync shot a scene for Clones, no matter how brief and
     inconsequential it may have been.

     But Lucasfilm rep Hale denies that public criticism will have
     any effect on whether the boys stay or go from the film. "George
     makes all his decisions himself," Hale added. "And the final
     edit of the film is what he determines it will be."

     If you need any more proof, just remember this, folks: Jar Jar
     is coming back.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/eo/20020110/en/_n_sync_cut_from_quot_clones
_quot__1.html