NEW YORK -- Colin Hanks wants to set the record straight: Despite posted rumours on a Star Wars site that turned into published "fact," he was never ever close to landing the role of young Anakin Skywalker in the next Star Wars movie.

That's the role that went to rising Canadian star Hayden Christensen of Toronto. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack Of The Clones is due for release in May.

"Oh man, that was so much fun," Hanks says of being associated with Clones. "But there wasn't really any truth to it."

Hanks, the 24-year-old son of Tom Hanks and star of the new teen comedy Orange County, which opens today, got as far as meeting with a casting director who was scouting for George Lucas.

'HUGE FAN'

But that simply put him in the same group as, he says, "every other person, every other actor my age, within a span of about eight years, across the world. And basically the audition wasn't an audition, it was a general meeting in which you talked about everything but Star Wars. That was it. I never went to The Ranch (Lucas' famed Skywalker Ranch, the base for his movie empire)."

There are no hard feelings, says Hanks. "Look, I'm a huge fan. I camped out for The Phantom Menace. That's how much of a fan I am. I was out there for 28 hours in Westwood (a movie-mad community in L.A. west of Beverly Hills).

"I go on the Web sites and I check everything and, listen, there is nothing funnier than reading something on a Web site saying: 'Colin Hanks was here and he did his tests with Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman and, if there's chemistry, he's signing the papers today!'

"It was a complete falsehood."

Hanks cites the rumour as an example of how being the acting son of a famous father works people into a lather and makes them jump to wrong conclusions.

"Oooo, Tom Hanks' kid is going to be the new Anakin Skywalker -- that's a great story, let's put it in.

"The coolest thing about it was that I was able to put the clipping up on my fridge."

Oh, and yes, Hanks will be once again camping out for at least one night to be among the first ueber-fans who will see Attack Of The Clones in May.


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