Short answers, pulled from the story.
George Lucas returned to the Star Wars franchise in 1993 after a long hiatus that began with the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983. He decided against making sequels initially but renewed interest from Timothy Zahn's novels and Dark Horse comics sparked his involvement.
Filming commenced on the 26th of June 1997 at Leavesden Film Studios in England and concluded on September 30 of that year. Locations included the Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy and the Tunisian desert for Tatooine scenes.
Ray Park won the part of Darth Maul after demonstrating his conception of lightsaber battles to George Lucas. His voice was dubbed by Peter Serafinowicz because it sounded too squeaky.
The Phantom Menace grossed $924 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run making it the highest-grossing film of 1999. A 2012 3D reissue brought overall worldwide gross to over $1 billion despite mixed critical reception focusing heavily on Jar Jar Binks.
The first teaser trailer appeared on the 17th of November 1998 accompanying Meet Joe Black screenings where people paid full admission just to see it. Some theaters played the teaser again after the main feature ended to keep fans from leaving early.