LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Fans never seem to get their fill of "Star Wars," and George Lucas is happy to oblige. Lucas offered a glimpse into the latest creation in his sci-fi universe at the theater-owners convention ShoWest on Thursday, showing a sequence from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," a computer-animated movie due in theaters August 15. It will be followed by a TV series of the same name, to air on the Cartoon Network and TNT this fall. The movie came about as an afterthought while Lucas was developing an animated TV show of the same name. That show debuts this fall, but Lucas figured it was ripe for big-screen treatment, too. "You've got the whole assembly line built, and then you say, 'Hey, we can make up something,"' Lucas said in an interview. "It was like old-time movie making. What I love about television, it's like Monogram Pictures or the old studio system, where a couple guys come to work and they sit and have some coffee and go, 'Why don't we make a movie about such and such? OK, fine.' And at the end of the day, it's pretty much on its way." Set in the years between episodes II and III -- "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" -- of the big-screen "Star Wars" chronicle, the movie and series present fresh adventures of Jedi warrior Anakin Skywalker, his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other colleagues. The movie introduces a female Jedi, Ahsoki, who is Anakin's young apprentice. "It's like 'Band of Brothers' in space, with Jedi," Lucas, 63, said. "You can tell lots of stories. They come up all the time." Lucas said he plans to produce at least 100 hours worth of TV episodes of "Clone Wars." He also is moving forward with a live-action "Star Wars" TV show focusing largely on new characters removed from the Skywalker family. That show will be set in the decades between "Revenge of the Sith" and the period when the original film, 1977's "Star Wars," takes place. So can fans ever get enough of "Star Wars"? "I don't know," Lucas said. "I'm thankful every year that it keeps going." http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/14/film.starwars.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Yeah I heard about this a few weeks back...I think they were stills released over on aint-it-cool...looked decent. But is it possible we will be over saturated with Star Wars material? And if he's not done with the franchise, why not produce the sequel trilogy?
This movie is going to be huge. I wasn't even aware of it even though I had heard of the series. I'm sure it will come eventually. He can't live forever.
The key is the quality of this stuff. If he's milking the cow for money just to enrich himself even further, Lucas will tarnish the Star Wars brand. Star Wars may be a case of where supply should not try to meet demand. The vast gap between the two is a good thing. I'm sure the movie will be fine but the TV series, I dunno.
This is actually, IMO, a large part of the magic of the original movie, and also I think why many people were disapointed in the prequals. When they threw out phrases like 'the Kessel run' or 'shooting wamprats in my T-33', they leave the specifics to the imagination – what the hell is a wamprat? This leaves a void for the imagination to run wild. If you fill in all the blanks from the original movies, reality can never live up to the expectations set by the imagination.
You obviously missed the Christmas special and Ewok: The Battle for Endor. If the franchise can survive those steaming piles, there is probably not much Lucas can do to kill it.
this sounds like that rockin' Clone Wars cartoon on the Cartoon Network a few years back. Y'all ought to check that out. Kinda makes up for the prequels sucking so hard. Interesting point....but I disagree. The prequels were, IMO, just bad. Bad, bad, bad. The original Star Wars was nominated for best picture, which should set some sort of standard for those to follow. Episodes IV, V, and VI were critically acclaimed. They were revolutionary. It was a watershed moment in movie-dom. Episodes I, II, and III were none of these things.
<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vr425AAHUz0&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vr425AAHUz0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> Is this the one?
probably. here's a better version of it, sorry to derail <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1iziqNds6UY&rel=0&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1iziqNds6UY&rel=0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> If this is very successful using animation instead of live action, they could conceivably reproduce some of the the original Star Wars characters (Luke, Han, etc) into computer animated versions. Would there be enough story for them, or would people want that who knows? . That might the end of movies or mankind though using replicas in place of real people. Eventually they'll have to make post-episode 6 movies anyways instead of the same ol' people..
Haven't I already seen this series on the Cartoon Network? I certainly recognize a few of the characters from that series in this preview.
That was a 2d cartoon, but I think the basis for the movie. For a sample, see below: <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gXtMU2gQzJA&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gXtMU2gQzJA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
those graphics suck, why cant they hire some big time animators(Pixar, WB) to do this? They have the money.
For everyone asking for the "sequel trilogy," there is no such thing. Lucas never had a sequel trilogy written and has said as much. I could see him deciding to write one at some point but there isn't an already written story for those three movies.
In 1979, director George Lucas said in an interview on the set of The Empire Strikes Back, "The first script was one of six original stories I had written in the form of two trilogies. After the success of Star Wars, I added another trilogy. So now there are nine stories. The original two trilogies were conceived of as six films of which the first film was number four." Lucas backed this up with a 1980 interview with the L.A. Reader, stating "Star Wars is really three trilogies, nine films... it won't be finished for probably another 20 years." Now maybe they're aren't any actual film scripts written, but he does have story ideas in mind and had (eventually) planned for nine films in all. But most likely we'll never get that sequel trilogy (which may be a good thing...doesn't seem it'd be as compelling as the first two trilogies).
Eh, I don't really have the desire to know much about the ins-and-outs of the Clone Wars, since they were basically just a rouse set up by Palpatine. I dont' see the point of telling this story when we've already seen Anakin transform into Vader. I would MUCH rather see what happens between III and IV. I want to see the dark times. I want to see Darth Vader kickin' ASS. I want to see him and the Storm Troopers hunting down and killing the remaining Jedi all over the galaxy. I want to see Palpatine building up the military. I want to see a young Han Solo rising through the ranks, then defecting and joining the Rebellion. I want to see Luke and Leia growing up under the shadow of the Empire. Who cares about the Clone Wars?
^^ Well the live action show will take place between III and IV. It is kind of curious that they would revisit the Clone Wars after already producing a short animated series about the same topic.
Yeah, I saw that. But what does "focusing largely on new characters removed from the Skywalker family" mean? Doesn't sound like they are going to focus on Vader, Palpatine, or the Empire much at all. Come on, George. The 20-something years before IV are when Vader is in his prime! I want to see him wreaking havoc - instead of yelling "NOOOOOOOOOoooooo!!!!!!!!" like you left him at the end of III.
