The Great STAR WARS Discussion Thread

[Fievel]

Star Wars is Coming To Blu-ray! (Edit - Changed link to a more detailed article)

Like we didn't know this was coming......
But it will be interesting to see:
-What additional content is on it
-How good it actually looks. The prequels should look really good. I hope the same for the original 3.

As much as I love Star Wars, this is not a must-buy for me until I know the above. I may actually wait until I read as many reviews as possible before I buy it.

[Fievel]

Deleted ROTJ Scene!!!!! Holy shit this is cool!

[Fried Gold]

Deleted ROTJ Scene!!!!! Holy shit this is cool!

That is actually some epic shit right there.

...I've only ever read about that scene.

[TonyWilson]

Am I missing something there? Is Vader meant to be helping him fix the lightsabre?

[Bloo]

that was awesome!

and I think it's a contrasting thing between Vader's dark temptation and being in Ben's Tatoonie "cabin"

[Fievel]

that was awesome!

and I think it's a contrasting thing between Vader's dark temptation and being in Ben's Tatoonie "cabin"

And given that Luke's black cloak covers everything but the lower part of his face (and looks sweet!!), it would have really added to the possibility that Luke was veering towards the dark side to be with his father.

The only problem I can see with it is that there's really no valid reason to wear the hood up indoors. Luke would have been "that Jedi" that just has to wear his hood up indoors - the Jedi equivalent of the douches that wear sunglasses inside.

[The Vicar]

Very, very cool.

[travis-dane]

George, why dont you just pack every tidbit you have ever shot for those godforsaken movies in one Blu Ray/ DVD set, charge it with 4999.- Dollars and limit it to 500.000 copies?
You would earn over two billion dollars, George. You could let those abused and crippled movies have their well deserved rest.

[TheButcher]

Deleted ROTJ Scene!!!!! Holy shit this is cool!

Wicked!! Thanks!
That would have been an awesome opening for ROTJ. It fits perfectly with the end of Empire. When Vader calls to Luke on the Falcon.


From IGN: Lucas Announces Star Wars Blu-ray

We're there as Lucas talks about the upcoming release of all six films and debuts a very cool deleted scene.


Update: About five minutes after I published this story, I was handed Lucasfilm's official press release for the Blu-rays. It confirms that all six movies are being released on Blu-ray and that the set is coming out Fall 2011 - so don't line up just yet! We're also told it will include, "documentaries, vintage behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, retrospectives and never-before-seen footage from the Lucasfilm archives."

Star Wars fans should also check out my article about the new Empire Strikes Back documentary that debuted at Celebration [Click Here!] , that I theorize could possibly be part of the Blu-ray release.

From IGN:
New Empire Strikes Back Documentary Debuts

Today at Star Wars Celebration V there was a cool new documentary shown – Thirty Years Later: A Conversation With the Masters. Running about 25 minutes, it included new interviews with George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, John Williams and Irvin Kirshner, who discussed the making of The Empire Strikes Back and why the film works so well.

[TheBaxter]

i love ROTJ, despite the ewoks.

but imagining an ROTJ that begins with that scene, that has wookiees instead of ewoks, and that ends with the ending that gary kurtz describes in his interview.... my zod, what an amazing ROTJ that would have been.

[papalazeru]

Deleted ROTJ Scene!!!!! Holy shit this is cool!

That is absolutely fucking cool! That should be tacked onto the film.

[Fried Gold]

Deleted ROTJ Scene!!!!! Holy shit this is cool!

That is absolutely fucking cool! That should be tacked onto the film.

Yeah, it's stuff like that which one wouldn't mind being edited back in for a "special edition".

[TheBaxter]

Deleted ROTJ Scene!!!!! Holy shit this is cool!

That is absolutely fucking cool! That should be tacked onto the film.

Yeah, it's stuff like that which one wouldn't mind being edited back in for a "special edition".

it's probably better this way. if lucas added it to the movie, he wouldn't be able to resist adding some cgi creature taking a poop outside the entrance to the cave.

[Bloo]

Deleted ROTJ Scene!!!!! Holy shit this is cool!

That is absolutely fucking cool! That should be tacked onto the film.

Yeah, it's stuff like that which one wouldn't mind being edited back in for a "special edition".

it's probably better this way. if lucas added it to the movie, he wouldn't be able to resist adding some cgi creature taking a poop outside the entrance to the cave.

complete with sound effect to go with said pooping

[Fievel]

....and it's been pulled.

So here's a life-sized replica of a TIE Interceptor!

[TheButcher]

From Bleeding Cool:
New Star Wars Deleted Scene Features Fake Luke Skywalker

According to Mark Hamill himself, he doesn’t actually appear in the recently rediscovered Return of the Jedi deleted scene. In fact, he doesn’t even seem to believe the scene exists. Well, okay, I’ve accidentally on purpose used the wrong tense there – oops! I’m not really citing Hamill’s opinion now that the scene has been polished up and shown in public, but back at Comic-Con last year.

From Forces of Geek:
DARTH LUCAS??? Deleted Scenes a Sham?

From Geeks of Doom:
Is That Mark Hamill In The Deleted ‘Return Of The Jedi’ Scene?

[RogueScribner]

....and it's been pulled.

So here's a life-sized replica of a TIE Interceptor!

My booth was located right across from that, so I got to look at that while I worked.

I also had to go in early on Friday because a "special guest" wanted a private tour of the hall . . . yes, I saw George Lucas up close and personal!

[Fried Gold]

....and it's been pulled.[/url]

It's out there now. Lucasfilm are never gonna pull that back:



And two pages worth reading about all this, if you've not seen them before:

http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/s ... saber.html
http://www.starwarz.com/tbone/index.php ... icleid=428 (it finally gave tbone a reason to update it for the first time in a decade)

[TheBaxter]

From Bleeding Cool:
New Star Wars Deleted Scene Features Fake Luke Skywalker

According to Mark Hamill himself, he doesn’t actually appear in the recently rediscovered Return of the Jedi deleted scene. In fact, he doesn’t even seem to believe the scene exists. Well, okay, I’ve accidentally on purpose used the wrong tense there – oops! I’m not really citing Hamill’s opinion now that the scene has been polished up and shown in public, but back at Comic-Con last year.

From Forces of Geek:
DARTH LUCAS??? Deleted Scenes a Sham?

From Geeks of Doom:
Is That Mark Hamill In The Deleted ‘Return Of The Jedi’ Scene?

there's no way that scene was filmed recently. george lucas is incapable of creating anything that cool anymore.
but it very well could be a stand-in for hamill. wouldn't make the scene any less awesome. you know what? that wasn't really james earl jones in the vader suit either.

[Fried Gold]

http://www.starwarz.com/tbone/index.php ... icleid=428

Was the Mark Hamill section ever filmed?

In the book The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by John Phillip Peecher there's a small passage that reads:

Mark Hamill is coming back for one day of shooting later this month [November] to do the scene where he builds his new lasersword...

That scene was not the only reason he was returning for pickup shots. At this point in November 1982, it was decided that the entire Sanstorm sequence (a different cut scene) was going to be dropped and they needed Hamill to shoot a few scenes to tie up the loose ends in the dialogue.

Paul Harrison, master of Elstreeprops.com, alerted me to this page on his site where he has actual photos of the hero prop that was created for this scene. Interestingly enough, he claims that not only was this shot but it was cut from the film and then lost. Here's what he had to say and don't forget to click the link to head over there and see the photos of the lightsaber.

This is a very unique one-off for the scenes where Luke is in Obi-Wan's hut making his new lightsaber after losing his in the battle with Darth Vader. This is a close-up model built to show the detailing inside. Many parts unlock and slide open! The whole saber can be telescoped shut in one move, with a satisfying whoosh of compressed air rom the pistons inside! One twist and the whole saber locks solid to be hung from the belt.
These scenes were shot, but cut from the movie, and later lost! We hoped they would on the new DVD but they aren't. So this isn’t screen-used sadly. But in a way that’s better as we get to keep it!

[Lord Voldemoo]

Yeah, I dunno. That's pretty clearly not Hamill in the scene. And the gradual raising of the lightsaber in the shot and the somewhat grandiose lighting of it just screams "OMG REVEAL, REVEAL, WET YOUR PANTS STAR WARS GEEKS!" just like every similar scene did in the PT. I know it would have sort of been a reveal in the context of the OT, but still...

I hate to say it, but this feels like at least the portion of the scene in the cave was "re-enacted" in some way or another. Recently.

[TheButcher]

Star Wars is Coming To Blu-ray! (Edit - Changed link to a more detailed article)

Like we didn't know this was coming......
But it will be interesting to see:
-What additional content is on it
-How good it actually looks. The prequels should look really good. I hope the same for the original 3.

As much as I love Star Wars, this is not a must-buy for me until I know the above. I may actually wait until I read as many reviews as possible before I buy it.

I was all set to buy these until I found out it's going to be the Greedo Shots First version of the OT.


From the NY Times:
‘Star Wars’ Films Coming to Blu-ray Next Year

Mr. Lucas said the versions of the first three “Star Wars” films – “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” – included in the Blu-ray boxed set will be the special-edition releases that were shown theatrically in 1997 and digitally restored for a 2004 standard-definition DVD boxed set.

Perhaps bracing for the reactions of fans who decried some of the changes made to the special-edition films – like, say, an exchange of gunfire between Han Solo and a certain green-skinned bounty hunter – Mr. Lucas said that to release the original versions of these films on Blu-ray was “kind of an oxymoron because the quality of the original is not very good.”

[TheButcher]

From AICN: Fascinating Interview With NEW HOPE, EMPIRE, And GRAFFITI Producer Gary Kurtz!! (This Isn't The Recent L.A. Times Piece)

Merrick here...


A few weeks back, Quint linked out to this L.A. Times article in which STAR WARS and EMPIRE producer Gary Kurtz discusses his time with Lucas, a vision of RETURN OF THE JEDI that didn't pan out, etc.

Interesting stuff to be sure, and it reminded me that my buddy Ken Plume - one of the best interviewers and finest people I've ever known - spoke to Kurtz back in 2002. 'Twas a sprawling discussion touching on some of the same subjects as the Times piece linked above, but in much finer detail. This is one of the most truthful and insightful discussions I've come across regarding adventures in the film industry, life with Lucas, and shifting tides on the STAR WARS franchise.

It's nine pages long as presented on A Site Called Fred, but if you've any interest whatsoever in STAR WARS in general, the shenanigans of early Lucas, or in the trials and tribulations of film making as a whole...I can't recommend this piece strongly enough.

You can find it HERE.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for some special material relating to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Its 30 year anniversary isn't over just yet...

From A Site Called Fred:

The wonderful sci-fi geek site i09.com recently linked out to an LA Times interview with producer Gary Kurtz, and i09 believed it to be the first time that Kurtz had spoken in-depth, on the record, about the creation of Star Wars and the issues he had with George Lucas during the making of The Empire Strikes Back that led to a massive falling out between the two creative partners.

Well, not so.

I’d done a massive interview with Kurtz back in 2002, which goes into a lot more detail about the falling out, plus Kurtz’s other work on American Graffiti and with Jim Henson on The Dark Crystal.

Here is that interview…

[magicmonkey]

From AICN: Fascinating Interview With NEW HOPE, EMPIRE, And GRAFFITI Producer Gary Kurtz!! (This Isn't The Recent L.A. Times Piece)

Merrick here...


A few weeks back, Quint linked out to this L.A. Times article in which STAR WARS and EMPIRE producer Gary Kurtz discusses his time with Lucas, a vision of RETURN OF THE JEDI that didn't pan out, etc.

Interesting stuff to be sure, and it reminded me that my buddy Ken Plume - one of the best interviewers and finest people I've ever known - spoke to Kurtz back in 2002. 'Twas a sprawling discussion touching on some of the same subjects as the Times piece linked above, but in much finer detail. This is one of the most truthful and insightful discussions I've come across regarding adventures in the film industry, life with Lucas, and shifting tides on the STAR WARS franchise.

It's nine pages long as presented on A Site Called Fred, but if you've any interest whatsoever in STAR WARS in general, the shenanigans of early Lucas, or in the trials and tribulations of film making as a whole...I can't recommend this piece strongly enough.

You can find it HERE.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for some special material relating to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Its 30 year anniversary isn't over just yet...

Great finds Butcher


From A Site Called Fred:

The wonderful sci-fi geek site i09.com recently linked out to an LA Times interview with producer Gary Kurtz, and i09 believed it to be the first time that Kurtz had spoken in-depth, on the record, about the creation of Star Wars and the issues he had with George Lucas during the making of The Empire Strikes Back that led to a massive falling out between the two creative partners.

Well, not so.

I’d done a massive interview with Kurtz back in 2002, which goes into a lot more detail about the falling out, plus Kurtz’s other work on American Graffiti and with Jim Henson on The Dark Crystal.

Here is that interview…

[BuckyO'harre]

The Solo Adventures

[Bloo]

The Solo Adventures

that was a lot of fun. Don't know if I like the "action figure" style of the animation but I'm sure it simplefed stuff so they could focus on other things (like story). Ending was funny but was really out of nowhere. But like I said, had a lot of fun with it

[Pacino86845]

Considering it was an amateur production it was pretty awesome. It definitely lacks polish, but works as a terrific short Star Wars film. It captures a lot of the spirit of Han and Chewie's relationship. Glad I had some anaglyph glasses lying around!

[John-Locke]

2D version of the Solo Adventures

[so sorry]

2D version of the Solo Adventures

Meh. And that ending? Hardy-har-har.

[TheButcher]

The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Book Trailer 2010 :

[Jazzmaverickjim]

Now then,

The Star Wars saga is my favourite set of movies. ever.
I have also seen alot of novels floating about, i have'nt read any of them, and i was wondering if anyone has, are they any good and where would a good starting point?

Much appreciated

[Fried Gold]

Now then,

The Star Wars saga is my favourite set of movies. ever.
I have also seen alot of novels floating about, i have'nt read any of them, and i was wondering if anyone has, are they any good and where would a good starting point?

Much appreciated

The novels are generally a mixed bag, as is the case with a lot of the Expanded Universe.

You can usually buy them cheaply in those poundland book shops, and give them a go that way, but I personally wouldn't pay full price for them.

People used to rave about Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn Trilogy" but I found then about on par if not worse than the prequel films.

[RogueScribner]

Zahn could build up a good story, but he never really paid them off too well. I just read The Force Unleashed. It reads like you'd think a video game adaptation would read (not good).

[Fried Gold]

George Lucas Stole Chewbacca, But It’s Okay - http://binarybonsai.com/2010/09/18/geor ... -its-okay/

[Al Shut]

reminds me of



Gustave Dore - 1877

[TheButcher]

From AICN:
The STAR WARS Movies Coming To Cinemas In 3D Starting 18 Months From Now??

From THR:
'Star Wars' saga set for 3D release starting 2012 - Films will roll out in order, starting with 'Phantom Menace'

Big news on the 3D front.

Sources indicate that George Lucas is set to re-release the entire "Star Wars" franchise in new 3D conversions beginning in 2012. Though the 3D versions have been rumored for some time, Lucas was purportedly waiting until there were enough 3D screens available to make the release a sizable enough event.

Fox, which released all six of the original "Star Wars" films, would also release the 3D versions.

Part 1, "The Phantom Menace," would be first out of star-dock in the early months of 2012. After that, each of the films would be released in order at the same time each consecutive year, depending on how well the first re-release does.

Each conversion takes at least a year to complete, with Lucas personally overseeing the process to make sure each one is as perfected as possible. Lucas has said that the "Avatar" experience convinced him that "Star Wars" was ready for the state-of-the-art 3D treatment.

Also pushing the timetable is a potential breakthrough in 3D television technology. With Samsung penetrating the market with 50,000-plus 3D-equipped televisions, and Sony planning to send its version to market in the coming months, the home-viewing experience could be primed for 3D DVD versions of the classic films by the time the new 3D series runs its course.

Lucas is purportedly queuing up the theatrical re-releases as a lead-in to the ultimate home viewing experience. Beyond that, the property would launch to all other 3D media.

From Variety:
'Star Wars' saga gets 3D makeover - Converted 'Phantom Menace' to hit theaters in 2012

After more than five years of teasing, Lucasfilm disclosed today that work is under way on converting the "Star Wars" saga to 3D.

All six pics will get theatrical re-release in stereoscopic starting with "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," which returns to theaters in 2012.

Exact release date has not been announced, but a Lucasfilm spokesperson said the pic will open wide and "as close to day and date (worldwide) as possible."

The prospect of six "Star Wars" pics released in 3D should stifle speculation that the format is a fading fad. It also promises to reintroduce the franchise to young auds who are used to 3D and only know 'Star Wars' from homevideo and the "Clone Wars" Cartoon Network skein.

20th Century Fox will once again distribute. Fox domestic distribution prexy Bruce Snyder called the series "perfectly suited" for 3D and said "I expect this to be as much fun for people that have not experienced 'Star Wars' as it was for people who were there in 1977 staring at the screen with mouth agape."

Spacing of the re-releases has not yet been determined, as that will depend on the pace of the conversion effort.

There are no plans yet for a homevideo release.

John Knoll, visual effects supervisor for Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic, is overseeing the conversion, which is being done by outside vendors with close oversight by ILM.

Knoll said Lucasfilm is committed to ensuring that the 3D conversion delivers results as good as a movie shot and authored in 3D. Knoll said that it'll be used to make the experience more immersive and he'll avoid some of the more jarring, exaggerated uses of 3D that have marked previous stereoscopic pics.

"Having seen a lot of stereo material, I have very strong opinions about what I like and don't like about stereo," Knoll told Variety. "I'm going to be applying my aesthetic. It's not going to look like (conversions) we've seen in the past."

Knoll said there are no plans to add or fix visual effects on the movies. Over the years, Lucas's digital tweaks on the original trilogy pics have generated pushback from fans.

[TheButcher]

From DEADLINE:
Lucasfilm Converting 'Star Wars Saga' To 3D

UPDATE: This is big news and Lucafilm intends to make a big announcement about this long-awaited live-action Star Wars Saga conversion to stereoscopic 3D tomorrow. Can you imagine the Death Star trench run and the Tatooine Podraces in that format? Yikes! Plus, with Industrial Light & Magic supervising the project, led by John Knoll, this won't just just another cheezy 3D conversion. According to tomorrow's announcement, obtained by Deadline, ILM's visual effects supervisor Knoll says, “Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right. It takes a critical and artistic eye along with an incredible attention to detail to be successful. It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results. For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars experience." Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is expected to be released theatrically in 2012. A release date has not yet been set for the other five films in the saga. This is sure to be a cash cow for everyone involved. Star Wars creator George Lucas acknowledged publicly earlier this year that the 3D conversion had been stalled but that seeing first Avatar and then Alice In Wonderland become such successes gave him new impetus to make the conversion. Though never a fan of 3D, Lucas has said he'd been looking "for years and years and years" to add 3D to the Star Wars Saga but felt the technology hadn't measured up until Avatar changed his mind.

From Hero Complex:
‘Star Wars’ saga in 3-D will start in theaters in 2012 [updated]

George Lucas watched the massive success of “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland” in the 3-D format and decided it was time for a return of the Jedi.

“Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” will return to theaters in 3-D in 2012 and will be followed in the stereoscopic format by the five other live-action movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic special-effects shop is overseeing the 3-D conversion. 20th Century Fox will release them, as it has done for all previous “Star Wars” films.

Lucas has said publicly on more than one occasion that the technological strides of James Cameron’s “Avatar” persuaded him to reconsider his longtime disdain for 3-D. After the Golden Globes, for instance, he told Access Hollywood that he was investigating the possibilities of converting his Skywalker family epic into the trendy format. “Haven’t been a big fan of 3-D, but that movie definitely improves in [the field of] 3-D … we’ve been looking for years and years and years of trying to take ‘Star Wars’ and put it in 3-D,” Lucas explained to “Access.” “But, [the] technology hasn’t been there. We’ve been struggling with it, but I think this will be a new impetus to make that happen.”

In a press release LucasFilm is expected to put out soon that was obtained by The Times, ILM visual effects supervisor John Knoll made clear that his company doesn’t intend to put out a sub-par 3-D conversion. Some conversions done in a rush have turned off moviegoers and critics.

“Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right,” Knoll said in a statement. “It takes a critical and artistic eye along with an incredible attention to detail to be successful. It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results. For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new ‘Star Wars’ experience.”

– Ben Fritz

[TheButcher]

From 24 Frames:
Is 'Star Wars 3-D' a good idea?

It's more entertaining than a Darth-Luke light saber duel to imagine how the "Star Wars" faithful will react to the news that the sci-fi franchise is coming back, and along the Z-axis this time. Blind rapture? Abject skepticism? A Jabba the Hut-size pile of confusion?
But like it or not, here it comes: "Star Wars" in 3-D.

Fox, undeterred by its middling re-rerelease of "Avatar" this past summer, will take on the mothership of all re-releases. It's putting George Lucas' epic back in theaters after a massive conversion of the space opera to 3-D. "The Phantom Menace" will come first (as it does chronologically) in 2012, with the five pictures following it in sequence. Lucas has come around on the format, making several comments of late that he may be willing to give conversion a shot. And now, apparently, he is.

There's plenty to chew over here — the box office ripple to all the other tentpoles in the coming years not least among them — as a piece of cinema history will crash up against a piece of technology present. Yes, new generations and all that. But is it also true that part of our cultural memory is getting reworked for studio profit? Not since colorization has a technological advance been capable of creating such controversy.

— Steven Zeitchik

[Fievel]

Other than the technology, which could be really cool... this intrigues me with the thought that I can take my kids to the theater to see (a new version of) the Star Wars films.

[TheButcher]

Other than the technology, which could be really cool... this intrigues me with the thought that I can take my kids to the theater to see (a new version of) the Star Wars films.

I can't wait to take my son too.

From USA TODAY:
'Star Wars' films going 3-D, starting with 'Phantom Menace'

Star Wars has always taken place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Now it will take place in another dimension: 3-D.

Lucasfilm has decided to reprocess the series into that format and release the films in theaters again, starting in 2012 with the 1999 prequelThe Phantom Menace. It's only one-sixth of the news that Star Wars fans have been waiting to hear, but it's the first step toward converting the other prequels and original trilogy.

"The process is really extensive, and we want to make sure each of the films gets the attention it needs, so we're not ready to talk about the release patterns of the other films," says Lucasfilm spokeswoman Lynne Hale.

The highest-quality 3-D is achieved by shooting with cameras that capture two images simultaneously, just as two eyes would, which was the process used to film Avatar. But films that are not originally shot with 3-D cameras, such as the Star Wars series, can undergo a computerized refinishing that creates the illusion of depth.

It requires that each image in the film be scanned and slightly adjusted to create two images, as if viewed from two eyes. When those images are projected on a screen and viewed through polarized lenses, the brain perceives three dimensions.

But when the process is rushed, it can — in Star Wars terms — give people "a bad feeling about this."

Some recent 2-D films, such as the Clash of the Titans remake and The Last Airbender, were hastily converted shortly before their releases to claim the prestige (and higher ticket prices) of a 3-D experience, but audiences and critics balked at the low quality of the presentation. Even relentless 3-D prosthelytizer Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks Animation has scorned such quick changes as sloppy.

That's why Lucasfilm is being cautious and not locking itself into a strict timeline. Even the approximate season of release for The Phantom Menace in 2012 is being left open.

To oversee the conversion, the series is getting its own Jedi knight of digital imagery: John Knoll, visual effects supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic (and coincidentally the co-creator, with his brother, of Adobe Photoshop).

He described the process of converting the films as a partnership between a human artist and the digital precision of a computer, intricately studying and adjusting every frame.

"You're generating a synthetic second eye," Knoll says. "You're finding out where the boundaries of objects are in the scene and what their distance is to the camera, and you're using that information to generate (3-D)."

Only so much of the work can be done automatically by computer, and even then it has to be studied closely by a human being. "If you see a round object, you're reconstructing what is behind it," Knoll says, since both "eyes" see a slightly different perspective than the 2-D image allowed.

Although the prequels were shot more recently than the original trilogy, converting them will be more complicated because there is more intricacy to the background effects. Knoll cites a chase scene through a galactic city's floating traffic in Attack of the Clones as a particular challenge. "There are thousands and thousands of flying images," he says. "But the nice thing about stereo (visuals) is you get this wonderful immersive effect if it's done right."

[TheBaxter]

i'm glad their starting off with the prequels. maybe that will give them time to improve the technology before they get to the good ones, so they don't look like dimly-lit crap.

[TheButcher]

THR EXCLUSIVE: 'Star Wars' 3D release targeted for Feb. 2012

20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm are zeroing in on a February 2012 release date to launch the first of the "Star Wars" movies to be converted to 3D, "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace."

George Lucas hopes that releasing the film early in the year, outside of summer blockbuster season, will give it an open run at the box office and also set up the opportunity to sell merchandise through the balance of the year. The plan under discussion would make the release of the subsequent films in the series an annual event on the film calendar.

While Fox said it has not decided on a specific date, sources suggested that it is looking at a date around Valentine's Day, which falls on a Tuesday in 2012.

That would point to a release date as early as Friday, Feb. 10 or, more likely, Wednesday, Feb. 15, or Friday, Feb. 17, which also happens to be the beginning of the extended President's Day holiday weekend.

Currently, the only movie slated for February 2012 is Sony's "Ghost Rider 2," which will also be in 3D and is set for Feb. 17.

If the first in the series meets with success, the remaining five films would follow a year apart on comparable dates. However, depending on how the first release performs, the companies could also decide to open the subsequent entries in different spots on the calendar.

When the new special-edition version of the original three "Star Wars" movies were re-released in 1997, that cycle began with a re-release of "Episode IV: A New Hope" on Jan. 31, followed by "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" on Feb. 21 and "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" on March 14.

Launching the movies during the first quarter of the year would also give Lucas Licensing the opportunity to launch new licensing programs that could run throughout the course of the year.

[DaleTremont]

THR EXCLUSIVE: 'Star Wars' 3D release targeted for Feb. 2012

I swear on Leia's slave girl outfit that just a couple days ago I was wondering when Lucas would capitalize on the 3D phenomenon by re-re-re-releasing Star Wars, now in 3D.

(I'll still see it though )

[so sorry]

THR EXCLUSIVE: 'Star Wars' 3D release targeted for Feb. 2012

(I'll still see it though )

And that's exactly what the Beard is counting on!

ENABLER!!!

[TheBaxter]

THR EXCLUSIVE: 'Star Wars' 3D release targeted for Feb. 2012

(I'll still see it though )

And that's exactly what the Beard is counting on!

ENABLER!!!

i think that nickname is no longer appropriate. from now on, please refer to Mr. Lucas as The Turkey-Neck. thank you.

[Fievel]

THR EXCLUSIVE: 'Star Wars' 3D release targeted for Feb. 2012

(I'll still see it though )

And that's exactly what the Beard is counting on!

ENABLER!!!

i think that nickname is no longer appropriate. from now on, please refer to Mr. Lucas as The Turkey-Neck. thank you.

Yeah. Besides, everyone knows that McCallum is his beard.

[Fried Gold]

[Peven]

aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Lucas is raping my childhood.......................................in 3D!!!!!!! aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

[King Psyz]

Other than the technology, which could be really cool... this intrigues me with the thought that I can take my kids to the theater to see (a new version of) the Star Wars films.

Same here, although he has a hard time wearing the glasses... not something I like talking about... but I hope they offer a non 3D experience as well just so we can go together

[MelGibsonsRacist]

The problem is that when a room full of nerds goes crazy....it ruins things for me. It just annoys me that people could be so nerdy that they need to scream and applaud when they see something. Comic Con nerds freak out at everything. I remember seeing Assassin's Creed 2 at Comic Con...the nerds went crazy everytime someone got killed. Seriously, nerds...please...stop. Act human. If you were sitting in your home watching this you wouldnt think it was the Beatles. You're setting us all back.