I've been hearing these crazy rumours for a few days, and even when they were mostly confirmed, I still had a little trouble believing it.

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But yes, it's TRUE --- a CG animation movie, called STAR WARS : The Clone Wars is to be released this summer !!!

It is apparently a theatrical version of the first few Episodes of the forthcoming Clone Wars animated TV series, and it will be the first Star Wars feature film not to be distributed by 20th Century Fox (so the first few seconds of the film might be a little weird...).

The film will be set between Episodes III and III of the Saga, and most of the characters will be voiced by different actors (although Anthony Daniels returns as C-3PO).

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This is a TRIUMPH for the people in charge of the TV project --- I had heard a few months ago that initially, George Lucas was happily letting them get on with their jobs, but that he became so impressed with the quality of their work that he started to intervene personally in the production, teaching these guys personally "How to make Star Wars" from one rumour I heard ; but also that he started to take a hand in the writing, and basically personally supervising it.

Lucas being such a perfectionist, there is NO WAY that he'd OK a theatrical release if he didn't think it were deserved.

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This summer is going to be one crazy summer for the movies, what with Indy making his comeback and et cetera ...

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OMG --- New Star Wars movie, new Star Wars movie !!!!!



Variety

What, is Indy going to use a walker to thwart the bad guys?

Anakin is the central character and --- he has a girl Jedi Padawan Learner

Star Wars Dot Com

animated? I'll pass.

This development seems to have taken everyone, and I mean EVERYONE by surprise --- apparently Samuel L. Jackson has now started negociations to do Mace Windu's voice, and Hayden Christensen apparently also wants in on the Anakin action.

Man, if only they could only Ewan McGregor and Temuera Morisson to join the party ...

Xstream wrote:

animated? I'll pass.

The animation is incredible from the little snippets I've seen --- not to mention that much of Episodes II and III was essentially animated. ROTS especially

ok, I'll keep an open mind. maybe it'll be good.

Ain't It Cool News

I will stick with all my DVD's I have now and cherish them

The new movie is just the beginning for the future of Star Wars.

Word has it that, unlike any other spin-offs and tie-ins, the Clone Wars movie and animated TV series, as well as the forthcoming live action TV series, will be considered as canonical additions to Star Wars, in line with the movies. This explains why Lucas himself is so heavily involved in the direction of both projects, and also why both have been delayed somewhat.

I'm glad to hear Lucas is involved, the existing non-Lucas-involved spin-offs and tie-ins are IMHO a humungous pile of unalterated drek

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It's no surprise of course that Clone Wars will be aimed at the kids audience that Lucas has been entertaining since he first approved the use of Ewoks in ROTJ --- what IS surprising however is that rumours have recently been suggesting that the Live Action show, to be set in the period between Episodes III and IV, will be aimed at a more mature audience : read, people who used to love Star Wars, but may have grown up to dislike the kiddie aspects

The still-to-be-named Live Action show will NOT be about any of the Skywalkers (although I personally wouldn't count out the odd appearance or two) but rather about new characters and about secondary characters who may have appeared in the Prequels.

It also seems that it may portray a rougher, darker side of the Star Wars universe ; a side that we've so far seen only in hints and allusions.

Now personally, I love canonical Star Wars (the movies), even the kiddie bits (because the kiddie bits are so well written, designed, and directed), and I feel pretty confident about the forthcoming Clone Wars stuff.

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But the Live Action one is starting to sound a LOT more interesting ; there is just SO MUCH that is hinted at in the brief glimpses that we see of the underbelly of Star Wars (the Cantina ; Jabba's palace ; the Streets of Coruscant ; ... ), and which is soooo reminiscent of a certain kind of glauque Sci-Fi literature (sections of Asimov's Robot books, some of E.E. "Doc" Smith's body of work, Heinlein, loads of comics, other works of genre sci-fi in TV and Cinema ; there's just sooooo much untapped potential that Star Wars is hooked right into ) --- I'm glad to hear that we may actually get to see some of this potential become a reality