Lucasfilm announced today that they will be releasing the 3D conversions of the entire Star Wars saga starting in 2012.
Rumors go back and forth between them releasing one film per year to a timeline quicker than that. Lucasfilm told me that it's too early to discuss the release pattern. (No actual release date has been mentioned). The first film released will be The Phantom Menace.
This is great news. I've heard rumblings about this upconversion for years and if anyone can do it right, it's ILM. People can complain all they want about what they do and don't like about the Star Wars movies, but no one has ever impugned the reputation of Industrial Light and Magic for their ability to bring groundbreaking technology to the big screen. I imagine that the recent failures in upconverting had a lot to do with the quick turnaround, but Lucasfilm has, by some reports, been working on this conversion for the last 5 years, and we're still 2 years away from seeing the first one.
Just imagine seeing the podrace in 3D. And the speeder chase in Attack of the Clones. And the opening space battle in Revenge of the Sith. And the speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi. There is so much great material in there that this is great news for Star Wars and film fans around the world.
And I'd like to preemptively remind everyone who is going to complain about "Lucas trying to get more money out of us" of two points: 1) You don't have to go see it when it comes out, and 2) He gave half his fortune to charity. Seeing these films in the theatre benefits our American Education system in a roundabout kind of way thanks to the George Lucas founded Edutopia.
From their press release:
Lucasfilm Ltd. announced today that the live-action Star Wars Saga will be converted to 3D! There are few movies that lend themselves more perfectly to 3D; from the Death Star trench run to the Tatooine Podrace, the Star Wars Saga has always delivered an entertainment experience that is completely immersive. Presented by Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm Ltd., the cutting edge conversion will take that immersion to the next thrilling level, with Industrial Light & Magic supervising the project.Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace is expected to be released theatrically in 2012. A release date has not yet been determined.
"Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right," said John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic. "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."
I know I often rail against 3D conversions (and the entire 3D fad in general) , but the chance to see Star Wars on the big screen again, in any format, is terribly exciting news.
The thing I might be most excited for (aside from being able to see Star Wars on the big screen again, are the trailers for the rereleases. You can watch the last batch from 1997 to see what I mean.
I've also compiled a list of the 12 scenes I'm most excited to see converted.
I have requests in for interviews and more information, so please, stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
Bryan Young is the editor of Big Shiny Robot! and is the biggest Star Wars fan you know.
Follow Bryan Young on Twitter: www.twitter.com/swankmotron
At least Cameron's Avatar had a message to convey other than being a vehicle to squeeze a few more dollars out of the proletariat.
These movies were not shot using 3D cameras
All of the 3D stuff is going to be poorly done because of it
They have tried to "convert" a few movies like this already trying to cash in on the success of Avatar. I believe "Clash of the Titans" did it. It's not nearly as good and was highly criticized.
Now if they added a new scene where Jar-Jar gets killed in 3d then perhaps it would be worth it, but short of that, this is just another sad chapter in the decline of Lucas. How about make a new movie instead of re-selling the star wars and indian jones franchises? We already saw those. And we liked them better the way they were.
Didn't think so.
And I like Star Wars and Indiana Jones how it is now, too, thank you very much.
And when you say you like star wars and indians jones, which versions do you mean? The re-releases that switch out the guns for walkie-talkies because they might be too scary? Or the originals?
I've yet to experience this new 3D, The Phantom Menace will be my first!!!!! I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!Thank you George!!!!!!
I'm glad their starting in proper order. Episodes I-VI baby, yeh F'in haw!!!!!!!Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, the greatest movie ever=Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi ROCK!!!!! The GREATEST films EVER!!!!!!!Their are NO trilogies, only the saga!!!!! Six films, one story = STAR WARS!!!!!!!!!
I for one am delighted about this and am looking forward to taking my grands to see it on the big screen as I once did with their parents.
I am a fan of "The Star Wars Saga" as it's one hell of a great story.
As for his money(George Lucas)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128983170
Only for Star Wars am I willing to finally give 3D a try.
By the way, there are those who thought the first three SW movies had schlocky dialogue, amateurish acting, and an over-reliance on special effects too. The difference is there wasn't an internet where every malcontent can sound off in the same echo chamber.
I'll be there in 2012!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwL8wlBMflA&feature=player_embedded
This flies in the face of our comment about them being unwatchable ...speak for yourself not every star wars fan there are millions of us and we don't all feel like you haters we just are doing other things with our lives and don't live on these boards .
In what world do you live in that commenting upon an actors performace is being a "Hater"? If I go to have my car serviced and they put the oil filter on wrong and cause some damage to my engine, am I being a "Hater" for going back and complaining that they did not do a good job? Of course not. I felt that Christensen's dialogue was stilted and he came off as sleepy throuhout the movie. I was especially dissappointed in Portman because I have seen her do much better in other films. So whether it was the script, the director, or them, in my opinion they were bad.
If I can be called a "Hater" for dissagreeing with their performces, then aren't you a "Hater" for dissagreeing with me?
I HATE the prequels for the most part...I probably wouldn't even go to see The Phantom Menace, but Episodes II and III were more tolerable.
Actually, Ep. III was pretty good and did a decent job of tying the entire saga together. The acting and dialogue were still atrocious, but it had the framework of a damn good story.
The difference in quality between the two sets of trilogies is vast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI
http://www.examiner.com/star-wars-in-national/rebuttal-to-the-70-minute-phantom-menace-review-part-1
And in your rebuttal, you actually help prove that guy's point regarding the lack of character development. Only the most rabid fan can describe what the characters are like, or are supposed to be like, anyway. Lucas did such a poor job with writing and directing that movie, none of these traits come through on screen.
But actually, this isn't about us (us being people who are old enough to remember watching the first two releases of the OT in the theatres). The kids still love Star Wars and I really think those kids deserve to see the whole thing on the big screen whether in 2D or 3D. Long live Star Wars and eat it, Trekkies.