Date: 3rd May 2005

Lucas Announces More Star Wars Clones


It's going to be a bumper season for Jedi fans.

Not only is Revenge of the Sith due out on May 19, but George Lucas has just announced two Star Wars TV projects for next year.

The first is a live-action spin-off that Lucas will reportedly direct himself.

The second is a 3D animated TV series of half-hour-long episodes called Clone Wars.

Lucas made the announcement to 30,000 fans attending a Star Wars convention in Indianapolis - the largest of its kind.

It was the first time he has attended a fan gathering in 18 years.

He told how, in the live-action spin-off, the story will be set in a time between the upcoming Revenge of the Sith and the original Star Wars film. The main characters will not be the same as the key heroes from the franchise.

In the animated TV series, the story will follow the battle let by Yoda, Ob-Wan Kenobi and other Jedi knights against the Army of the Republic at the end of Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

He told the convention: "When we first did Star Wars we made an effort to push it at science-fiction conventions and make everyone aware that we were making this space opera."

He added: "It was through that effort of appealing to fans first that allowed the film to be a huge success."

Meanwhile, a poll carried out by movie mag Empire has found that The Empire Strikes Back is our all-time favourite Star Wars film.

Han Solo was voted the favourite hero, followed by Obi-Wan and Luke Skywalker.

Darth Vader was named the best Star Wars villain in the survey of more than 40,000 readers.

Source: Press Release