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. 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.
Lucas Converting 'Star Wars Saga' To 3D
103 Comments
Load More Comments
What's Hot on Deadline
-
1
Salman Khan's 'Sultan' Pins Top 2016 Bollywood Opening Day - Intl Box Office
- 2
Dallas Police Shooting: Five Officers & Suspect Dead; TV News Provides Wall-To-Wall Coverage
- 3
'Secret Life Of Pets' Unleashed On Thursday As 'Dory' Darts Past $400M
- 4
'Power' Season 3 Review: Starz Drama From EP 50 Cent Makes Strongest Run Yet
- 5
Dallas Police Shooting: Sniper Identified As Latest Gun Violence Triggers TV News Wall-To-Wall Coverage
- 6
Cristina Ferrare Out, Replaced By Debbie Matenopoulos As Co-Host Of Hallmark Channel's 'Home & Family'
- 7
'Mr. Robot' Season 2 Gets More Episodes; Andy Greenwald To Host Live Aftershow - Update
- 8
'Sea Change': Lifetime Supernatural Drama Pilot Sets Cast, Begins Production
- 9
Kiefer Sutherland Crossing Over To 'Flatliners' Redo
- 10
Salman Khan's 'Sultan' Goes To The Mat; Wrestling Drama To Break Bollywood Bank?
Latest TV News
-
‘American Horror Story’ VR Encounter Headlines FXhibition At Comic-Con
-
Seth Meyers To Host Live ‘Late Night’ After Banned Guest Donald Trump Gives Acceptance Speech At GOP Convention
-
‘Big Brother’ Ratings Steady To Top Night, ‘Aquarius’ Hits Season High
-
Veterans Day: Eric Rudnick’s ‘Incoming’ Wins ATX TV Festival Pitch Competition
-
Amazon Village Bringing Life-Size ‘Thunderbirds Are Go’ And ‘Man In The High Castle’ To Comic-Con
-
Dallas Police Shooting: Sniper Identified As Latest Gun Violence Triggers TV News Wall-To-Wall Coverage
- 2
-
1
They would be the ‘holy grail’ of 3D. Well that and porn.
when the old guard does not fade away gracefully they must be destroyed. once again milking the cow- farm some new talent, and stories.
i really dont feel like paying like 20 something dollars to go see star wars in 3d. i’ve seen the movies like a billion trillion times. and you already know that because its in 3d their going to charge up the wazoo…
But you will, won’t you? You don’t have to see it, but you will.
great news Lucas can finally put cgi yoda back into original trilogy ……also i’m pretty sure this has been known news for some time, except for an official statement
i think their’e talking about 3dstereo there not 3dcg… so original yoda remains!!!
I think we’re all ready for a new sci-fi mythology.
Lucas showed that he’s creatively bankrupt with the 2nd trilogy, and I don’t even watch ANY of these films any more, he so tainted them. And by making 3D versions, all he’s doing is ONCE again showing that he’s hasn’t a GOOD, not even great idea, since hiring Kasdan and Kaufman to write Raiders for him, nearly 30 YEARS AGO.
Everyone save your money and more importantly your TIME
Shame for you…miss out on the Revenge of the Sith, by far the best movie in BOTH Trilogies!
You’re kidding me right? Did you even watch Hayden Christensen’s dead pan emotionless pathetic excuse for acting? There was absolutely nothing right about the new trilogy. It lacked the imagination, the depth, the acting and basically everything that made Star Wars a classic. Plus, Jar Jar Binks. Need I say more?
I take it you never say The Empire Strikes Back?
That’s probably the only one I would even bother seeing in 3D.
Sigh.
George, George, George. When is enough enough?
When is enough money enough?
maybe this is targeted to new generations of people that acustomed to 3dstero will not ever gonna see nothing in other format…
“Though never a fan of 3D” Really? Just type “Lucas and digital projectors” into Google and see what comes up.
SWEEEEET!!!!!!!! Can’t wait for this!!!!!
Somebody do something and make Lucas stop shiving his poor fans already.
I find your lack of faith disturbing. You don’t know the power of the dark side!
But in all seriousness, of all the Star Wars films to convert to 3D, why start with The Phantom Menace and not the original trilogy. I agree with Nicki that it would be cool to see the Death Star trench run in 3D, especially since the 2D motion simulator version was such a hit in Disneyland’s Star Tours, but starting with the new trilogy will just draw the ire and anger of Star Wars fans worldwide. But then again, if Lucas converts the original trilogy to 3D, he would inevitably do so off the cotton candy “Special Edition” version and not the cherished original prints.
God help us all. Stop Lucas now.
Seriously? Eff that. You’re letting your childhood nostalgia cloud your judgment. Star Wars fans are just as retarded as Star Trek fans if they honestly believe Ewoks vs. Jungletroopers has anything on Jedi vs. giant monsters + those bumblebee-aliens. Or Darth Anakin vs. Obi-Wan.
The simple fact is, of all of the scenes in all of the Star Wars movies, there is none that would benefit from the 3D treatment more than the podrace. So why the hell not go ahead with it?
The only thing that is retarded is thinking that fight scenes make a great movie. The original Star Wars movies are compelling based on their story lines and are a testament to the development of movie making technology and ingenuity. The prequels were all about effects and fight scenes, and while yes, those scenes look pretty nifty, they are still attached to crap ass movies.
Good day. I said GOOD DAY, SIR.
Hear, hear! But not “See, see.”
There’s no inherent 3D compositions, and the Podrace is perhaps the most boring so-called action sequence in the 6 films… might as well just at a 3D segment to the Bullit and French Connection car chases, while someone’s at it.
The problem I see with starting with the prequels is that I think the originals would sell more tickets. If the prequels don’t do well, there could be issues with getting the originals done.
Do NOT bother with the prequels.
Sorry, George–even though I want to give you points for the salient analogies to our own democracy-turned-empire, nothing could add dimension to the characters, plots, and dialog in those three stinkers.
… you claim to have a copy of tommorrow’s announcement, but that announcement has been up on the official Star Wars site for a few hours now.
MUST! STOP! LUCAS!
I don’t care what anyone says, George.
You’re a hack. How’s about converting the billions you’ve made in shoddy effects-work into some half-way decent films?
Why not? His pompadour is in 3-D.
Star Wars will go back to the top of the non-adjusted all time box office charts.
I don’t see 3d movies since I wear glasses but I will see these for sure.
Guess I’ll have to buy the White Album again.
I’m just hoping that the public will have sufficiently tired of all the 3-D nonsense before these get a release so that maybe, just maybe, Hollywood could try focusing simply on good storytelling for a change. While I might consider revisiting the original Star Wars and probably Empire, the evil dreck of the more recent episodes and the Special Edition bastardization of the original trilogy just plain makes me sad. What further damage is Lucas ready to inflict upon his once inspiring work?
at a certain level, I can’t even call the original films inspiring, because movies like Kurasawa’s “Hidden Fortress”, “Where Eagles Dare” and Joseph Campbell’s work show that he was very much like Tarantino, in that he concocted mash-ups and was banking on people’s cinema historical ignorance, and pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes.
So I call into question all his work, IF he was truly creative, then he would have told a different prequel trilogy, he should have told a story about the founding of the Jedi Knights or Yoda’s Origin or something… but he couldn’t and didn’t, for whatever reason.
the tinny, cheap cantina music lingers on
and on
how about a 2001 conversion first?
But this is great! Now Han Solo can be seen to have shot first again… from a certain point of view.
Jar-Jar Binks in 3D? Kill me now.
Jar-Jar. Fitting. A creation suitable for immature adults, small children and the mentally disabled. A perfect match for the cinematic representation of a pop-up book, aka 3D.
It amazes me how much bitching and moaning goes on in regards to these movies. So many people act as if Lucas(film) owes a damn thing or that the company is literally walking in to their house and and taking the cash out of their wallet. Grow up.
You don’t like movies in 3D, or this series, stay home. You don’t want Blu-ray sets with the updated trilogy and PT? Don’t fricken buy them. Not a fan of the PT at all? Don’t watch them. A fan of Han Shooting first? Watch your damn Laserdisc rips and be happy.
“shiving his poor fans”, what a stupid comment. The only people who get “shived” are the ones that want to and that is who these endeavors are done for, not all the bitching and moaners.
Wow, I couldnt have said it better myself. I think hes brilliant for capitalizing on the situation and making loads more money off a project that was completed decades ago. Think about it. He is not converting them to 3d himself. Someone else is going to put in the time, energy and technology to convert the movies and he will reap millions from it and fans will happily pay for the opportunity to see star wars in 3d. I have to admit I am much more excited to see the originals in 3d. I probably wont bother with the prequels.
I agree with JSK on this. Stop bitching and moaning like George is personally walking into you’re house then taking you’re money. If you don’t want to see it that’s fine but stop complaining like spoiled little kids. I’m a huge Star Wars fan since I watched the original trilogy on VHS but very excited to see the epicness in 3-D.
It’s a shame that people don’t understand that it’s a changing business and that new generations should experience the magic we all felt when seeing it for the first time. Just in a new way. I know it’s a way to get more money but it’s Star Wars….in a theater with theater surround sound so yeah…sign me up.
Stop making stupid comments like “shiving his fans”…that’s really lame. If you don’t like it, cry into you’re pillow and maybe mommy will make you a glass of warm milk. It’s great we have nostalgia for the old versions but that’s in the past and provided us with a great childhood memories. It’s the present so embrace it and stop bitching like little girls.
There are some commercial programs out there that do real time 2D to 3D conversion for watching DVDs on your computer (assuming you have a 3D compatible graphics card and display – which conveniently, I do). The original Star Wars was one of the first DVDs I tested these programs. As flawed as the conversion was (after all, what would you expect from a program that sells for under $100), it gave me a pretty good idea of how amazing these films could look if the conversion was done right.
My biggest concern is actually with the prequel trilogy. In 2D, there are several action sequences that have so much movement on screen as to be borderline too visually busy to comfortably watch. I shudder to imagine the visual information overload levels when those shots are shown in 3D.
Remember, years ago, when this guy was an actual filmmaker?
No, not really? Star Wars was as wooden as his animated flick 3 decades later but it was cool so I’ll give him that. The acting was poor. The writing was piss poor. Again, it was cool. I remember the lines for weeks and it changing cinema but moreso for the technology. He then passed the baton to a good director for Empire which was great and then started getting involved heavily again for Jedi (wanted Ewok toys?) and that was hot garbage.
American Graffiti? I guess? A lot of future stars but I never understood anything other than the nostalgia for the time?
Raiders of the Lost Ark? Ok, he helped write.
Howard the Duck anyone?
Other than that, he really wasn’t one of note. Great at technology? Yes. Filmmaker? No unless it said “star.”
Try again. THX-1138 and American Graffiti are truly great films, not to mention the original Star Wars (your summary of the original Star Wars is totally shallow and meaningless). Those are three excellent movies that demonstrate genuine artistic vision and talent.
He wasn’t a filmmaker “of note”? Dead wrong. But you haven’t seen THX or American Graffiti, so you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
Seen them both and YAWN!!! You think you have Jedi mind tricks where I’ll agree? “you did not see the movies”… “I did not see the movies.” My summary of Star Wars might be shallow and meaningless and even that is superior to the direction and writing of Lucas.
Lucas is hack directing.
Very bright. Very creative as long as he’s not the man yelling “cut.” The genius is in the idea, not the execution. He can do the former, not the latter.
Hope I didn’t hurt your feeling (singular) with my critique of Mr. Lucas. It’s not he’s one of our family members and above criticism.
Yes, we all remember that time, but he has grown into something bigger. He is an icon for an entire generation and many generations to come. If you don’t like what he does, go see something else.
Agree. If it’s to be done at all, it should start with the original trilogy. There are so many young people who have never seen it on the big screen, let alone 3D.
Although still not 100% onboard the 3-D craze it will be worth it having the films back in the theaters again.
Cue the South Park scene of George Lucas raping the Storm Trouper. Matt and Trey are truly modern day prophets.