StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Jim here. Here is a strong rumor that should whet your appetites! (or sour them if you have had too much of the franchise). I have been hearing rumblings... extremely quiet at first, but now heating up significantly and from a trusted source - that George Lucas is preparing to unleash another STAR WARS trilogy upon us, this time in stereoscopic 3D. This is NOT the TV series, these are brand spankin' new 3D STAR WARS movies.

Yes, the pending 2D to 3D conversions of his six existing STAR WARS properties are still a go as 3D theaters are approaching 3000 (5000 is the number Lucas wants). No word on when this work will be completed.

But here is the shocker: Lucas will be producing and NOT directing these new episodes apparently! Could Steven Spielberg be tapped to direct a STAR WARS movie after all? Yes according to a trusted source of mine! Further, Francis Ford Coppola was mentioned too as a possible director for a future film!

A lot depends on the success of AVATAR this winter - if it takes off like everyone is expecting it to, then you will most likely see three additional STAR WARS movies added.

What an interesting competitive box office landscape that would make over the next 6 to 10 years! James Cameron's AVATAR world vs. George Lucas' STAR WARS world. I could see Lucas getting a little jealous over a successful launch of AVATAR - jealous because it is a fully articulated universe, like his. And if he doesn't act on it - his franchise may well be relegated to a back seat as potentially the records will start falling to Pandora. Heck STAR WARS is still not 3D yet and what better way to try to maintain a lock on bragging rights than to launch into three more in native stereoscopic 3D.

How seriously should you consider these rumors? Well it is coming from a source that SHOULD KNOW. This source is absolutely connected. So odds are it is seriously being talked about at Lucasfilm. Right now. Will it happen? AVATAR will have to hit and hit big and then all the stars have to align properly - all I can do is pass on the info.

Personally I WANT this to happen dearly. I REALLY want to see what the STAR WARS universe looks like in Spielberg's hands *AND* in stereoscopic 3D. You would too, wouldn't you?

Havok wrote:This sounds like a whole lot of fanboy fapping to me. Also, doesn't 3D suck? I mean, yeah yeah leaps and bounds in technology and all, but I haven't really heard anything about it that puts it in any more of a positive light then it has been in the past. I'm also assuming this is going to be a cartoon?

And what is Avatar that James Cameron is making?

Havok wrote:And what is Avatar that James Cameron is making?

Also, doesn't 3D suck?

Ford Prefect wrote:Much of Spacebattles already hates it profusely, so this should tell you everythign you need to know.

Rommie2006 wrote:Knights of the Old Republic timeline would be good.

Gramzamber wrote:
If it turns out to be some tat about human military power and science being beaten by the Power of Nature I'll be the first one nerd raging! Rarrr!

AICN wrote:Shocker! Lucasfilm says this rumored new Star Wars trilogy filmed in 3-D is a buncha malarkey!

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. The nice folks at MarketSaw ran a hardcore rumor today, claiming a source has told them that Lucas is planning a new Star Wars Trilogy to be shot in 3-D... And that he wasn't directing, but there was rumor of Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola finally getting to make their Star Wars movies.

Yeah, so if that didn't smell already check the wording of the article...

"Well it is coming from a source that SHOULD KNOW. This source is absolutely connected. So odds are it is seriously being talked about at Lucasfilm. Right now. Will it happen? AVATAR will have to hit and hit big and then all the stars have to align properly - all I can do is pass on the info."

That's repeated a few times in the article, saying that Avatar has to be a success for the 3-D screens to be there or there will never be new Star Wars movies ever! So you better make sure Avatar does super good!

Sounds to me like their source is someone at Fox trying to get some people to believe that by buying a ticket to Avatar they're ensuring new Star Wars movies to me.

That said, stranger shit has happened, so I contacted Laura Wuhlhammer of Lucasfilm's Public Relations department and asked her about the rumor. This is the first response:

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your email. Lucasfilm is not currently working on a 3D version of the Star Wars movies.

Best,
Laura

Wait... that reads like a denial of them actively working on retrofitting the Original Trilogy to 3-D. So I wanted to make damn sure what she was saying, be positive she wasn't snaking around the question, so I wrote back a clarifying email, distinguishing the OT and PT 3-D-ification vs. a whole new set of Star Wars movies.

Hi Eric,

We do not have any Star Wars theatrical movies planned.

Thanks,
Laura

That's more like it.

Now, I will say that Lucasfilm would be the last place to confirm a rumor as true... even if it is (they did that a lot back in the day... I remember them denying Ewan McGregor was cast as Obi-Wan for the entire month leading up to their announcement), but this story already stinks of untruth (especially with Coppola's name being thrown in there... read this), so I think it's pretty safe to call BS on this one... especially with Lucas so engulfed in the live action TV show at the moment.

I think the part about Lucas waiting for 3-D screens is true, but so he can restart the 3-D versions of the first 6 movies and send them out as huge rereleases not to start a brand new trilogy. I've seen the test footage of the opening of A New Hope in 3-D and it's really great. Would love to see him to follow through on that.

We have some feelers out to more informal sources who might be more inclined to confirm any truth to this rumor than a PR person, but I expect we'll turn up nada. If we do find anything else interesting we'll update this article.

-Quint

So wait, a movie with an extremely contrived plot (Nature beats Man) has to do well in order for new Star Wars movies to be made? WTF?!