New 'Star Wars' Animated Film Is Coming To Theatres

NEW YORK - The "Star Wars" universe, already substantially rendered by computer generated imagery, is giving in all the way to animation.

"Star Wars: The Clone Wars," an animated film, will open in theaters Aug. 15 and be followed by a TV series of the same name, to air on the Cartoon Network and TNT this fall.

"I felt there were a lot more `Star Wars' stories left to tell," said "Star Wars" creator George Lucas in a statement. "I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the animation forward."

Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, both the film and TV show will be distributed through Time Warner Inc., which owns TNT, the Cartoon Network and the film's distributor, Warner Bros.

Lucas, who serves as executive producer, is also planning a live-action television series spinoff of the franchise, which he began working on last fall. The animated series has long been in the works, though the theatrical release was only announced late Tuesday.

The movie and subsequent series takes place between the ground covered in episodes II and III of the "Star Wars" films: "Attack of the Clones" (2002) and "Revenge of the Sith" (2005). It will include cartoon versions of many familiar characters, including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala and General Grievous.

A new character named Ahsoka, Anakin's padawan, will be the first female Jedi to be a character of focus.

"It turned out to be an idea that George wanted to explore," said Dave Filoni, director of the "Clone Wars" movie and supervising director of the series. "Henry Gillroy (a writer on the series) and I very much wanted to have a female Jedi in more of a lead role because you've had all the boys."

More than 30 episodes are planned, though Filoni declined to say exactly how long the show will run. He acknowledged it's a finite timeline before encroaching on "Revenge of the Sith" story lines.

Though the "Star Wars" films have been extraordinarily lucrative, the force won't be expected to be as strong in cartoon form. The film and series are clearly aimed at younger viewers, though Filoni hopes to also entice the many "Star Wars" die-hard fans.

"An animated series always appeals more to a younger audience," said Filoni. "But at the same time, we've tried to do some sophisticated things and ensure that we are going to satisfy the broad spectrum of `Star Wars' fans."

Though Lucas farms out various "Star Wars" projects in what's known as the "`Star Wars' expanded universe," Filoni says that Lucas ensured "The Clone Wars" has "that `Star Wars' feeling."

Fans will also remember other animated series following the first time Lucas completed a "Star Wars" trilogy. After "Return of the Jedi," the series "Ewoks" and "Droids" ran in the late `80s.

The Cartoon Network also ran an earlier version of a "Clone Wars" animated series for three seasons beginning in 2003.

George Lucas planning 'Star Wars' TV series

Filmmaker George Lucas said Tuesday that he has "just begun work" on a live-action television series rooted in the "Star Wars" universe, which is huge news not just for fans of the science-fiction epic but also for networks looking for a piece of the Lucas magic that has grossed $4.3 billion in theaters worldwide.

There is a caveat, though: The proposed series doesn't have anyone named Luke or Anakin in it, a story path that Lucas concedes is "taking chances" as far as connecting with an audience expecting the familiar mythology.

"The Skywalkers aren't in it, and it's about minor characters," Lucas said in an interview. "It has nothing to do with Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader or any of those people. It's completely different. But it's a good idea, and it's going to be a lot of fun to do."

Lucas joked that the series would be about "the life of robots" but wouldn't let any details slip about the true premise. The "extended universe" of "Star Wars" has come to life already in Lucas-sanctioned novels, comics and games that chronicle the history of the Jedi and tell the tales of bit players in the films, such as the bounty hunters from "The Empire Strikes Back."

Lucas already has another television series percolating: Lucas Animation has been working for months on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," a computer-animated series that he hopes will introduce a new era of visuals to weekly episodic television. Lucas plans to produce it through his own companies before shopping the finished product to networks.

That model may also be used for the live-action show, although producer Rick McCallum said Tuesday that it's too early to say. McCallum is interviewing writers for the live-action series.

Lucas is confident he can find a home for his droids and Jedi, but he also knows the projects are unorthodox enough to give network executives pause.

"They are having a hard time," Lucas said. "They're saying, 'This doesn't fit into our little square boxes,' and I say, 'Well, yeah, but it's "Star Wars." And "Star Wars" doesn't fit into that box.' "

'Star Wars' 30th anniversary marked

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Seventeen hours to go in a darkened theatre not so far away?

Welcome to the "Star Wars" marathon. A free showing of all six "Star Wars" movies began Wednesday morning at the Los Angeles Convention Center and was expected to end at 2 a.m. Thursday. The event kicked off a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of the original film.

Several thousand people showed up for the screening, which included brief intermissions.

"Because the saga spans 30 years, it spans multiple generations of fans as well," event spokesman Jonathan Zaleski said. "There are people in costume, families. It's an interesting mix."

"You get the usual assortment of stormtroopers running around," he added. "I imagine its pretty uncomfortable to sit for 17 hours encased in plastic."

Lucasfilm Ltd. supplied the digital prints for the movies and also is involved in "Star Wars Celebration IV" at the Convention Center.

That event, open to fan club members on Thursday and to the paying public on Friday through Monday, was to include costume contests, exhibitions of movie props, autograph opportunities from "Star Wars" celebrities, and even a stormtrooper "Olympics."

'Spider-Man 3' Is "Silly," Says Lucas

George Lucas has joined the major newspaper critics in their negative appraisal of Spider-Man 3.

In an interview with FoxNews.com's Roger Friedman, Lucas said, "It's a silly movie. ... There just isn't much there. Once you take it all apart, there's not much story, is there?"

Over the weekend, Spider-Man 3 surged ahead of Lucas's Star Wars' episode Revenge of the Sith to take the record for the biggest weekend box-office record.

Star Wars was also criticized as being "silly," Lucas noted. "But it wasn't."

He also disclosed that he is working on at least two other Star Wars movies for television.

"But they won't have members of the Skywalker family as characters. They will be other people of that milieu."

Lucas, Hamill reunite for 'Star Wars' spoof

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - George Lucas and Mark Hamill will reunite for "Robot Chicken: Star Wars," a 30-minute stop-motion animation special for Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's late-night programming block.

The special spoofs key scenes and favorite characters from the "Star Wars" universe. It was done in collaboration with Lucas' production company Lucasfilm. Lucas, the creator of the "Star Wars" franchise, will voice a cartoon version of himself, and Hamill will resurrect Luke Skywalker.

The special, set to premiere at 10 p.m. on June 17, comes from "Robot Chicken" creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. Green directed.

The voice cast also includes Conan O'Brien, Seth MacFarlane, Robert Smigel, Malcolm McDowell, Hulk Hogan, James Van Der Beek, Donald Faison, Abraham Benrubi, Breckin Meyer and Joey Fatone.

The special stems from three "Star Wars" skits on "Robot Chicken," including the popular "Emperor's Phone Call," featuring Darth Vader calling Emperor Palpatine to tell him that the Death Star has been blown up.

Representatives for Lucasfilm wanted to post that sketch on StarWars.com, and they set up a meeting with Green and Senreich that turned into a pitch meeting for a special.

"We were big fans of the work that Matt and Seth had done, so when they approached us about the idea to make a 'Robot Chicken' episode dedicated to 'Star Wars,' we were really enthusiastic about it," said Tom Warner, Lucasfilm's senior director of marketing.

The "Star Wars" special was developed with Lucasfilm's approval at every stage. The company also helped with sound files on Chewbacca and R2-D2.

Like just about every child in 1977, Green saw the first "Star Wars" movie.

"It informed my whole creative sensibility, and the 'Star Wars' toys I played with in my childhood inspired my imagination," Green said. "I've always wanted to be a part of a 'Star Wars' project, and I got to make one."

And he got to direct Lucas.

"It was really exciting," Green said. "He was very shy but very playful."

Darth Vader, Chewbacca star on new US stamps

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service turned to the characters of "Star Wars" for inspiration on

Wednesday as it unveiled 15 new first-class stamps featuring the whole gang from Chewbacca to Darth Vader.

The stamps were unveiled at Grauman's Chinese theater in Hollywood where the original "Star Wars" movie opened 30 years ago. The stamps will go on sale on May 25, after a contest to choose the most popular of the stamps.

Among the "Star Wars" characters depicted on the stamps are Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader, R2-D2, C-3PO, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett.

The images are from all six "Star Wars" films and David Failor, executive director of stamp services for the U.S. Postal Service, said, "Because of the movies' popularity, we believe these stamps have the popularity of reaching the blockbuster status of the Elvis stamp."

Earlier in the month to publicize the new stamps, about 400 mailboxes around the country were designed to look like R2-D2.

R2-D2 mailboxes to stand guard at U.S. post offices

Three decades ago in a galaxy not so far away, filmmaker George Lucas launched Hollywood's Star Wars phenomenon, and now the U.S. Postal Service is celebrating the film's 30th birthday this year by decorating mailboxes to look like famed droid R2-D2.

Approximately 400 mail collection boxes have been wrapped to look like Lucas's iconic beeping robot and will be distributed across 200 U.S. cities, postal officials announced Thursday.

R2-D2 is among the most prominent characters of the Star Wars universe, beloved by legions of film fans for his heroism, ingenuity and as comic relief in his scenes with his android companion, C-3PO.

News about the mailbox project had been floating online among Star Wars buffs in the past few weeks. Officials also confirmed another web rumour: that the R2 mailboxes are part of a promotion for a new, Star Wars-themed stamp.

"It's a little teaser for the upcoming announcement and we decided to have a little fun with it," said Anita T. Bizzotto, the post office's chief marketing officer.

A further announcement is scheduled for March 28.

While postal officials are encouraging fans to seek out the new R2 mailboxes, they also reminded people not to tamper with them or try to steal the boxes — which is a U.S federal offence.

Fans of the space-fantasy series hailing from all corners of the world are expected to descend on the Los Angeles Convention Center beginning May 24 to celebrate the 30th anniversary at the five-day Star Wars party entitled Celebration.

Latest On "Star Wars" & Indy 4

Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con and confirmed that the "Star Wars" animated series is now scheduled to premiere in 2008 whilst the live action series will begin sometime before 2010.

"We've been spending the last couple of years building from scratch two new state-of-the-art digital animation companies, one at Skywalker Ranch and one in Singapore. The scripts for the first batch of shows have been completed, and Animation is hard at work on the first episodes" says Sansweet.

The animated series is set late during the Clone Wars after Anakin Skywalker has achieved the rank of Jedi Knight. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Count Dooku, Palpatine and General Grievous are expected to appear in the animated show.

He finally added David Koepp's script for Indiana Jones 4 is a couple of months away from finishing with hopes pre-production can begin before early 2007.

Jar Jar Binks Returns for 'Fanboys'

Sam Huntington talks about his upcoming 'Star Wars'-based comedy

Jar Jar Binks, cinema's most maligned Gungan, makes a triumphant return in "Fanboys," warns Sam Huntington, who stars in the upcoming Weinstein Co. comedy.

"Jar Jar appears in the movie in a very very funny way that I can't reveal to you, because it's absolutely hysterical," Huntington warns. "It's one of my favorite moments in the whole movie."

Huntington, talking to reporters about his role as eager-beaver photographer Jimmy Olsen in the upcoming "Superman Returns," is part of a "Fanboys" ensemble that includes Dan Fogler, Kristen Bell, Jay Baruchel and Chris Marquette. Directed by Kyle Newman, "Fanboys" focuses on a group of lifelong friends who embark on a roadtrip from Ohio to the Skywalker Ranch in Northern California. Their goal in the not-so-distant period piece? To steal a copy of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" so that a dying friend can see it before its worldwide release.

"It's really, really funny and it's very very emotionally powerful, believe it or not, because they're fulfilling the wish of their dying friend," Huntington explains. "And I know that sounds very cliched, but it's actually very tastefully done."

Huntington is probably best known from roles in "Detroit Rock City" and several TV appearances, but by the time "Fanboys" hits theaters (some time early next year, likely), he'll be wildly recognized for his turn as Superman's favorite shutterbug in Bryan Singer's big budget Warner Bros. film. While he plays support to the likes of newcomer-in-tights Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey (whose Trigger Street shingle is producing "Fanboys") in "Superman," the upcoming comedy will give him more of a lead role.

"I play a guy who basically has been segregated from his fanboy friends," says Huntington. "They've all continued on after college to be remain fanboys and I've kind of gone the corporate road and work for my day at a car dealership and inherit it at the beginning of the movie and then it just kind of goes on after that."

He adds, "Yeah. That's right. I rediscover my inner fanboy."

So Huntington can tell us that Jar Jar -- last seen in the background of two shots in "Revenge of the Sith" - is back in all his floppy-eared glory, but will there be any other cameos from within the "Star Wars" universe? And, equally importantly, will the Dark Lord of the Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas, make an appearance?

"Needless to say, we kiss his ass for an hour-and-a-half, he kind of had to sign off it on it, you know," Huntington laughs. "The extent of his... I should keep that kind of a mystery, the extent of his involvement. It's very cool. It's going to be a fun, fun movie."

Before "Fanboys" opens, real life fanboys (and girls) can see "Superman Returns" when it opens wide on Wednesday, June 28

'Star Wars' goes back to basics

Die-hard Star Wars fans soon can see the original theatrical versions of the first three Star Wars films on DVD.

Even though George Lucas adamantly declared 2004's digitally restored Star Wars Trilogy DVDs the definitive versions of his movies, fans have held out hope for DVDs of the originals.

Their wishes will be granted Sept. 12 when Fox releases new two-disc DVDs ($30 each) of Star Wars (since retitled as Episode IV: A New Hope), The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that include the films as they first appeared in theaters, along with the new, restored versions (now available in the four-disc $70 Star Wars Trilogy).

The individual DVDs will be taken off the market on Dec. 31, a strategy that Disney uses on many of its classic releases.

Lucas re-released his original three Star Wars films in theaters in 1997 with inserted scenes and improved special effects. Those "special editions" were further enhanced for the four-disc DVD set. With the original versions coming to DVD, here's what you'll see again:

• In Star Wars, Han Solo shoots a bounty hunter named Greedo. Lucas changed the scene later so it seemed that Greedo draws first, and changed it again for the DVD so that they appear to shoot simultaneously.

• In Empire Strikes Back, the ice creature that captures Luke Skywalker gets less screen time.

• In Jedi, Sebastian Shaw returns as Anakin in the movie's final scene. Lucas substituted Hayden Christiansen, who plays Anakin in the more recent films, for the 2004 DVD.

Back in 2004, Lucas told the New York Post, "The special edition is the one I wanted out there."

This new set of DVDs does not constitute "George changing his mind," says Lucasfilm's Jim Ward. "What we've always said is George viewed the revised versions of the films as the definitive versions."

Fan attachment to the originals is strong. The movies topped entertainment website IGN.com's recent chart of Top 25 Most Wanted DVDs.

"People want the option of having the movies that they remember and people are opposed to George Lucas' revisionist tendencies," says the site's Chris Carle.

The original films' video quality will not match up to that of the restored versions. "It is state of the art, as of 1993, and that's not as good as state of the art 2006," Ward says.

Uncle Owen, R.I.P.

To Phil Brown, it seemed "a very unimportant role." But in Star Wars lore, it was anything but.

Brown, who died last week at age 89, was being remembered by Jedi faithful as Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen from the original Star Wars movie.

In George Lucas' 1977 space saga, farmer Owen Lars and his dying-for-adventure nephew, played by Mark Hamill, come into possession of two junked droids: R2-D2 and C-3PO, setting in motion the ragtag Rebellion's overthrow of the evil Empire, not to mention a six-picture, mega-billion-dollar franchise.

The find also led to the eventual off-screen slaughter of Owen and wife Beru at the gloved hands of droid-seeking Imperial Stormtroopers, but nothing's perfect.

Shelagh Fraser, who played Aunt Beru to Brown's Uncle Owen, died in 2000.

Brown was plagued by various heart ailments in recent years. In an undated post on his official Website, the actor noted his retirement from the convention scene.

"Meeting my fans personally has been endlessly rewarding for my wife Ginny and me," Brown wrote. "I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all for your support of my career, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind thoughts and warm wishes."

Brown succumbed to pneumonia last Thursday at the motion picture retirement home in Woodland Hills, California, the Associated Press reported.

Born April 30, 1916, in Massachusetts, Brown's pre-Star Wars career was far removed from the blighted lands of Tatooine. Per his official biography, he danced on Broadway in the 1930s, courted (but never won) the likes of Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr in Hollywood movies of the 1940s, and directed Dorothy Dandridge in a 1951 feature about the Harlem Globetrotters, simply titled The Harlem Globetrotters.

The Communist witch hunt of the 1950s ensnared Brown, who himself denied ever being a member of the party. For 40 years, from 1952-92, the once-blacklisted Brown lived and worked out of London.

By the time Lucas was in London casting Star Wars, Brown wasn't looking at Uncle Owen as a life-changing opportunity. "This [part], what seemed to be a very unimportant role, occurred at the end of my acting career," Brown once told TheForce.Net.

In the interview, Brown said he suspected Lucas selected him for Owen "because of my resemblance to Alec Guinness, a contemporary and an old friend of mine." In Star Wars, Guinness played Luke's Force-full mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

In the Star Wars prequels, the role of the younger Obi-Wan went to Ewan McGregor. Similarly, Uncle Owen got a new look in the newer movies, with Australian actor Joel Edgerton inheriting the role.

Brown told TheForce.Net that he wished Edgerton luck "in having as many devoted followers as I have had."

Brown's post-Star Wars credits included a bit in the 1980 TV miniseries, The Martian Chronicles.

"Revenge" Is Sweet on DVD

As Yoda might say, sales are strong with this one.

After just one week on sale, the DVD for Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith and LucasArts' latest videogame, Star Wars Battlefront II, generated a Hutt-sized $210 million in combined worldwide sales, according to figures released Tuesday by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Fox and Lucasfilm did not release the exact units sold for the DVD and videogame or how much money each made separately. But Jim Ward, senior vice president of Lucasfilm and president of LucasArts, said the numbers were mind-boggling.

"The phenomenal sales underscore the enduring strength of the series," said Ward. "In many territories, DVD and game sales were nearly double what we initially expected."

The long-heralded prequel, the last installment of George Lucas' epic six-part space saga, has been the biggest moneymaker of 2005, setting box-office records on its way to grossing $848 million in worldwide ticket sales. It was released on DVD in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Australia and Latin America on Nov. 1.

And, in a strategy choreographed with the precision of a 501st Legion maneuver, the Lucas Empire decided to debut the latest Star Wars videogame on the same day as the two-disc Sith set. Battlefront II, in which players can reenact the greatest battles in the movies, is poised to surpass last year's original to claim the title of best-selling Star Wars videogame of all time, with copies selling at a 40 percent higher clip than its predecessor.

In September 2004, LucasFilm and Fox released the DVD box set of the original Star Wars trilogy (with some minor, if controversial alterations) at the same time it put out the first Battlefront game, generating $115 million in first-day sales between them.

"Amid all this humdrum about disappointing box office and underwhelming CD and DVD sales, no one seems to mention the billions...of dollars Obi-Wan and company took to the bank in 2005," says Mike Destaino, columnist and reviewer for DVDfile.com. "Then again, Star Wars is just about the surest sale in the world: Even if the movie was called Star Wars: Episode III:--Jar Jar Binks Goes to Candyland, Lucasfilm would sell 3 trillion copies."

But some industry analysts took issue with Fox's boastings.

"There's no way to know based on that release how it stacks up against anything, which is I'm sure why they put it out the way they did and refuse to break out any numbers for DVD versus videogame, or U.S. Sales versus selected international territories," grouses Scott Hettrick, editor of the trade paper Video Exclusive. "That leaves no possible way to create an apples-to-apples comparison."

Hettrick did say that initial U.S. figures show Sith sold at least 5 million copies, besting Warner Bros.' Batman Begins DVD.

"Star Wars DVDs are never the biggest sellers of the year and never break any records," Hettrick says. "The same will be true this year with Sith. [But] because there is such a weak slate of competing titles and no Spider-Man or Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, it will almost certainly be the top-selling live-action DVD title of the year and may wind up as the second biggest DVD seller well behind The Incredibles.

Nonetheless, the Star Wars marketing machine is still a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Not only were characters from the space opera the most popular Halloween costume line this year, with Darth Vader leading the way, but Star Wars toys are outselling its closest rivals two-to-one, claiming 9.1 percent of the U.S. toy market. And the brand is expanding rapidly.

This Thursday, Donald Trump will host a special Star Wars-themed version of Apprentice. Promotional spots airing on TV and the Web show the Donald saying "you're fired" to a briefcase-toting Chewbacca and reprimanding Darth Vader for shoddy construction work on the Death Star. The Apprentice teams will compete to see who can put up the best Battlefront II display at Best Buy stores.

Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

On Lucasfilm’s release of 'Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith' the studio has also added some hidden features, as expected. Trust the Force and you shall find them, or alternatively just read one for our instructions.

As previous Star Wars releases, the DVD features three different menu themes that are selected at random when you insert the first disc of the set in your player.

If you wish to directly select one of these themes you can do so too, of course.

Simply insert the first disc of the DVD set in your player and wait for the FBI screen to show up. Here, press either the '1', '2' or '3' key on your remote control to directly select each of the menu themes.

Now, go to the disc’s Main Menu and highlight the THX logo on the screen using your remote control. Now press the numbers '1','1', '3' and '8' on your remote control and you will have access to a very cool clip of Yoda rapping - courtesy of ILM’s Rob Coleman - followed by the DVD’s production credits.

Alternatively you can simply access title #3 directly on the DVD to see the clip as well. Since accessing titles is handled differently by each player, please consult your user manual to see how to do it on your particular model.

'Star Wars': Entirely on DVD

Star Wars fans with a spare 13-plus hours (not counting extras) can now watch the groundbreaking saga from start to finish.

With Tuesday's release of Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, all six films are on DVD.

"People will be able to watch it as one linear story, which was George's original intention," says Hayden Christensen. He played Anakin Skywalker in this year's Sith and 2002's Attack of the Clones.

Sith grossed $380.3 million as it lured back some of the audience lost by 2002's Clones, which earned only $310.7 million, a big drop from $431.1 million for 1999's Phantom Menace.Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) was the saga's biggest at the box office with $461 million.

In this week's battle of the heavyweight DVD releases, Lucas' Sith is likely to beat Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds and be among the year's top sellers, says Scott Hettrick, home entertainment editor for DVD Exclusive magazine. Sith, he says, "is the final chapter in the saga that anyone who has ever been a fan of Star Wars will want to own."

As with Menace and Clones, the DVD for Sith offers lavish extras:

•Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III, a 78-minute segment, chronicles the 70,441 hours it took to create 60 seconds of Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber duel. "It's rather extraordinary, the separate departments and number of people whose skills are involved to make this one minute," says Ian McDiarmid, who plays Supreme Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious.

• Among the six deleted scenes is Yoda's arrival on Dagobah, where Luke Skywalker finds him in The Empire Strikes Back.

• There are two levels of the Xbox version of the Star Wars Battlefront II video game and an Easter egg that shows Yoda dancing to a hip-hop beat.

REJECTS OF THE 'SITH'

It's everything you ever wanted to know about "Sith" but were afraid to ask.

Here's a peek at two scenes added to the DVD of the sixth and final chapter of the "Star Wars" series, in stores next week. The two-disc "Revenge of the Sith" set, available in full-screen or widescreen, features a handful of deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, game demos, photo galleries and even a preview of "Hyperspace, the ultimate online Star Wars experience."

Though director George Lucas has said much of his deleted material focuses on the Senate, at least one scene features some good, old-fashioned lightsaber fighting.

In "General Grievous Slaughters a Jedi," which adds to a rescue sequence early in the film, Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) battle a throng of droids - led by cyborg General Grievous himself - and then cut through the floor to escape.

The scene also connects to the animated "Clone Wars" series, as Grievous kills a Jedi prisoner he took in the Cartoon Network prequel.

In another deleted scene, Chancellor Palpatine plants further tension between Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and Anakin.

Also included is the lone scene featuring actress Bai Ling, who ended up on the cutting-room floor - reportedly because she posed topless in Playboy before the film's release.

In "The Seeds of Rebellion," Ling plays a senator working with Amidala to thwart the plans of the chancellor. Her one line? "That would be dangerous."

(Too bad someone didn't tell her that before the Playboy shoot.)

'Sith' DVD, game set for Nov. 1 release

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Force will return to retail stores Nov. 1 with a double whammy: "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" will be released on DVD, and "Star Wars Battlefront II" will be made available for all the top video game platforms.

"Sith" is the year's top-grossing movie, with domestic box office earnings of $373.9 million (and an additional $425 million overseas). The two-disc set will include a full-length documentary; two new featurettes, one exploring the prophecy of Anakin Skywalker as the Chosen One and the other on the movie's stunts; and a 15-part collection of "Web documentaries."

The five previous "Star Wars" movies have sold "well in excess" of 100 million units on DVD and VHS, said Steve Feldstein, senior vp marketing communications at 20th Century Fox, which is partnering on the release with "Star Wars" creator George Lucas' Lucasfilm production banner.

Lucas was personally involved in the creation of the "Sith" DVD and its bonus features, said Lucasfilm vp marketing and distribution Jim Ward.

"From the beginning of production, George wanted to be sure we chronicled everything that went into the making of 'Episode III' specifically to create an incredible DVD experience," Ward said. "This DVD has literally been three years in the making."

For video gamers, LucasArts' "Star Wars Battlefront II" will be available for Sony's PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, Microsoft's Xbox and Windows platforms. It is the sequel to the best-selling "Star Wars" video game of all time and adds all-new space combat, playable Jedi characters and never-before-seen environments from "Sith."

The game also offers a new single-player experience that takes the player through an epic saga centered on Darth Vader's elite 501st Legion of Stormtroopers. Every action the player takes has an impact on the battlefield and, ultimately, on the entire "Star Wars" galaxy.

The "Sith" DVD will include a demo of two levels from the game, playable only on Xbox.

THE FORCE IS STRONG!

Analysts estimating that Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith will surpass the $200 million mark on Thursday.

'Star Wars' earns $108.5 million in 1st US weekend 55 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The final installment of George Lucas' "Star Wars" series grossed about $108.5 million during its first weekend of release across North America, the second-best three-day opening of all time, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

The record is held by "Spider-Man," which opened to almost $115 million in 2002. "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" narrowly pipped "Shrek 2," which bowed with $108 million in 2004. Final data will be released on Monday.

Since its release after midnight on Thursday, the "Star Wars" film has sold $158.5 million worth of tickets in the United States and Canada. It was released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.

'Star Wars' Grosses $50M in Single Day

LOS ANGELES - The last of the "Star Wars" movies has done what no movie in history has ever accomplished — sold $50 million worth of tickets in a single day.

"Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" grossed $50,013,859 from showings at 3,661 theaters and more than 9,000 screens around the country on Thursday, including special midnight shows, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

That beat the one-day record set in May 2004 by "Shrek 2," which sold $44.8 million on a single Saturday — its fourth day in theaters.

"It's staggering," said Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution at Twentieth Century Fox. "It's probably 20 percent more than I thought we could do."

The George Lucas film, which features the transformation of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader, also beat the opening day record held by "Spider-Man 2," which grossed $40.4 million when it opened on a Wednesday last June.

"Fifty million is a good opening weekend, let alone a single day," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. "This is the box office equivalent of a 100-year flood."

The news comes as a relief to Hollywood, which has seen a box office slump for 12 straight weeks.

Theater owners, studios and marketing partners had their hopes pinned on "Star Wars," to kick-start the summer movie season and they weren't disappointed.

The film debuted on 2,900 screens at midnight Thursday. The take from that one showing alone was $16.5 million, which beat the previous record of $8 million set by "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in 2003.

Thursday's take dwarfed the next highest film, and last week's box office champ, "Monster-in-Law," starring Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez. That film grossed $1.5 million on Thursday, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

It is almost assured "Star Wars" will push past the $100 million mark for its opening weekend. The record for a three-day weekend is held by the first "Spider-Man," which grossed $114.8 million in May 2002.

'Star Wars' Grosses $16.5M in Midnight Run

LOS ANGELES - Moviegoers flocked to the dark side in droves, giving the final installment of George Lucas' "Star Wars" tale a record-breaking midnight run.

"Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" raked in an estimated $16.5 million from 2,900 midnight screenings Thursday, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

That's double what the Oscar-winning film "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" took in during its midnight showings in 2003. The third film from director Peter Jackson's trilogy rang up about $8 million domestically from 2,100 midnight shows.

"This is extremely impressive," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. "It just says so much about how excited people are to see this film that they lined up at midnight and just got on board and went along for the ride."

After the midnight debut, "Revenge of the Sith" widened to 3,661 theaters for daytime and evening screenings. The studio, 20th Century Fox, said box-office results for the first full day would be available Friday.

Tickets for the film went on sale last month. Soon after, legions of fans began lining up at theaters across the country, many dressed in full "Star Wars" regalia and sporting Jedi light sabers.

The final chapter in Lucas' six-film saga chronicles Anakin Skywalker's transformation from hero to villain Darth Vader. The film may be the darkest chapter in the "Star Wars" story, featuring more violence and a story line showing how a democratic government turns into a despotic regime.

"Revenge of the Sith" is the first "Star Wars" film to earn a PG-13 rating. The first five films were rated PG.

Hollywood hoping 'Sith' a force to be reckoned with

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As the dark side lures Anakin Skywalker, so too are industry insiders counting on the appeal of the final "Star Wars" movie to attract lethargic moviegoers to the theaters this weekend.

After 12 weeks of down year-over-year comparisons, the box office is counting on "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" to be the film that turns 2005 into a competitive year at the movies.

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas, 20th Century Fox and movie theater owners are doing everything in their power to ensure "Sith's" success.

The film bows Thursday at 12:01 a.m. with an astronomical 9,400 prints, a number bested only by DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" and Sony's "Spider-Man 2." In 3,661 theaters, "Sith" marks the widest release of a "Star Wars" film. ("Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" bowed on 3,161 in 2002.)

Lucas, who usually is strict about which theaters he will allow his films to be played in, has permitted Fox to expand into drive-ins and other less state-of-the art venues.

"Lucas has allowed us to play (theaters equipped with) nondigital sound and drive-ins," said Bruce Snyder, president of distribution at Fox. "The market has changed, and we have to get out as wide as possible while the heat is on. He's been very gracious in allowing us to go out as wide as we're going."

For top exhibitor Regal Entertainment Group, that means 1,733 prints in 470 theaters, a new record for the Knoxville, Tenn.-based chain. Online ticket retailer Fandango also has bested its own records, with sales as of Tuesday three times as strong as they were for "Clones" at the same point. The ticketing site, which services 1,100 theaters nationwide, has sold 60% more tickets for "Sith" than for "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," the company's record-holder for best-selling movie.

"Those that are waiting for the summer, 'Star Wars' has kicked it off loud and clear," Fandango president and CEO Art Levitt said. "There is unprecedented excitement in terms of numbers and sales, and we're seeing a much broader-based audience then just the hard-core 'Star Wars' fans."

According to Fandango, the film has already has sold out its midnight showings in theaters nationwide, including New York, Chicago, Washington, Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles. And as demand increases, theaters are adding more showings; according to Snyder, most multiplexes are showing "Sith" in five to six theaters at a time.

So what will that mean for the weekend numbers? Industry insiders are predicting a four-day opener in the range of $125 million-$160 million -- with the potential to best some impressive numbers. The biggest Thursday opening day, according to Nielsen EDI, was $42.5 million for Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Matrix Reloaded" in May 2003, which included Wednesday night previews starting at 10 p.m. "Reloaded" also holds the distinction of being the best four-day opener, with $134.3 million. Industry insiders are predicting that "Sith" could surpass both figures.

Another record in "Sith's" sights is DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" mark for any one day: $44.8 million during the first Saturday of its May 2004 release. But with the boxoffice in the doldrums for the past three months, no one is betting on anything.

At this year's ShoWest convention, Lucas did call the final installment of his epic adventure "Titanic in Space," but the likelihood of "Sith" reaching $600 million in total domestic box office is remote, even for the likes of Darth Vader.

Star Wars Fans Happy With Last 'Episode'

NEW YORK - Jay Greene and his friends had a pact: When the sixth and final "Star Wars" movie came out — the one that brings the plot back around to George Lucas' original 1977 masterpiece — they'd be there, on opening night.

Like the legions of other fans who showed up for midnight showings of "Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," Greene, 26, was eager to see how the saga all came together.

"Regardless of knowing what's going to happen, you still get that excitement, and it's closure for you," he said early Thursday after emerging from, appropriately enough, the AMC Empire 25 Theatre in Times Square.

"What's incredible is seeing him (Anakin) finally become Darth Vader," added Ryan Smith, visiting from San Diego.

Sold-out showings of "Episode III," the final installment of the seminal science fiction series created by Lucas, drew enthusiastic crowds to theaters across the country — many dressed in full "Star Wars" regalia with Jedi light sabers at the ready.

Both Greene and Smith described the excitement in the theater "like a party on opening night and that's why we're going back in."

Similar scenes played out nationwide ahead of the opening. People waiting for days and in some cases weeks could hardly contain themselves as the clock wound down Wednesday night.

In Chicago, 31-year-old graphic designer Ben Delery said that for him "Revenge of the Sith" was the most widely anticipated of the "Star Wars" epic. He noted it finally explains what drives Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker to embrace the dark side and transform himself into Darth Vader.

Much like the cult-following that emerged with the 1977 debut of the original "Star Wars," many fans said they would be repeat viewers.

"I could understand why. I would do it myself if it wasn't so late," said Charles Smallwood, of Philadelphia, who joined his mother at the midnight showing in New York.

Renee Portee, 45, added: "It lived up to all the hype. It brought everything together."

A few hours after the movie started rolling on East Coast screens, several Web sites already claimed to offer pirated copies for downloading over the Internet.

In Los Angeles, the line stretched around the block for the midnight showing at the Vista Theater on Sunset Boulevard. A group of cloaked youngsters watched previous "Star Wars" movies on a computer as they sat on the sidewalk.

"It's one of my favorite things, like electricity, fire, medicine," said Christian Miller, 27, who makes a living canvassing door to door for politcial campaigns.

Miller, dressed as Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn, portrayed by Liam Neeson in the film, said "It's proof that myth will have a role in human culture."

Jeff Schiffman, 25, of Burbank, moved to California three years ago for a job as a film restorer who worked on the original "Star Wars" trilogy for DVD.

Sporting a "Star Wars" tattoo, he wore a black cloak and sinister Darth Maul contact lenses for the latest film. Even his Yorkie, Zoe, had a "Star Wars" patch.

Schiffman chose the cloak, similar to that of the movie's evil emperor, because "the Dark Side is so much cooler," he said.

In Boston, the entire 16-person staff of a Web development firm planned to take Thursday off to see the film. The outing was paid for by the company — popcorn and soda included.

Seth Miller, the president and chief executive of Miller Systems Inc., said the tradition began with "The Phantom Menace" in 1999.

"It speaks to our culture. It's the benefit of not working at a giant monolithic — dare I say 'Imperial' — type company," he said, referring to the Empire in the "Star Wars" films.

Tickets for the movie went on sale last month, and many fans who couldn't bear the thought of a bad seat began camping out well in advance. "I'm a typical 'Star Wars' geek, trying to see the final episode," said Jimmy Burns, 32, who helped his Rebel Legion fan club be first into a Georgia theater on the outskirts of Atlanta.

"This is a big event for all of us," said Russ Rolle as he waited outside Edwards Big Newport, one of the largest theaters in Southern California. The 23-year-old student had been taking turns with friends since May 8 saving a spot in line to make sure they catch the first showing. His wristband identified him as No. 7 in line for one of the 1,200 seats to the sold-out 12:01 showing.

John St. Clair, of Hopatcong, N.J., recalled going to the first "Star Wars" in 1977. He saw the film five weeks after it opened, then saw it about 10 times.

"Nobody knew anything about the first movie. Word of mouth is what carried it," said St. Clair, 60.

"After the first three, you had a lot of questions of how everything came to pass, and this answered all those questions," he said.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

The new "Star Wars" movie, "Revenge of the Sith," could be titled "That '70s Show."

Though made 28 years after the original, the story of "Sith" actually happens before the original "Star Wars." So creator George Lucas and his crew made sure the new film resembled that 1977 classic.

Designers rebuilt sets from "Star Wars" and gave characters similar costumes and hairstyles. Lucas wanted to make sure that "Sith," also known as "Episode III" transitions smoothly into "Star Wars," also known as "Episode IV: A New Hope"

"I'm hoping that people will see it as a six-part series," George Lucas says. "In the future, I'd like people to watch the movies in order, from episodes I to VI."

The story of "Sith" is how Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, and how Anakin's children, Luke and Leia, are hidden from him. The original "Star Wars" happens 20 years after "Sith," when those twins are grown and battle their evil father.

There's a scene on Alderaan - the lovely planet where Princess Leia grows up with her adoptive parents, Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) and his wife, Alderaan's queen. Alderaan is the planet that gets blown to smithereens by the Death Star in the original "Star Wars."

And the final scene of the "Sith" takes place on Tatooine, with the baby Luke in the arms of the people who will raise him, his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. They stand and look out at a double sunset just like the one Luke himself stares wistfully at in that classic scene from the original "Star Wars."

Lucas was aware that future generations might be thrown off by the shift in tone between the prequel trilogy and the originals, so he had staff of special-effects wizards go retro from time to time, even though most of the effects in "Sith" are in a completely different league from what Lucas was able to do in 1977.

While the most important aliens in "Sith," including Yoda, were created on a computer, some of the others, including the Trade Federation representatives and some of the Wookiees, were made the old-fashioned way.

"We put people in rubber heads to make sure there'd be some continuity," explains the film's animation director, Rob Coleman.

"We could have made them all in the computer. But sometimes you actually want that feeling of an actor in a suit. "

Lucas' crew also used costumes and hairstyles that give the new film a '70s veneer - like Leia's famous cinnamon-bun hair swirls.

Here are some of the links, both in design and story, that bring "Revenge of the Sith" full circle back to "A New Hope."

nSenator Bail Organa's ship. Several scenes at the end of "Sith" take place in the familiar white hallways of Organa's spaceship - the same one we see at the beginning of "A New Hope," when Darth Vader comes aboard looking for the stolen Death Star plans and finds Leia. One of the scenes ties up a loose end that has always bugged "Star Wars" geeks: Why doesn't C-3PO seem to recognize Tatooine when he arrives at the beginning of "A New Hope," even though he was created there? Lucas takes care of the concern with a single line of dialogue, as Organa tells a deputy to "have the protocol droid's memory wiped."

n Chewbacca. According to the official "Star Wars" timeline, Wookiees can live up to 200 years, so it makes sense that Han Solo's shaggy sidekick from "A New Hope" would be around and in fighting shape for "Sith," which takes place some 20 years before the original trilogy. Chewie helps lead a battle against the droids on the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk. Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-4 actor who played the walking carpet in the original trilogy, reprises his role.

nProto-Storm Troopers. Up until now, the clone warriors of the prequel trilogy have supposedly been good guys, fighting alongside Jedi Knights to defend the Republic against the separatists' droid army. But they've always looked suspiciously like the fascist storm troopers from the original "Star Wars." They look even more like storm troopers in "Sith," and (thanks to a plot point that we'll skip over for spoiler reasons) it turns out that they are related to them. By the way, that means that most of the storm troopers in the original trilogy were clones. That was Boba Fett's father, Jango Fett, under all those helmets.

nObi-Wan Kenobi. "Sith" finally explains why all of the Jedis except Obi-Wan and Yoda were wiped out before "A New Hope" began, as well as why Obi-Wan came to be living on Tatooine, so close to Luke Skywalker. Ewan McGregor, in playing the Jedi master, also studied the voice patterns of the original Obi-Wan, Alec Guinness. "It wouldn't be right to just do an Alec Guinness impersonation," McGregor has said. "I had to make the character somehow my own but at the same time make it believable that I become Alec Guinness."

n Jedi immortality. "Sith" also answers a question that has led to countless late-night bull sessions: What happened to Obi-Wan and Yoda when they seemed to die, but reappeared as glowing blue shapes? At the very end of "Sith," Yoda quickly tells Obi-Wan something about Qui-Gon Jinn, his old master, played by Liam Neeson in "The Phantom Menace." The "Sith" graphic novel, already in stores, explains that Qui-Gon didn't die - he discovered a path to immortality that he is going to teach to Yoda and Obi-Wan.

Lucas glad to leave Star Wars behind

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — A wilted monolith of establishment politics. An entrenched ruling class fearful of change. And one man who stealthily rebels from within, turning the system on its head and bending it to his will.

George Lucas' story is the benign reverse image of the palace coup engineered by the foul emperor of his Star Wars epic.

The emperor perverted a tired republic into a fascist state bearing the imprint of his boot heel, standard Richard III stuff for which history buff Lucas had many role models to study from ancient to modern times.

Lucas' accomplishments marked a one-of-a-kind revolution. He sneaked into a Hollywood that no longer had the verve or nerve to make the weird, giddy, goofy Saturday matinees of his youth. He found a lone patron among fainthearted studio executives willing to pony up cash for what was essentially an Arthurian sword-in-the-stone fantasy in space.

Then he went off and made the most rip-roaring blast of cinematic fun audiences had ever seen as 1977's Star Wars became the biggest box-office sensation of its time.

Where dollar signs twinkle, studios follow, and Hollywood has been lumbering behind Lucas ever since.

Science fiction and special effects suddenly were back in vogue, and over the ensuing 28 years, Lucas and his visual wizards have led filmmaking into a new age of virtual reality that made possible such effects extravaganzas as Jurassic Park,Titanic and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In the '70s, there was a "technological ceiling" over fantasy and science fiction films, even epics and period pieces, Lucas told The Associated Press in an interview at his sprawling Skywalker Ranch. "The tools weren't there," he said.

As television chipped away at theater business in the 1950s and '60s, studios folded up shop on the effects departments that helped create splashy historical adventures and otherworldly tales.

"It's like trying to paint pictures without brushes," Lucas said. "Hey, I brought the brush back and said, 'You know, there's a lot of things you can do with this thing. I think there's real power here.' And by bringing that back, I think that was the biggest effect."

"Because it allowed people to do all kinds of movies that were sort of restricted because they were too expensive. That's not to say special-effects movies aren't expensive, but they're much less expensive than if you tried to do it in the old-fashioned way and have 10,000 people out in the middle of the desert with catering cars and all the things you'd have to have."

Lucas — who turns 61 Saturday, just days before the May 19 debut of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, the final chapter in his six-film saga — never set out to be a Hollywood pioneer, a sci-fi maven or even a populist filmmaker.

A star pupil at the University of Southern California film school in the 1960s, Lucas adapted a short student flick he made into his feature debut with 1971's THX 1138, the first film from buddy Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope outfit, a failed experiment meant to give young industry lions the freedom to make movies their way.

Starring Robert Duvall in a dark satire on consumerism and dehumanization, THX 1138 baffled distributor Warner Bros., which dumped the abstract sci-fi drama into theaters. The film has gained cult status over the decades, largely because of Lucas' subsequent fame, but at the time, hardly anyone saw it.

Coppola challenged Lucas to try something light, so he followed with a comic drama based on his car-cruising days in the '50s and '60s.

With its ensemble cast and episodic story structure, American Graffiti was another puzzler for Hollywood. Yet its killer soundtrack, nostalgia factor and the appeal of such young stars as Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard caught the fancy of moviegoers, who turned it into a box-office smash.

Always figuring he would specialize in documentaries and strange art films, Lucas found himself with a narrow window of clout among Hollywood bankers. He decided to take one stab at a grand soundstage production with big sets and visuals while he had the chance.

Impressed with Lucas' youthful drive and his work on American Graffiti, 20th Century Fox studio boss Alan Ladd Jr. decided to back the filmmaker's space opera about a farmboy named Luke Skywalker, a plucky princess named Leia, and a roguish pilot named Han Solo as they battled an evil galactic empire and black-cloaked villain Darth Vader.

Star Wars shot past Lucas pal Steven Spielberg's Jaws to become the colossus of the modern blockbuster era the two men helped usher in. Counting rereleases that include the 1997 special-edition version with added footage and effects, Star Wars still stands at No. 2 behind Titanic on the domestic box-office charts with $461 million.

Lucas said he originally envisioned a bigger story arc that revealed Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia to be the children of Darth Vader, who finds redemption in his last moments of life through the good heart of his son.

He scaled Star Wars back to tell only the first chapter of that chronicle. After the film succeeded beyond anyone's expectations, Lucas followed with The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

In a stroke of blind fortune that now looks like the savviest business decision in Hollywood history, Lucas retained ownership of the films and merchandising.

Lucas was getting paid next to nothing upfront and had to beg 20th Century Fox for more money to get the special effects close to what he had imagined. Ownership of the franchise was a bone the studio tossed him, and Lucas figured he would use it to make T-shirts and posters to promote the movie.

At the time, sequel and merchandise rights were about as valuable as a bucket of sand on the desert planet Tatooine, but the combined bonanza from films, toys and other Star Wars products has made Lucas one of the richest men in show business.

"He would be the first to tell you, he had no idea," said Rick McCallum, Lucas' producing partner since TV's The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles in the early 1990s. "When you're getting nothing, you'll take anything ... He knew there were sci-fi exhibitions out there that 5,000 kids would go to, so the idea was to go to anything that had to do with science where people would lend themselves to science fiction, and he could sell them T-shirts."

The Star Wars movies allowed Lucas to build an empire that includes the visual-effects house Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, which have driven moviemaking into the digital era. Lucas' THX system has become a gold standard for theater and home-entertainment audio.

Even Pixar Animation, the company behind the Toy Story movies, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, was a Lucas offshoot he sold in the mid-1980s.

Spielberg and Lucas teamed with Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford for the swashbuckling Indiana Jones movies, the fourth installment of which they hope to begin shooting in 2006.

After Industrial Light & Magic's breakthrough with realistic digital dinosaurs on Spielberg's Jurassic Park, Lucas realized computer animation would allow him to tweak his three Star Wars movies, adding scenes, effects and creatures impossible to produce in the '70s and '80s.

The special-edition releases helped persuade Lucas to go back and tell the backstory of how headstrong youth Anakin Skywalker transformed into malignant monster Darth Vader.

Episodes I and II, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, were hits, but they disappointed many fans who wanted to see a full-blown Vader from the outset. Instead, Lucas followed Anakin from precocious boyhood through his awkward teen years and a forbidden romance.

Revenge of the Sith finally takes Anakin to the dark side as Vader, whose fear of losing the love of his life leads him into a bloodbath against the Jedi knights who raised him.

Lucas is braced for fresh complaints about the final film, expecting many viewers to gripe that it's too dark, the ending too bleak.

"Half the people like the movies, the other half don't. There's nothing I can do about that," Lucas said. "Nobody is indifferent about them. Even the reviews, we get fantastic reviews or horrible reviews. There's no middle ground. Nobody's saying, 'They're OK, I guess.'

"You can't really worry about it. I make the movie I feel I want to make, telling the story I want to tell, and how it gets received is how it gets received. At least it's my fault. It's totally mine. I don't have to have any excuses about it. I don't have to say, 'The studio made me do this,' or 'I know that was wrong, but I had to do it.' Whatever people don't like or they do like is my fault."

Millions of fans would love a third trilogy picking up after Return of the Jedi, but Lucas said he has no story in mind and no intention of continuing the tale on the big screen.

The adventure will live on in an animated TV show and a live-action series Lucas has planned, set among minor characters from the films in the 20 years or so between the action of "Revenge of the Sith" and the original "Star Wars."

Lucas also hopes to release three-dimensional versions of all six movies in theaters starting a couple of years down the road. The 3-D editions would be created using new digital technology that adds depth perspective to two-dimensional film images.

Other than the new Indiana Jones, the creator himself said he is done with big film productions. Lucas plans to go off and make the sort of artsy little films he would have been making all along if Star Wars had not taken off.

With money set aside to cover those film projects into his 70s, Lucas said he can do whatever he wants without worrying if his movies succeed or fail, toiling in comparative obscurity and happy to be free of Star Wars.

"The analogy I can use is, it's like going away to college," Lucas said. "It's great to get out of the house. You miss your parents a little bit, but you get to see them at Thanksgiving. But it's great to be in college, great to be on your own. It's great to have a new life."

SITH HAPPENS

'HOLD me, Anakin! "Hold me like you did by the lake on Naboo!" Oh boy.

Yes, Natalie Portman really says that to Hayden Christensen in the new "Star Wars" movie, "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."

And yes, the audience snickered when they heard that verbal clunker at a screening on Tuesday - even though they were watching the movie on George Lucas' home turf, in the theater on his Marin County, Calif., hideaway, Skywalker Ranch.

Not that Lucas cared.

"Dialogue is not my thing," Lucas freely admits, adding, "I don't like writing, and I don't like scripts."

And if fans mock the overheated love story between doomed Padme Amidala and even more doomed Anakin Skywalker, "it's not my job to make people like my movies," Lucas says.

If that sounds contemptuous, keep in mind that by following his own muse, Lucas has built the most envied film franchise ever. The five previous "Star Wars" movies have grossed more than $3.4 billion worldwide, not to mention the $9 million in sales of DVDs, video games, plastic lightsabers and Yoda Pez dispensers.

And while Lucas may not like scripts, he loves spectacle - and "Episode III" has that in spades.

"Sith" offers the best "Star Wars" visuals yet, with a stunning opening dogfight, a spider-like Sith villain who fights with not one but four lightsabers, and - best of all - a remarkably lifelike Yoda. Plus, for the first time since "Return of the Jedi," we have a "Star Wars" story that we can follow, with almost no references to tariff disputes and only one line for that perennial laughing stock, Jar Jar Binks.

In "Episode III," Lucas is finally telling the story - in which Anakin completes his journey to the dark side by betraying his teacher, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Padme, and turning into the arch-villain Darth Vader.

"This is where you see Anakin undergo change. It's what I wanted to play in the last movie," Christensen says. "It was good to get out there finally and do it.

"I had a lot of fun going over to the dark side."

DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE

In other words, this is the first "Star Wars" prequel that, spots of bad dialogue aside, is a must-see. And on some subconscious level, perhaps even Lucas knows it.

"I noticed a significant change with him on this movie," Christensen says. "This time around, he was genuinely passionate about the story he was telling.

"He would get so excited. He was up from behind the monitors on every take, talking to the actors, getting into it."

Watching "Episode III," you'll finally understand what Lucas has said all along - that the "Star Wars" saga is less Luke Skywalker's story than his father's.

"You learn that Darth Vader isn't this monster," Lucas says. "He's a pathetic individual who made a pact with the devil and lost.

"Now when you see Darth Vader walk into that ship at the beginning of 'Episode IV,' you'll go, 'Oh, that poor guy! He's still in the suit!'"

Even though everyone goes into "Episode III" already knowing that Anakin will turn into Darth Vader - "it's as predictable as 'Titanic,'" says producer Rob McCallum - Lucas has a lot of fun getting there (and those who want to be surprised should skip to the next section).

At the beginning of "Sith," the Clone Wars are in full swing. The good and democratic Galactic Republic is crumbling under the strain and in the chaos, a new dictator is rising, the Republic's Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).

Our heroes - Yoda, Obi-Wan and the rest of the Jedi Knights - are still fighting on Palpatine's side, but they're growing more and more distrustful of him, with the notable exception of Anakin, who worries the Jedi Council with his close friendship to the chancellor.

Eventually, the Jedis realize that Palpatine is even worse than they suspected - he's actually Darth Sidious, the leader of the anti-Jedi Sith knights, who use the Force for evil. Along the way, we're treated to a groovy new bad guy (the computer-animated droid Gen. Grievous), a major battle involving an army of Wookiees including our old friend Chewbacca and a climactic 20-minute lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the planet of volcanoes, Mustafar.

SOUND AND VISION

"Episode III" also takes "Star Wars" to darker places than it has ever gone.

There are some surprisingly harsh moments in the movie, including a genuinely upsetting massacre of Jedi "younglings" by none other than Anakin, who just a few years ago was an adorable youngling himself.

Thanks to these rougher bits, the movie carries a PG-13 rating, unlike the other five, which were all PG.

This hard-core stuff might frighten young fans who discovered the franchise through "Phantom Menace," but they'll probably thrill older fans who have missed the rock 'n' roll edges of the original trilogy. Although Lucas famously refuses to read fan Web sites, he knows those people are out there.

"There are certainly fans who wish 'Episode III' had been 'Episode I,' and than the rest of the movies had been Darth Vader going around cutting people's heads off and terrorizing the universe," he says.

"But I'm not interested in that story. I'm interested in a character study of Anakin."

That might surprise those who have accused Lucas of caring more about cutting-edge special effects than the sassy characters who gave the original trilogy its heart.

But from Lucas' point of view, "movies aren't about words. They're about telling a story with images and motion and music."

Kevin Smith Reviews 'Revenge of the Sith'

Director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy) has written one of the first reviews of George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode 3 -- Revenge of the Sith. Posted on his website, www.viewaskew.com, the review contains numerous spoilers -- and numerous adjectives that are not likely to be included in any ads for the movie. Smith calls it "quite simply, f***ing awesome." He remarks that it "is so satisfyingly tragic, you'll think you're watching Othello or Hamlet." He says that Lucas was correct in setting a dark tone for the film and suggests that there are several scenes that will disturb children. However, he notes, "This is the birth of Darth Vader we're talking about. The only comic moments in the flick are given to R2D2, and while good, they're all pretty few and far between; the order of the day is dark, dark, dark."

George Lucas to Appear on 'The O.C.'

NEW YORK - The force is with "The O.C." George Lucas will guest star as himself on the May 12 episode, the Fox network announced Tuesday. The "Star Wars" creator will express interest in the graphic novel of the main character, Seth Cohen (Adam Brody).

Brody's character, an avid "Star Wars" fan, frequently has the good fortune of meeting his heroes. His favorite band, Death Cab for Cutie, recently played on the show.

Earlier this season, the trailer for "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" premiered during the program. The final installment of the "Star Wars" saga will open in theaters on May 19.

Fox recently announced that "The O.C." will return for a third season. It airs Thursdays (8 p.m. EST).

Lucas: 'Star Wars' to Live on TV

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) The "Star Wars" movie saga is drawing to a close next month, but George Lucas says the universe he created may continue to expand on television.

Speaking at the biggest "Star Wars" convention ever held over the weekend, Lucas said he's approved the creation of two TV series to continue the franchise in the future.

"We're doing a pilot television series now called 'Clone Wars,'" Lucas told the audience at Celebration III, a huge "Star Wars" convention in Indianapolis. "Well, we're going to take that and turn it into a 3-D animated version full series."

The animated series will presumably pick up and expand the story of Cartoon Network's 2-D "Clone Wars" shorts, executive produced by Lucas and directed by "Samurai Jack" creator Genndy Tartakovsky.

The second project, Lucas says, will be a live-action series in the vein of "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," which had a one-season run on ABC in the early 1990s. According to StarWars.com, Lucas says the show would take place in the time between the events of the forthcoming "Episode III" and the first "Star Wars" film, which follows "III" in the story's chronology.

"There's none of the main characters from I, II, and III ...," Lucas says, before pausing to correct himself. "Well, actually, that's not exactly true now that I think about it. We haven't really started the TV show, so it's hard to answer. There's a lot of issues that are connected, but you won't necessarily see a lot of the people that are connected."

Lucas expects work on the live-action series to begin in about a year. He says he'll be involved with getting the show off the ground before ceding day-to-day control to a showrunner.

"Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" opens in theaters on Thursday, May 19.

Yoda Coda: 'Star Wars' Theme To Hit Charts

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- Apparently somebody at SonyBMG thinks that John Williams' theme for the new "Star Wars" movie has a good beat and you can dance to it. "Battle of the Heroes" will hit record stores through much of the world on Tuesday, May 23, selling as a single.

The theme refers to the lightsaber battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) that makes up one of the climaxes in the elaborately named "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith," which will hit theaters on May 19. Because the "Sith" soundtrack will be in US record stores on May 3, it's unclear if "Heroes" will drop as a single in domestic record stores.

As was the case with the original "Star Wars" theme 28 years ago, "Battle of the Heroes" features John Williams conducting the London Symphony orchestra. The single will be released a limited edition numbered CD format.

No word on whether the possible success of "Heroes" might lead to a single release for Bill Murray's classic 1977 "Saturday Night Live" rendition of Williams' "Star Wars" theme, which featured the immortal lyrics "Awww Star Wars/ Nothing but Star Wars/ Give me those Star Wars/ Don't let them end."

'Star Wars' Fans Line Up at Wrong Theater

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - One group of loyal "Star Wars" fans are hoping The Force is on their side.

Followers of George Lucas' sci-fi saga began lining up outside Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater on Saturday, April 2, despite the fact that "Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" won't be showing there, reports the AP.

Instead, 20th Century Fox has booked the ArcLight theater, which is about a mile east of Grauman's for the historic showing of the final installment of the beloved series.

The fans haven't made a mistake, though. They insist that "Episode III" should screen at the Chinese since the first film, 1977's "A New Hope," made its premiere there. In addition, rumors in 1999 and 2002 that previous "Star Wars" films weren't showing at the historic Hollywood landmark were unfounded.

"We've heard all this before," says fan Sarah Sprague. "This is still the epicenter for 'Star Wars' fans. For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here."

Moreover, fans feel that the ArcLight's practice of allowing moviegoers to purchase tickets and reserve specific seats online negates the true dedication of lining up. Although Fox and ArcLight haven't finalized their deal, the studio insists they won't be screening the film at the Chinese.

In January, Seattle resident Jeff Twieden became the first person in the country to begin the final "Star Wars" vigil on the sidewalk outside his local theater in preparation for the Thursday, May 19th worldwide release.

The highly anticipated "Episode III" is set two years into the Clone Wars, when Chancellor Palpatine, with the help of his clone army and Sith Warriors, prepares to rid the galaxy of the Jedis in order to declare himself Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Anakin Skywalker will also make his final descent into evil, becoming the heavy-breathing, helmeted Darth Vader.

Revenge of the Spoilers?

Warning: This story does NOT contain spoilers about the new Star Wars movie. Just common Jedi sense.

"All fans should know how it ends," says Philip Wise of TheForce.Net. "Anakin turns into Darth Vader."

But all fans don't know how once innocent Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker turns into the black-helmeted overlord of the Empire (and the three original Star Wars movies). Although, with spoilers abounding on everything from the Internet to tie-in merchandise, they could get a pretty good idea.

"There is always someone who thinks they know something and has to share it with the world," says Chris Mikkelsen, cofounder of California's South Bay Star Wars Fan Club.

On Thursday, George Lucas did some sharing himself, unveiling the first full-length trailer for Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith during Fox's The O.C.. As of Thursday night, it was also available on America Online. And then on Friday, it was set to debut in theaters, attached to prints of Robots.

Lucas continues the tease on Sunday. In an interview to air on CBS' 60 Minutes, the Star Wars guru says that Revenge of the Sith, opening May 19, is so "dark" in chronicling Skywalker's descent into the pits of hell--literally, there's "lava at the end" and everything--that it'll likely draw the kid-friendly sci-fi franchise's first PG-13 rating.

But Lucas only teases, he does not spoil. He does not do what one Website did last month: Lay out the movie, from beginning to end, in pictures apparently scanned from a children's tie-in book. (At last check, the site, which also had what appeared to be actual footage of a light-saber battle, was down.)

Wise, who runs the leading unofficial Star Wars fan site (one that doesn't trade too heavily in spoilers), says the amount of "visual information" out there on the new film is unprecedented.

"It's one thing to read about it, but to see a picture of [spoiler deleted], that's different," Wise says. "Even many people who are spoiler-friendly probably wish they hadn't seen it."

Mikkelsen knows from experience about knowing too much too soon.

The fan club organizer says he read way too many spoilers in advance of seeing The Phantom Menace in 1999. For 2002's Attack of the Clones, he tried to stick to officially disseminated Lucasfilm product.

"I would love to have the conviction to go into EIII blind, and just experience it for the first time, but I know that I can't do that," Mikkelsen says.

Though TheForce.Net pulled back from spoilers once it began working more closely with Lucasfilm, Wise says he knows many of his users still want them. Badly.

"There are people who make great sport of this, who want to know every single details, periods and exclamation points, about the movie," Wise says.

Lucasfilm did not want to comment on Revenge of the Sith spoilers. Well, except for the well-known one.

Owing to the new film's chronological pecking order--its story must end, more or less, where the first Star Wars movie begins--there is a big given.

"The whole premise of the movie is that this is the movie that finally answers all the questions as to why Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader," says Lucasfilm spokeswoman Lynn Fox.

The devil--and the suspense--is in the details. Assuming you can resist temptation.

Lucas Says New 'Star Wars' May Rate PG-13

NEW YORK - George Lucas says the newest — and final installment — of his "Star Wars" films may get a PG-13 rating.

"I don't think I would take a 5- or a 6-year-old to this. It's way too strong," Lucas says of "Star Wars Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" on CBS' "60 Minutes," to air Sunday (7 p.m. EST). "My feeling is that it will probably be a PG-13, so it will be the first `Star Wars' that's a PG-13."

"Revenge of the Sith," the third prequel to the "Star Wars" trilogy, will open May 19. The movie features Anakin Skywalker's transformation to Darth Vader, a descent based on Lucas' vision of hell, a mythical planet composed entirely of erupting volcanos.

"We're going to watch him make a pact with the devil," says the director. "The film is more dark ... more emotional. It's much more of a tragedy."

Despite critical pans of Episodes I and II, Lucas says in the interview: "Actually, I am very happy. I'm very pleased with the whole thing."

New Star Wars trailer to premiere March 10 during The O.C.; film opens May 19

NEW YORK (AP) - Darth Vader is coming to The O.C.

The trailer for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith will premiere during the March 10 episode of the Fox show. The final instalment of the Star Wars saga will open in theatres on May 19. The new trailer will be released in movie theatres beginning March 11.

Revenge of the Sith is the third prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy. It continues the chronicle of young Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), who eventually turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader.

As an avid superhero fan, Seth Cohen, the main character of The O.C. played by Adam Brody, would likely relish the event.

The O.C. airs Thursdays (8 p.m. EST).

'Star Wars' Bosses Warn Websites Again

Movie bosses financing forthcoming prequel Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith are threatening to take legal action against internet sites that leak pictures and plot details. Currently, various websites are displaying photographs of a pregnant Padme Amidala, played by Natalie Portman, and a new android villain named General Grievous. Other shots online include an aggressive light-saber duel between Anakin Skywalker and his former mentor Obi-wan Kenobi - which leaves Skywalker horribly scarred and propels him to don the black suit of Darth Vader. Producers of the film had issued a warning to various internet sites last year, and have now renewed their threat of legal action. Revenge Of The Sith is due to hit American cinemas on May 19.

Lucas To "Cameo" in New 'Star Wars' Movie

Star Wars director George Lucas will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming final film in the sci-fi series. Lucas is set to follow in the footsteps of Lord Of The Rings film-maker Peter Jackson by briefly appearing before cameras in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith, playing Baron Papanoida in an opera house scene. Jackson has immortalized himself on screen in all three Lord Of The Rings films, playing hobbit Albert Dreary, an uncredited Rohirrim Warrior and an unnamed Mercenary On Boat in The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and Return Of The King, respectively.

Mr. Potato Head goes to the dark side

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — A spud on the dark side. That's how toy maker Hasbro Inc. is promoting its latest Mr. Potato Head figure, Darth Tater.

The toy spud will be available next month, ahead of the May release of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, the latest installment in that film series.

Darth Tater will come with a light saber, cape and helmet, in addition to the regular Mr. Potato Head accessories such as eyes, mouth and nose.

The Pawtucket-based toy maker says children will be able to "have all kinds of mix n' match, Mr. Potato Head fun with this wacky spud dressed as the infamous Star Wars villain, Darth Vader."

The toy will retail for $7.99.

Star Wars: Episode III, starring Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, will open in theaters nationwide on May 19.

'I'm Having The Time Of My Life Out Here'

SEATTLE - Are you ready for Star Wars: Episode Three? Don't get excited just yet, the new movie doesn't open until May.

But for one Seattle fan, it's never too early, or too cold, to start the wait.

Jeff Twieden doesn't care that it's freezing outside. He's camping out in front of the Cinerama Theater in downtown Seattle, waiting for Episode Three to open. It's only 22 weeks away.

"I've got another sleeping bag coming, so that's sleeping bag number three," he says. "It's better to be too hot than too cold."

In 1999, Twieden made international headlines when he and another fan camped out for months in this same spot to see the first of George Lucas' prequel trilogy.

"A lot of people say 'Get a life,' stuff like that. But I'm having the time of my life out here."

Twieden thinks prequel episodes one and two were a mixed bag, but he can sum up the potential of Episode Three in one word.

"Vader, baby. Vader."

In the film, the villainous Darth Vader makes his first onscreen appearance in over 20 years.

"We all want to see Vader kick some ass," he says.

There's a potential problem in the long wait. Twieden isn't even sure Episode Three will play the Cinerama.

"That's the assumption I'm going on," he says. "If it isn't, I'll be more than happy to move to a different theater. It's really about the wait."

Rain or shine, through sleet or snow, the wait will last another 134 days.

"Star Wars is about independence and freedom," Twieden says. "And that's really what this wait is about. That complete and utter independence."

Lucas Wants TV 'Star Wars' Film Banned

Moviemaker George Lucas wants his first Star Wars sequel banned, as he is so disappointed with its quality. The one-off, two-hour-long The Star Wars Holiday Special was originally screened on the CBS network in 1978 and tells the story of Chewbacca's journey home with Hans Solo to celebrate Life Day with his family.

During the course of the much-maligned movie, Carrie Fisher's beautiful Leia is seen reducing Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker to tears with a song.

A contributor on the Star Wars website comments, "The Holiday Special has always been the red-headed step child of the Star Wars family." While a source at LucasFilm adds, "The Holiday Special was the biggest f***-up ever. The Force was definitely not with Mr. Lucas the day that doozy was born."

'Star Wars: Episode III' Trailer Debuts

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Darth Vader is coming.

George Lucas disciples will have a chance to view the new trailer for "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" on entertainment newsmagazine "Access Hollywood" on Thursday night, Nov. 4.

The preview includes a hooded Anakin Skywalker with eerie glowing red eyes, Chewbacca leading a group of Wookies in an attack and the Emperor wielding a lightsaber.

According to Internet buzz, the trailer also features a battle scene with a prototype of the X-Wing fighter and the lines "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father," spoken by Obi-Wan.

"Episode III" is set two years into the Clone Wars, when Chancellor Palpatine, with the help of his clone army and Sith Warriors, prepares to rid the galaxy of the Jedis in order to declare himself Emperor of the Galactic Empire. The film sets up the mysterious circumstances in which 1977's "Episode IV" begins, namely: Anakin's capitulation to the dark side of The Force and the birth -- and subsequent separation -- of twins Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker.

"Access Hollywood" will show the "Episode III" trailer in its entirety before it's released nationwide with "The Incredibles" on Friday, Nov. 5. The final installment of the sci-fi prequel trilogy hits theaters in a galaxy not so far away on May 19, 2005.

Director says he never intended to make nine-episode series.

Don't expect any more "Star Wars" flicks after "Revenge of the Sith" — George Lucas says he's done.

"This was never planned as a nine-episode work," Lucas said. "The media [pounced when] I made an offhand comment, 'It might be fun to come back when everyone's 80 and do another one of these.' But I never had any intention of doing that."

Lucas said he only decided to do the back-story trilogy — which "Sith," due next May, will cap — because he realized he had already written it in order to tell the story in the first "Star Wars" films. "The original 'Star Wars' was only three films, and that was what it was meant to be," he said. "After a lot of pondering and thought, I went back to do the back story, but that pretty much tells the story. Episode six is the end. There isn't any more to it."

"Sith" may mark the end on an emotional level, too. "All the good guys die," he said, laughing. "And you know, it's pretty dark. It's pretty intense. I'm not sure this one is going to end up a PG like the others were."

That apparently doesn't have so much to do with actual violence — like previous "Star Wars" films, this one will have lots of battles and space action — as with what happens to Padme and the children borne from her union with Anakin Skywalker following their escape and separation. "It's a happy story," Lucas joked.

Despite the special-effects advances made since "Star Wars" premiered in 1977, Lucas doesn't feel threatened by films such as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, nor does he feel the need to up the ante. Because of its legacy and consistent quality, his company Industrial Light and Magic really has no special-effects competition — not even Peter Jackson's WETA Digital.

"My company, we sort of pioneered special effects," Lucas said. "We're responsible for the rebirth of special effects in the film business. It disappeared back in the late '50s and early '60s, so we put together a group of kids, started it all over again, and eventually moved into digital. We've been pushing digital techniques and that sort of thing ever since, and we helped populate the special-effects industry as it is today. A lot of supervisors at all the other special-effects companies are from my lab. We even helped set up WETA in New Zealand, and have supported them with advice and that sort of thing."

Having accomplished so much on a blockbuster scale, Lucas said that after "Revenge of the Sith" and his upcoming fourth "Indiana Jones" installment (which he hopes to start shooting within a year), he'd like to return to indie-style movies like his 1971 debut, "THX 1138," which returns to theaters Friday (September 10) with a new director's cut.

"I think I've earned the right to fail," he said.

Actor Bids Fond Farewell to C-3PO

LONDON (Reuters) - Bidding goodbye to the gold robot after almost 30 years, Anthony Daniels shed a nostalgic tear for the mechanical manservant who changed his life.

"Oh yes, it was with moisture. This was very much a fond farewell," Daniels said of his last scene as C-3PO, the android who became an icon in the "Star Wars" movies.

His last scene in the sixth and final film was hardly the heady stuff of magic for Daniels. Digital effects saw to that.

"I finished filming on the last film last week. For the final shot I walked along a blue corridor with a blue background behind me talking to someone who wasn't there." he said.

"Revenge of the Sith" is due out next May and completes a trilogy of pre-quels, which tell the back story of the original movie about a battle between good and evil in a distant galaxy.

Daniels makes no secret about his favorite of the six.

"The first film spoke to everyone on the planet. It still works as a funny, bright movie. It still has legs," he said of the films by U.S. director George Lucas.

When Lucas returned to the pre-quels, Daniels was not so sure.

"George's devotion to digital effects over-balanced the films. Too many digital funky characters become a little bit wearing. The storytelling always gets subsumed."

STRANGE IMMORTALITY

For the 58-year-old Daniels, playing a fastidious robot who sounds like a prissy English butler transformed his career.

"He (C-3PO) gave me that lead into a strange kind of immortality. People are very fond of him. His image has haunted me around the planet," he said.

There was also an undeniable sense of achievement from the self-deprecating British actor as he reflected on the squirming discomfort of clunking around the Tunisian desert in searing heat to make film history.

"He has been a best friend for me. He is going to live forever in the ether," he told Reuters in an interview.

Critics may have admired his on-screen chemistry with fellow robot R2-D2 but Daniels said: "I was talking to myself all the time. It was a very lonely experience. I was locked inside a box and had a friend who didn't speak to me."

The English stage actor was initially reluctant to audition for the part and even risked "losing his voice" to Hollywood star Richard Dreyfuss as Lucas contemplated dubbing him over.

"Now I have the honor of being the only person to have appeared in all of the movies and I have become the principal spokesman for them," he said.

For there is plenty of life left in the "Star Wars" phenomenon with the worldwide DVD launch of the first three movies on Sept. 21.

Just listening to Daniels' schedule is exhausting.

There is the Paris "Star Wars" convention, the "Star Wars" exhibition in Osaka, being inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in Pittsburgh, joining forces with storm troopers in London to launch the DVD.

Then comes all the razzmatazz of the final pre-quel.

But nothing will erase his treasured memory of the first time he saw a sketch of the android he was to play.

"When I saw the painting by the design artist, the eyes of the character looked deep into my soul. He was a very forlorn figure with an abandoned air. He really did look into my soul. We made this tremendous contact."

Fans feel the Force

In the most anticipated DVD box set of all time, Greedo fires first.

And as fans and retailers alike can tell you, there are no insignificant details when it comes to George Lucas' beloved Star Wars trilogy, which finally arrives on DVD in a four-disc collection on Sept. 21.

Greedo, as you may recall, was Jabba The Hutt's bug-eyed henchman -- the one who Han Solo (Harrison Ford) fries in that alien bar on Tattooine.

In the original 1977 film, Solo fired first.

By the time Lucas revisited the trilogy for its 1997 theatrical re-release, the director had decided Solo shouldn't be that cold-blooded and gave the scene a digital facelift with Greedo firing first and Solo reacting in self-defense. It was just one change Lucas made to the trilogy -- much to the dismay of purists -- but, as the DVD editions screened by the Sun reveals, it was far from the last.

Most notably, the legendary director has added Canadian Hayden Christensen to the final moments of 1983's Return of the Jedi.

Christensen -- who plays (future Darth Vader) Anakin Skywalker in Episodes 2 and 3 -- turns up as Skywalker's ghostly spectre, alongside Alec Guinness' Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi master Yoda.

In the original film, it was Sebastian Shaw who appears as Vader's redeemed alter-ego. (Lucas didn't go so far, thankfully, to erase all traces of Shaw -- the actor's death scene as the man behind Vader's mask remains unscathed.)

In the feature-length audio commentary, Lucas vaguely addresses the issue, explaining Anakin learned -- as did Obi-Wan and Yoda -- to retain his "original identity" -- before he was resurrected as the black-masked master of evil (a sequence that will likely cap off next year's Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.)

Other additions Lucas has made to the trilogy? Replacing the fleeting image of the Emperor seen in The Empire Strikes Back with Ian McDiarmid (who portrayed the dark overseer in Jedi as well as in the prequels), and adding the planet Naboo -- from The Phantom Menace -- to Jedi's finale.

Naturally, the tinkering has fans appalled all over again. On the website Aint-It-Cool-News, head geek Harry Knowles recently griped about the revisions, complaining Lucas has "polished his diamond into dust" by mucking with it so many times.

Perhaps -- but the director isn't listening.

Lucasfilm spokespeople continue to adhere to the official line -- that the director is merely using the digital tools he didn't have in the '70s to make the trilogy more like what he originally envisioned. For his part, Lucas, in his commentary, praises technological advances, referring to the era of rubber aliens and plastic models as "the old days."

In other words, don't expect the original theatrical films on DVD anytime soon -- purists will have to make do with the 1995 video cassette editions if they want to see the trilogy un-doctored. One thing both Lucas and his detractors are likely to agree on is the trilogy has never looked as good as it does on DVD.

Lucas' technicians painstakingly cleaned up the original negatives frame by frame, removing the usual dirt, scratches and scrapes that come with time, along with any still-visible seams in the special effects.

In addition to Lucas' audio commentary, the movies -- collected in three discs -- include commentaries by sound designer Ben Burtt, effects wizard Dennis Muran and Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher.

(Reflecting on the "iron bikini" she wore in Return of the Jedi, Fisher wisecracks she thought it was just Lucas' way of getting her to exercise.)

The fourth disc offers all the extras fans might expect -- more than four hours of footage and featurettes, the centrepiece of which is Empire of Dreams, a 21/2-hour documentary that tracks the saga's origins (Lucas wanted to pay homage to the 1930s adventure serials he had grown up with as a kid) to its iconic status as modern-day mythology. Unfortunately Empire of Dreams also spirals into abject corporate infommercial by the end.

Of course, that a nearly-30-year-old trio of films can still generate this much attention -- and devotion -- goes to show how much a cultural and financial Force this space opera remains. No wonder the release of the films on DVD (with a pricetag of around $60) is considered a seismic event, expected to take its place among the top-selling DVDs of all time. (It has been No. 1 on Amazon.com's best-seller lists in the U.S., Canada, Germany and the U.K. for months.) So with the trilogy on DVD at last and production on Episode 3 set for release in less than a year, is this really it for the saga set in a galaxy far, far away?

Don't count on it -- the Internet, that bastion of wannabe Jedis and bounty hunters, has been rife with rumours for months that the filmmaker and multimedia mogul intends to again revisit the six movies sometime in the future with an "Ultimate Special This-Is-Really-It Edition" -- would you expect any less from the man who released the original films twice on VHS in almost as many years in the mid-1990s?

As well, reports (or perhaps the wishful thinking of a few fans) have been circulating that Lucas is mulling shooting three sequels to the original trilogy -- Episodes 7, 8 and 9.

(This would be in keeping with his original vision of nine films, the last three of which would feature an elderly Luke Skywalker mentoring an apprentice. Even 20 years ago, Mark Hamill was telling interviewers that Lucas had approached him with this concept.)

Naturally, Lucasfilm representatives have shot down any talk of Star Wars sequels -- and you have to wonder, considering how Lucas refers to the films as a "day-to-day struggle," if he'd ever want to make more.

Then again, as with all things Star Wars, only Lucas -- and Yoda -- know for sure.

EXTRA-ORDINARY BONUSES

For many fans, a DVD set isn't about the movies, but the extras. The Star Wars Trilogy boasts more than four hours of bonus features -- enough to satiate even the most fervent of followers:

* Among the numerous trailers and TV spots on the DVD is the Revenge of the Jedi preview that debuted in 1982. (Lucas later decided revenge was something the noble Jedi Knights would never seek and retitled the final chapter Return of the Jedi.)

* Episode III Behind the Scenes Preview: The Return of Darth Vader reveals behind-the-scenes footage of the lightsabre battle between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. No, not the one in A New Hope in which Obi-Wan dies -- but the one that is the cornerstone of next May's Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Actors Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor are shown trading lightsabre blows and choreographing the showdown fans have waited more than 20 years to see. Also included: the creation of Vader's new helmet and the moment in which Christensen dons the famed black garb -- especially tailored for the Canadian actor -- for Episode III's climactic moments.

* Kurt Russell as Han Solo? William Katt (The Greatest American Hero) as Luke Skywalker? Laverne & Shirley's Cindy Williams as Princess Leia? As unlikely as this sounds, it could have happened. Screentests included in the documentary The Characters of Star Wars have the actors reading for the roles that would ultimately go to Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. Before he was even casting actors, though, Lucas was trying to figure out who his characters were. In early scripts, he had a hero named Luke Starkiller (who was also an old general) and a giant green alien named Han Solo.

* Other features include a documentary devoted to the creation of the lightsabre and love-in with Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), James Cameron (Titanic) and Ridley Scott (Alien), who explain how Star Wars shaped their careers.

A long time ago in a Hollywood far away ...

* George Lucas based Chewbacca on his dog Indiana, a malamute that was also the inspiration for Indiana Jones.

* Lucas wrote an original treatment called The Star Wars in 1973.

* The opening crawl for Star Wars says it's Episode IV: A New Hope. But that was not in the original 1977 prints. It was added for the film's theatrical re-release in 1981.

* Every studio in Hollywood turned Lucas down. Fox boss Alan Ladd Jr. finally agreed to make the movie only because he liked Lucas' American Graffiti. During clashes with Fox, Ladd would lose his job. As a result, Lucas took his next project Raiders of the Lost Ark to Paramount.

* When Darth Vader tells Luke that he is his father, actor Mark Hamill didn't know about the plot twist until just before the scene was shot.

* Industrial Light and Magic completed more than 900 F/X shots for Return of the Jedi, nearly three times the number created for the original film.

* Lucas made his fortune because he convinced Fox to agree to give him the merchandising and sequel rights for a nominal fee.

SECRETS OF 'STAR WARS' SPILLED IN 2-HOUR SHOW

'STAR Wars" creator George Lucas says he almost landed Steven Spielberg to direct "Return of the Jedi."

That's one of a number of revelations in a new two-hour A&E special, "Star Wars: Empire of Dreams," set to air Sunday night at 8 — part of the big run up to the DVD release of one of the most popular trilogies of all time.

The A&E special is, in fact, an edited version of the 156 minute documentary on the "Star Wars Trilogy," due out September 21.

Why didn't the marriage of Spielberg and "Star Wars" ever happen? Seems Lucas' famous fights with the Directors Guild and other Hollywood establishments killed it.

Lucas and countless others — including Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill — are included in the program about the travails of making "Star Wars" and its classic sequels, "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi."

Among the highlights of the show and the DVD:

* Hayden Christensen is digitally inserted into the celebratory final scene of "Return of the Jedi," alongside a ghost-like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda.

* Numerous tweaks beyond the "special editions" released in 1997 have been made to clean up the effects, including the first appearance of Jabba the Hutt.

* Fans speculated Lucas was jealous of "The Lord of the Rings" and so rushed his trilogy out on DVD early. But Peter Jackson appears in the extras, praising the films, talking about how they inspired him and comparing Lucas's creation to that of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The TV special is the latest step in a campaign that is sure to turn the "Star Wars Trilogy" boxed set into one of the best-selling DVDs of all time.

Still, fans have flooded websites with their growing despair that Lucas refuses to release the original version of the three films, rather than the doctored '97 special editions that he has made even further changes to for the DVD.

'Wars' Stories

Here are five things we know about ''Star Wars: Episode III.''

IN GENERAL The new bad guy, Grievous, is capable of attacking with as many as four lightsabers at once

It took George Lucas 21 years, but he's finally using the word ''revenge'' in a movie title. ''Revenge of the Jedi'' was only an early dummy title for 1983's ''Return of the Jedi,'' but ''Star Wars: Episode III,'' due May 19, 2005, is really and truly named ''Revenge of the Sith.'' (Look for the T-shirt on a geek near you, okay look for one on me as I have one.)

Even as Lucas and untold hundreds of digital animators continue to tweak ''Episode III,'' a surprising number of details have slipped out, thanks largely to Lucasfilm disclosures on Starwars.com, and less official leaks on fansites such as theforce.net. So hold onto your Jar Jar Binks action figure as we recap what's known so far (other than the fact that someone will definitely call Padmé ''m'lady''):

-- Chewbacca's back-a!

Peter Mayhew, who played Han Solo's fuzzy pal in the original trilogy, will be sweating it out in the hairier-than-Robin-Williams costume again in ''Episode III.'' He'll have company -- at least one sequence will be set on Chewie's home planet, Kashyyyk. But don't fear a reprise of the infamously dreadful ''Star Wars Holiday Special,'' which showed scenes of domestic life on Kashyyyk (including, believe it or not, a sexy Wookiee TV show). ''Revenge of the Sith'' will instead depict Wookiees at war, complete with hirsute soldiers commanding battleships. It's far from clear, though, how we'll recognize Chewbacca among thousands of his brethren, especially since Chewie's name roughly translates to ''raaaargh'' in Wookiee-speak.

-- Space Battle

After the traditional opening scroll, ''Episode III'' will plunge directly into a lasers-a-flyin' spaceship battle, the kind that's been largely missing from the prequels. The conflict – between Republic forces (the good guys) and the Separatists (as led by Count Dooku, remember?) -- will apparently mark the end of the storied Clone Wars, which largely took place between ''Episode II'' and ''Episode III'' (and in an ongoing Cartoon Network miniseries). It will go on for 20 minutes, which, the Force willing, means a long stretch where we get to listen to stuff blowing up instead of Lucas-penned dialogue (''I don't like sand.'').

-- The New Bad Guy

Meet General Grievous: half-alien and half-robot who looks like the offspring of Skeletor and one of Will Smith's ''I, Robot'' nemeses, is the Donald Rumsfeld of the Separatist forces. The aptly named, many-limbed Grievous is capable of attacking with as many as four lightsabers at once, all taken off the corpses of fallen Jedi. And unlike the near-mute Darth Maul, the all-CGI Grevious will actually talk. (Lucasfilm wouldn't comment on reports that Gary Oldman is in negotiations to do the honors.)

-- Jedi vs. Jedi

Like the other five ''Star Wars'' movies, ''Revenge of the Sith'' will include a lightsaber fight. But this time, it's Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) throwing down against his former mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) -- and it'll get messy. Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard claimed on Starwars.com that at 12 minutes, the sequence will be ''the longest fight scene in cinematic history.'' And we already know the ending: Anakin loses. According to ''Star Wars'' lore that the new film may or may not follow, the young Jedi-gone-wild will fall into a volcano, which leads to…

-- Vader

Volcano or not, Anakin comes out of his duel with Obi-Wan gravely injured: mutilated, if not actually dead. Saving him will require a fitting for a familiar black suit, mask, and breathing apparatus, which means his journey to the dark side will be complete. It also means James Earl Jones will finally get some voiceover work.

Now, let the hype continue and may the Force be with us all!

Episode III Finally Has A Title

starwars.com is pleased to announce that Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith is the full title of the next Star Wars film, scheduled for release on May 19, 2005.

The Sith are masters of the dark side of the Force and the sworn enemies of the Jedi. They were all but exterminated by the Jedi a thousand years ago, but the evil order continued in secrecy. They operated quietly, behind the scenes, acting in pairs - a Master and an Apprentice - patiently biding their time before they could take over the galaxy. In Episode III, they'll finally exact their revenge on the Jedi.

The title was publicly revealed Saturday in a special presentation to a packed audience of Star Wars fans at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. "For some time now, the naming of a new Star Wars movie has taken on some special meaning among core fans, who love to take part in guessing games before a title is announced, and then engage in debate once it is," said Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm. "Let the debates begin."

The title wasn't the only surprise for those in attendance at the presentation.

While the Star Wars Trilogy is the biggest news for Force-fan videophiles, Sansweet announced the fall debut of Ewoks and Droids adventures on DVD. 20th Century Fox Home Video will release these animated adventures as well as the pair of made-for-television Ewok live action movies (The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor) this November and December.

September 21, of course, is the release date for the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD.

The presentation included clips of some of the bonus material found in the boxed set, as well as a first look at the animated menus that organize the wealth of information and options within. Jim Ward, Vice President of Marketing for Lucasfilm and Executive Producer of the DVDs spoke about the upcoming release, and announced that the epic feature-length documentary, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, would appear as a special edited-for-television edition on the A&E network this fall.

In other DVD news, Sansweet confirmed a projected release date for the much-asked-about Star Wars: Clone Wars DVDs. The incredibly successful 20 chapters of the Cartoon Network animated shorts will be making their home video debut next spring, around the same time as the airdate for the final batch of Clone Wars shorts from Genndy Tartakovsky and Paul Rudish.

But before that, an essential George Lucas film will make its DVD debut. Sansweet took the opportunity to screen the theatrical trailer to THX 1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut , as well as premiere an all-new trailer to the Comic-Con audience. This video will soon make its way to the official THX 1138 website, which will soon be posting a theater list for the select cities that will be exhibiting the film prior to its DVD release.

On the Episode III front, the biggest news was the confirmation of the Episode III title, and the availability of a shirt with said title at StarWarsShop.com.

Sansweet also welcomed two very special Revenge of the Sith guests: Producer Rick McCallum, and the Chosen One himself, Hayden Christensen.

Fans in attendance also got a first look at Hasbro's forthcoming packaging design for Episode III product. The stylized visage of Darth Vader looms large over a chaotic field of molten lava.

Star Wars Spectacular debuted an advance look at two pieces of Episode III-related video that will be found as bonus material in the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. "Episode III: Making the Game" went behind-the-scenes on LucasArts' forthcoming tie-in video game. An edited version of "The Return of Darth Vader" revealed the gleaming Darth Vader armor from Episode III and showed Christensen donning the armor for the Dark Lord's debut.

FOR THE RECORD, HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT EPISODE III SO FAR

After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side.

RISE OF THE EMPIRE

USAToday recently asked George Lucas a few questions about the next STAR WARS installment. "...The director said the title of STAR WARS: EPISODE III won't officially be announced until November, when the first trailer hits theaters. But he conceded that fans on Web sites already have guessed correctly. So we threw a couple of rumored titles at him: RISE OF THE EMPIRE? "No, that's not it," Lucas said. How about REVENGE OF THE SITH? With that, Lucas smiled knowingly, backed away and teased, "That's a possibility. Lots of titles out there ..."

Giving Birth:

According to Dark Horizons, the new title of STAR WARS EPISODE III will be BIRTH OF THE EMPIRE and the film will climax with the battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin. "There's going to be a big announcement soon," said the scooper. "They've tried lots of titles but the most popular is BIRTH OF THE EMPIRE."

Meanwhile, if you haven't seen it, AICN has a picture from a supposedly recut version of RETURN OF THE JEDI that puts Hayden Christensen in the final scene. Just scroll down through the miles of purple text. Keep scrolling. It's called burying the lead, folks.

'STAR WARS' 'TOON RETURNS

The 'toon version of "Star Wars" begins its rocket-fueled finale this week.

But the series creator, Genndy Tartakovsky - best known for the animated-action series "Samurai Jack" - never thought the "Star Wars" series would make it to TV.

"It seems like things like this don't happen in real life," Tartakovsky said. "When the Cartoon Network approached me and asked me if I wanted to do an animated 'Star Wars,' I couldn't believe it."

The latest installment of "Star Wars: Clone Wars," the Cartoon Network's 20-episode "micro-series" - each episode is about three minutes - airs Friday (9:30 p.m.) after a hiatus of several months.

The series, commissioned by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, follows the side adventures of some well-known and not well-known characters in the "Star Wars" universe.

"Lucas has been great," said Tartakovsky. "I think he likes it because he kind of sees somebody else having fun with [the 'Star Wars' mythology]."

The cartoon takes place between the 2002 film "Attack of the Clones" and the sixth installment of the double trilogy set to hit theaters in 2005.