While there’s been talk about it for years, it became official a few months ago that George Lucas and Fox were hard at work converting Star Wars into three-dimension. The eventual plan is to give all six movies a theatrical 3D re-release, starting with The Phantom Menace, which will hit screens in 2012.
Now we know the exact release date, as the official announcement has been released on StarWars.com. Here’s what it’s got to say: ‘Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that the 3D theatrical launch of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace now has an official release date February 10, 2012! Set against the thrilling and exotic backdrop of a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars is perfectly suited to the immersive 3D theatrical experience, and Episode I delivers some of the Sagas most stunning and spectacular sequences from the Naboo invasion to the Tatooine Podraces to the climactic lightsaber battle between Darth Maul and the Jedi. Supervised by Industrial Light & Magic, the meticulous conversion is being done with utmost respect for the source material, and with a keen eye for both technological considerations and artistic intentions.’
Although many would have preferred them to start with the original trilogy, to make it easier for them to scrub Episodes I-III from their minds, this is Lucas’ baby, so we get Phantom Menace first. And if you do want to see what Luke, Leia and Han Solo look like in three-dimensions, you’d better go see the prequel trilogy, as they won’t convert the original if the prequels don’t make enough cash!
Officially the Feb 10th date is only for the US, but we expect it’ll be announced the UK will get it the same day.