Gamertell

I often take a lot of flack for my devoted love affair with the new Star Wars trilogy over the original - yes, even Episode I. For me, the new the trilogy opened up the Star Wars universe unlike the original trilogy ever had. Well, apparently George Lucas agrees with me as he is finishing up development of, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is set to be released as a double whammy this year, 2008, both on cable TV and another theatrical release. 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars will chronicle the events between Episode II and III as it focuses on the epic war between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist, leading up to the events that we all saw by the end of Revenge of the Sith. Most of the original characters featured in Episode I, II and III are expected to return, as well as a whole new lot of heroes and villains.

George Lucas stated on Star Wars.com, “I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell. I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward.” It’s also stated in the press announcement that “Star Wars: The Clone Wars showcases an entirely new look and feel to the galaxy far, far away - combining the expansive scope of the Star Wars Saga with state-of-the-art computer-generated animation. Each week, viewers will see a thrilling, 30-minute ‘mini-movie’ created by the talented artists at Lucasfilm Animation.” More than 30 episodes of the series have been completed so far. 

This isn’t the first time that fans have seen the Clone Wars animated. First was a cell-shaded style animated series which aired on the Cartoon Network in 2003 as 25 10-minute episodes that lead to the release of the final installment of the trilogy.

This new series, which is planned to have 100 episodes (all financed by Lucas), will use state-of-the-art computer generated images and is expected to expand on the events seen in both the original animated series to bare the same name, and the last two films.

The new series will air again on the Cartoon Network beginning Fall 2008, followed by reruns on TNT. As if this news wasn’t enough, the official Star Wars web site announced that the first three episode of the new animated series would also be released in theaters this summer (August 15, 2008).

Read [Star Wars.com] Also Read [IGN] Site [Star Wars]