September 2010

Press release:

Lucasfilm Ltd. announced today that the live-action Star Wars Saga will be converted to 3D.

There are few movies that lend themselves more perfectly to 3D; from the Death Star trench run to the Tatooine Podrace, the Star Wars Saga has always delivered an entertainment experience that is completely immersive.

Presented by Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm Ltd., the cutting edge conversion will take that immersion to the next thrilling level, with Industrial Light & Magic supervising the project.

Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace is expected to be released theatrically in 2012. A release date has not yet been determined.

"Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right," said John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic. "It takes a critical and artistic eye along with an incredible attention to detail to be successful. It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results. For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars experience."

http://www.starwars.com/m...index.html

[Edited 9/29/10 10:22am]

Why in the HELL would someone want to ruin a good thing....I kno....I know, Lucas jumped on the 3D bandwagon and sold out for money.

shorttrini said:

Why in the HELL would someone want to ruin a good thing....I kno....I know, Lucas jumped on the 3D bandwagon and sold out for money.

George sold out decades ago, this is just another grab for cash. It would have been interesting to see what would have become of Lucas's career if star wars had been a small popular hit and not the phenom it became.

As far back as March 2005, Lucas mentioned he was working on bringing these films to the big screen in 3D. He isn't jumping on the proverbial bandwagon or selling out.

Oh wait I forgot Howard the Duck, nevermind my post.

I heard about it this morning, and my 12-y.o. son is all as well!!!

lazycrockett said:

Oh wait I forgot Howard the Duck, nevermind my post.

Indiana Jones was created by Lucas, in case you've forgotten.

Oh man. My sons gonna bust a nutt.

Some thoughts:

-this was inevitable...

-oh, yes, this is mainly for the $$$, but it makes sense: sci-fi/space movies are perfect for 3D re-releases, and SPECIALLY Star Wars...

-I'm so glad that this is gonna take some time: "It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results"

-we'll see if Phantom Menace & Attack of the Clones bomb at the box office, everyone still remembers how uneven they were...but I guess the hardcore fans will respond perfectly, like good soldiers

-at least the SW world will be kept alive...this is great people, I can't imagine a world without new SW comics, games, re-releases, books, etc. even if I'm not that interested anymore (only in SW videogames, basically)...

lazycrockett said:

shorttrini said:

Why in the HELL would someone want to ruin a good thing....I kno....I know, Lucas jumped on the 3D bandwagon and sold out for money.

George sold out decades ago, this is just another grab for cash. It would have been interesting to see what would have become of Lucas's career if star wars had been a small popular hit and not the phenom it became.

Lucas deserves some credit for American Graffiti, the old SW trilogy, the creation of the Indiana Jones character & The Young Indiana Jones Tv series (which had some amazingly good episodes), the creation of LucasArts (which developed some of the best videogames of the 90s and early-00s) and the technical achievements of the new SW trilogy...

on the other hand, this is the guy that brought us Howard the Duck, Jar-Jar Binks and The Crystal Skull, so...

they better not do this shit with Star Trek....

(I like Wars, I just love Trek far, far more )

Bleeding the fans DRY.

I wonder if it will be the original three or the re-release versions.

JerseyKRS said:

I wonder if it will be the original three or the re-release versions.

It'll probably be 3D versions of the re-release versions and they'll make a load of money off of all that .

JerseyKRS said:

I wonder if it will be the original three or the re-release versions.

You could probably find out by actually reading the original post.

retina said:

JerseyKRS said:

I wonder if it will be the original three or the re-release versions.

It'll probably be 3D versions of the re-release versions and they'll make a load of money off of all that .

another grumpy individual who couldn't accept in 1997 the fact that the effects of the old trilogy were hopelessly dated and needed a remake...

JoeTyler said:

retina said:

It'll probably be 3D versions of the re-release versions and they'll make a load of money off of all that .

another grumpy individual who couldn't accept in 1997 the fact that the effects of the old trilogy were hopelessly dated and needed a remake...

I'd take those real and physical stop motion, guy-in-suit and miniature effects over video game-style CGI bullshit any day. Besides, nothing ever needs a remake. If it was so good that new generations should enjoy it, just re-release it.

retina said:

JoeTyler said:

another grumpy individual who couldn't accept in 1997 the fact that the effects of the old trilogy were hopelessly dated and needed a remake...

I'd take those real and physical stop motion, guy-in-suit and miniature effects over video game-style CGI bullshit any day. Besides, nothing ever needs a remake. If it was so good that new generations should enjoy it, just re-release it.

I like both effects styles... but why re-do something that's clearly a classic? it's like colorizing the old b&w movies; stupid, IMHO.

PositivityNYC said:

retina said:

I'd take those real and physical stop motion, guy-in-suit and miniature effects over video game-style CGI bullshit any day. Besides, nothing ever needs a remake. If it was so good that new generations should enjoy it, just re-release it.

I like both effects styles... but why re-do something that's clearly a classic? it's like colorizing the old b&w movies; stupid, IMHO.

Exactly. Good point.

As for CGI I don't mind it too much when it does what it's good at; non-moving backgrounds, water, and a few other things. When they do whole characters it just stands out like a sore thumb though. You can tell that it's not part of the physical reality of all the other things on the screen.

retina said:

PositivityNYC said:

I like both effects styles... but why re-do something that's clearly a classic? it's like colorizing the old b&w movies; stupid, IMHO.

Exactly. Good point.

As for CGI I don't mind it too much when it does what it's good at; non-moving backgrounds, water, and a few other things. When they do whole characters it just stands out like a sore thumb though. You can tell that it's not part of the physical reality of all the other things on the screen.

as far as I remember, the re-releases only featured CGI spacebattles, not characters, and that was the key of the remakes: just 5 or 7 minutes of CGI battle sequences that looked 10000x better than the friggin' miniature effects.

PositivityNYC said:

they better not do this shit with Star Trek....

(I like Wars, I just love Trek far, far more )

PositivityNYC said:

they better not do this shit with Star Trek....

(I like Wars, I just love Trek far, far more )

I would not worry about the vintage Star Trek films receiving the 3D conversion treatment. Who would buy tickets to see them?

TotalANXiousNESS said:

JerseyKRS said:

I wonder if it will be the original three or the re-release versions.

You could probably find out by actually reading the original post.

oh snap!

I am not a big fan of 3-D. I think it should die instead of the music industry.

Identity said:

PositivityNYC said:

they better not do this shit with Star Trek....

(I like Wars, I just love Trek far, far more )

I would not worry about the vintage Star Trek films receiving the 3D conversion treatment. Who would buy tickets to see them?

probably no one; most of us Trekkers & Trekkies won't even buy the remastered TOS dvds

it's not... authentic

http://movies.yahoo.com/n...ns-reuters (Has Comments section @ bottom)

"Star Wars" fans seem angered by 3D release plans

Source: Reuters
Thu Sep 30, 2010, 3:25 am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Like a lightsaber to the midsection, reactions to news that George Lucas is planning to rerelease 3D versions of the "Star Wars" sextet have been swift and, more often than not, deadly.

But when the Force actually is with them, will fans be able to stay away?

For every "I'll be first in line," there are another 20-30 Web comments along the lines of "SW is just a machine now," "I'll stay away in droves," "Lucas is beating a dead horse" or "Never have I seen something so amazing be systematically destroyed."

Lucas and Fox plan to rerelease the "Star Wars" franchise in state-of-the-art 3D conversions beginning in 2012 with one film annually led by the much-mocked prequels. That means the original "Star Wars" and its two sequels won't start rolling out until 2015.

The rolling theatrical releases inevitably would set up 3D DVD versions that would facilitate the ultimate home-viewing experience once 3D-capable televisions have become fixtures in four to six years.

A specific date for the first release, "The Phantom Menace," has not been announced, but sources said Fox and Lucas are looking at a mid-February launch.

On paper, the news should be every fanboy's dream. The groundbreaking nature and scope of Lucas's original trilogy, launched in 1977, have practically begged for a 3D treatment to match its ambitions. But for many of the die-hards, that starship has long since sailed.

A lot has happened in the three decades between the theatrical release of "Return of the Jedi" in 1983 and what will be the first of the new 3D versions. For one thing, Lucas made three other movies in the saga, which were almost universally panned. He also has already done several rereleases and recuts of the original trilogy that updated the effects and added new or deleted footage in ways that many found sacrilegious (see: the widespread "Han Shot First" campaign, or Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary "The People vs. George Lucas," http://www.peoplevsgeorge.com which had its world premiere at SXSW this year).

For those with a negative view of the post-1983 "Star Wars" output, the idea of yet another iteration -- especially using a conversion process many have found lacking in recent releases such as "Clash of the Titans" and "The Last Airbender" -- is cause for great despair.

"People are just too down on conversions," said Jeremy Smith, West Coast editor of Ain't It Cool News. "It doesn't even matter what the film is -- with the exception of animation. The conversations have gone from 'F--- conversion' to 'George Lucas is a money-grubbing whatever.'

"There has been some enthusiasm for the new development. A lot of parents, who grew up during the original fever, are excited for their kids (and grandkids) to see the original films in the theater. And some just can't get enough "Star Wars," no matter what the reservations.

For those on the fence, their loyalty remains partially intact but devoted only to the original trilogy. (NotMalcolmRee'sd comment on Ain't It Cool News is typical: "i will not sit thru the prequels again even in 10 dimensions.")

Many wish Lucas would do something new rather than keep futzing with the existing movies -- even make a seventh film in the series or a whole new trilogy with new characters, in 3D or otherwise. But in the absence of that, just how many fans would be willing to bypass the chance to see what Lucas would do with 3D?

"My gut feeling is that it will do well, on the level of what the '97 releases did," Smith said. "They'll get the die-hards out, they'll get people taking their kids. These kids are as into 'Star Wars' as their parents. And kids don't have the hatred toward 'Star Wars' as people in my generation."

The 1997 "special edition" rereleases of "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" grossed $138 million, $68 million and $45 million, respectively. Notable is the decline in interest as the trilogy progresses (most loyalists place the first two as the only genuine classics), with the second trilogy -- the prequels -- drawing limitless derision despite having grossed more during release.

Returns on a 3D rerelease of "Phantom Menace," the first scheduled, are likely to be significantly less than a 3D rerelease of "Star Wars" or "Empire" and thus a questionable test case for future conversions.

JoeTyler said:

retina said:

Exactly. Good point.

As for CGI I don't mind it too much when it does what it's good at; non-moving backgrounds, water, and a few other things. When they do whole characters it just stands out like a sore thumb though. You can tell that it's not part of the physical reality of all the other things on the screen.

as far as I remember, the re-releases only featured CGI spacebattles, not characters, and that was the key of the remakes: just 5 or 7 minutes of CGI battle sequences that looked 10000x better than the friggin' miniature effects.

Original:

Remake:

Don't do CGI, kids.

The elephant puppet is pretty bad, but the re-made scene just doesn't fit in with the rest of the movie. It looks like what it is--something created years later.

this is beating a dead horse ..so let me guess, the blu ray versions will have something the 3D movies won't and then that will spawn years later ..star wars 3D dvd box sets down the road ..lawd ...i don't even have a blu ray player!!

L4OATheOriginal said:

this is beating a dead horse ..so let me guess, the blu ray versions will have something the 3D movies won't and then that will spawn years later ..star wars 3D dvd box sets down the road ..lawd ...i don't even have a blu ray player!!

I guess we will have:

Star Wars 3D BluRay box xet 1997 rerelease films

Star Wars 3D DVD box xet 1997 rerelease films

Star Wars 3D BluRay box xet original release films

Star Wars 3D DVD box xet original release films

man, I'd kill for a new trilogy (episodes 7-9)...

Thoughts...

It's the "special edition" original trilogy that will be converted to 3D. George has said many times that he will no longer work with the original trilogy as it was first released to theaters.

He's actually been talking about this for a while, so as mentioned, it was inevitable.

The reason it hasn't happened already is that converting to stereo 3D without making a complete mess of the source material is VERY tricky. I hope they take their time and do the best job possible. They're going to FURTHER piss of a lot of people if they don't.

Is it beating a dead horse? Is it another cash grab? Yes, and no. At this point I'm a little shocked that people haven't reached some level of peace with the fact that George Lucas is going to continue messing with Star Wars until the day he dies. It's "his thing". Any time a new technology comes along that he can apply to the film we may as well assume that he's going to do so.

Personally, I'm more interested in the Blu-Ray releases with a ton of never before seen extras. Those are supposedly also on the way.

I will go see the OT 3D releases. Mainly just because seeing the original trilogy in a theater is a bad ass experience. I went to all three the last time they were re-released to theaters, too. If the 3D doesn't completely suck it should be a lot of fun. It's always great to see all the kids watching Star Wars the way it was meant to be seen for the first time.... and I hate kids!

While I like the prequel trilogy, versus the LOVE I feel for the OT, I will never under any circumstances pay to see those in a theater again. I don't care if the ticket price includes a meal, massage AND a happy ending. Those are just fine on DVD.

Edit to make clear that I'll only pay to see the OT again... not the prequels!

[Edited 9/30/10 13:28pm]