Original Star Wars Trilogy to be released on DVD

[MacGuffin]

'Star Wars' saga gets 3D makeover
Converted 'Phantom Menace' to hit theaters in 2012
Source: Variety

After more than five years of teasing, Lucasfilm disclosed today that work is under way on converting the "Star Wars" saga to 3D.

All six pics will get theatrical re-release in stereoscopic starting with "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," which returns to theaters in 2012.

Exact release date has not been announced, but a Lucasfilm spokesperson said the pic will open wide and "as close to day and date (worldwide) as possible."

The prospect of six "Star Wars" pics released in 3D should stifle speculation that the format is a fading fad. It also promises to reintroduce the franchise to young auds who are used to 3D and only know 'Star Wars' from homevideo and the "Clone Wars" Cartoon Network skein.

20th Century Fox will once again distribute. Fox domestic distribution prexy Bruce Snyder called the series "perfectly suited" for 3D and said "I expect this to be as much fun for people that have not experienced 'Star Wars' as it was for people who were there in 1977 staring at the screen with mouth agape."

Spacing of the re-releases has not yet been determined, as that will depend on the pace of the conversion effort.

There are no plans yet for a homevideo release.

John Knoll, visual effects supervisor for Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic, is overseeing the conversion, which is being done by outside vendors with close oversight by ILM.

Knoll said Lucasfilm is committed to ensuring that the 3D conversion delivers results as good as a movie shot and authored in 3D. Knoll said that it'll be used to make the experience more immersive and he'll avoid some of the more jarring, exaggerated uses of 3D that have marked previous stereoscopic pics.

"Having seen a lot of stereo material, I have very strong opinions about what I like and don't like about stereo," Knoll told Variety. "I'm going to be applying my aesthetic. It's not going to look like (conversions) we've seen in the past."

Knoll said there are no plans to add or fix visual effects on the movies. Over the years, Lucas's digital tweaks on the original trilogy pics have generated pushback from fans.

[polkablues]

Keep on flogging, George.

[Pubrick]

Someone put him out of his misery already.

He's like a man burning alive, screaming out sounds that resemble words but they are really just cries of pain.

[Fernando]

I see him like this, a spoiled obnoxious kid:

regarding sw, he only thinks about this:

[cine]

call me crazy, but if there was a plausible way for me to make billions of dollars off my movie franchise, i would do it.

but that's crazy me. maybe i'm in the minority.

[Pubrick]

he's already got billions.

i think everyone was fine with him up til the prequels, and no one could have begrudged him the billion dollars that came with them if it weren't for the fact that he could have at least NOT MADE THEM SHITTY.

the prequels were one of the most regrettable episodes in the history of cinema. like godfather part III times a million (billion). i think it's the main reason ppl think every decision he makes these days is derisible.

[polkablues]

And it would be one thing if he understood that the prequels were shit.  Even if he gave the slightest hint of laughing it off, I could get past it.  But to this day, he maintains that the prequels were exactly what he was going for all along, and Empire is the worst movie of the series.  It's not about the billions of dollars to him; he still considers himself an auteur, and he considers the prequels his goddamn masterpiece.  You just can't reason with mental illness that pervasive.

[Gold Trumpet]

Isn't it childhood memory which convinces people that any of the Star Wars movies are any good? Entertainment wise, it's pretty easy to see how much better the early Indiana Jones series is to the Star Wars movies. The Star Wars prequels make the originals look better because they are so stiff, but if those films added a light tone with corny jokes and dropped half of the dialogue, for me, you would get the original movies. It's all bad.

[Pubrick]

nah, you just a hater.

[Gold Trumpet]

Compliment coming from you.

[Gamblour.]

Isn't it childhood memory which convinces people that any of the Star Wars movies are any good? Entertainment wise, it's pretty easy to see how much better the early Indiana Jones series is to the Star Wars movies. The Star Wars prequels make the originals look better because they are so stiff, but if those films added a light tone with corny jokes and dropped half of the dialogue, for me, you would get the original movies. It's all bad.

No way man. New Hope was on the other day, and I got completely sucked in. The characters are fucking iconic and charming, and you care about what they're trying to achieve. Star Wars is a great movie, in any context. And saying that the prequels films would be like the originals if you added a lighter tone, corny jokes, and lost some dialogue is like saying Thomas Kinkade would be Picasso if he just moved his brush a bit different. And corny jokes? Wtf are you talking about?

[Alexandro]

i don't know about childhood memory. maybe it convince people that those movies are better than they are. but no on in their right mind, even someone like me (I've never liked those movies one bit) can claim anything contrary to the simple fact than those three first movies are infinitely superior to the last three in every possible way. all 6 are popcorn entertainment, but the last three are really bad popcorn and the first three at least have a certain charm to them.

[Stefen]

I actually prefer the prequels haha.

The originals are kind of bad. They're so dated. The first one is charming in that low budget cool idea sort of way, but Empire is really dated and if you already know all the twists, it doesn't offer much but nostalgia. Jedi is terrible. Phantom Menace is pretty terrible, but I stood in line to see it when it came out. One of my fondest movie memories. Episode II is pretty cool for the fights and Episode III was fucking awesome. Seriously, when Ani and Obi-Wan are about to throw down and it's inter-cut with Yoda entering the Chancellors quarters I lost my shit.

[Alexandro]

well that fucks up my point.

[Stefen]

No, you were probably right. My taste is just awful. Gets me into trouble all the time.