Avatar Tech May Finally Make Way For 3-D Star Wars, Says George Lucas
Last we heard about a 3-D version of theStar Warssaga,George Lucasmentioned back in August 2008 that he hadput LucasFilm to workon developing the technology to make it happen. At that point, he said that the technology worked great, but it wasn’t very practical. Now wehave wordthat Lucas was wowed byAvatar’s3-D tech, and that it may be just the push LucasFilm needed to adaptStar Wars.
This doesn’t mean that LucasFilm will liftAvatar’stech directly, but they’ll likely get a few ideas for making their own tech more usable from James Cameron and crew’s many years of effort. (I’m sure this will all go down well with theAvatarhaters.)
It was inevitable that Lucas would finally figure out a simple method to convert his cash cow franchise to 3-D. I had always figured that we’d see 3-DStar Warssometime this next decade, and this news solidifies that timeline even further.
Honestly, it’s not the move to 3-D that worries me, it’s the potential for Lucas to go in and edit even more of the original trilogy. We could see edits that drastically change the tone of scenes like theinfamous Han/Greedo shootout, or perhaps even another change like Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw inReturn of the Jedi. I’m just hoping that Lucas has grown tired of the constant re-edits.
As for the 3-D conversion itself, I actually have no problem with Lucas updating the series to utilize the latest theatrical technology. It’s a money-grab for sure given the higher ticket prices for 3-D theaters — but it’s anawesomemoney-grab. The only problem is that they’ll likely see the best results convertingAttack of the ClonesandRevenge of the Sithsince they were shot entirely digitally.
3-D probably won’t be the end ofStar Warstheatrical re-releases either, but I suppose if there’s one film series that every generation needs to revisit in theaters, it’s this one.
Discuss: Would you watch the 3-DStar Warsreleases? Are there any particular edits you’re worried about Lucas making?
