The ambitious project to recreate and re-release all six Star Wars films in 3D may not materialize as originally expected.
Instead, Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum said it may now only be one title – The Phantom Menace – that gets the remastered honor.
It’s not a confirmed scaling back just yet, but McCallum admitted it is possible if viewer demand is not as high as it would like.
In an interview with a website called Ceskapozice.cz, the producer said the plan is to release every Star Wars film, in chronological order, in 3D, at a rate of “one a year, if they work.”
However, “If they don’t then there will be just one.” Because the studio will be converting them to 3D and releasing them theatrically in chronological order, the only confirmed title is thus Episode I, The Phantom Menace.
The 2D to 3D conversion process hasn’t exactly proven to be a big hit among moviegoers. Flicks like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans drew scathing reviews for what was seen to be a last-minute effort to bilk more money out of theater patrons. Neither film was shot in 3D, and the conversion process was cheap and, to many, not worth the extra money.
But Avatar director James Cameron has said the conversion process can be successful if filmmakers actually do it right. Cameron plans to re-release Titanic in 3D next year, and promises it will be a worthy 3D experience, even though the film was obviously shot using 2D equipment.
Likewise, George Lucas wants the Star Wars 3D experiment to be worthwhile enough for viewers to go back into the theaters and pay to see the movies all over again.
