Jar Jar Binks haters are already cringing, but the countdown has officially begun. Mark your calendars, because film history is going to be made on February 10th, 2012 (02-10-12) when Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace returns to theaters in 3D. Sorta. Of course, the film wasn't originally shot in 3D, but it's possible to create a convincing 3D effect with the proper application of time, processing power and money. And the extensive CGI work can be re-rendered in 3D as well, which can bring a believable sense of depth to the moving image.
The folks at Fox, LucasFilm, and ILM are betting that enough of us are going to flood theaters to watch the 3D-conversion of the Star Wars saga to make this whole 3D meshugas worthwhile. In many ways, the release of the Phantom Menace may be the "make it or break it" moment for the entire revitalized 3D industry, because if the most famous film series in motion picture history can't sell the technology, nothing can.
LucasFilm announced back in September 2010 that the six films were going to be reintroduced in theaters in 3D starting in 2012, but this is the first confirmation of an actual release date. Fans of the original trilogy (the good one), will have to wait until 2015 for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. 2016 for The Empire Strikes Back. 2017 for Return of the Jedi.
3D-conversions have not exactly wowed audiences so far; Clash of the Titans as an example of a horrible rush job that just stunk, but we suspect that George Lucas and Co. is going to do something considerably more impressive. Otherwise, he's going to have a full-scale revolt led by the 501st Legion on his hands. Our editor Chris Boylan saw some of the early upconverted Star Wars 3D footage from the original film (aka "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope") as early as 2007 and was impressed by what he saw.
But back to Episode I, we're hoping that LucasFilm will improve the movie itself by adding some of the cut Darth Maul footage that we know exists somewhere at the ranch. More Darth Maul, George, a lot more. Anything to take our minds off Jar Jar Binks and Natalie Portman's wooden performance.
2012 is going to be a great time to get your freaky Zabrak on.
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