Star Wars: The Clone Wars to Cartoon Network and Theaters

Starwars.com has officially announced that the new animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars will air on Cartoon Network beginning this fall, followed by reruns airing shortly after on TNT. Lucasfilm has produced The Clone Wars independently, and until now it was unknown what network would be showing the series.

The Clone Wars deal is part of a new partnership between Lucasfilm, Warner Bros. Pictures and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. Also announced as an important facet of this partnership was confirmation that The Clone Wars will first be seen by audiences as a theatrical film (reportedly collecting the first three episodes), which will be released by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on Friday, August 15th. News had broken recently of the series debuting in theaters in the UK and other international markets, but it wasn't clear if it would play in the U.S. until now. The press release says that international dates will be announced soon.

The announcement gives an overview of the series, saying "On the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil, fans young and old will join such favorite characters as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, along with brand-new heroes like Anakin's padawan learner, Ahsoka. Sinister villains -- led by Darth Sidious, Count Dooku and General Grievous -- are poised to rule the galaxy. Stakes are high, and the fate of the Star Wars universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights. Their exploits lead to the action-packed battles and astonishing new revelations that fill Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

George Lucas is quoted on starwars.com as saying "I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell. I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward." It's also stated in the announcement that "Star Wars: The Clone Wars showcases an entirely new look and feel to the galaxy far, far away -- combining the expansive scope of the Star Wars Saga with state-of-the-art computer-generated animation. Each week, viewers will see a thrilling, 30-minute 'mini-movie' created by the talented artists at Lucasfilm Animation." More than 30 episodes of the series have been completed so far.

The first in a planned series of special web-only documentaries that chronicle the development of Star Wars: The Clone Wars can now be found at starwars.com.

- IGN.com

This is awesome. Its good to see that Star Wars is not dead.