Broken Frontier

Lucasfilm has announced that a 3D version of the Star Wars saga will begin hitting theaters in 2012, starting with The Phantom Menace. A release date for the 3D re-release of the 1999 prequel film has not yet been revealed.

“Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right,” said John Knoll, visual effects supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic. “It takes a critical and artistic eye along with an incredible attention to detail to be successful. It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results. For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars experience.”

This is all well and good, but as evidenced from the poor 3D on display in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender, post-production 3D conversion typically doesn’t work out all that well. Hopefully, Lucasfilm has been taking notes to avoid similar missteps.

Also, one wonders if this would be a bigger deal if the 3D Star Wars releases began with A New Hope (the original film). Because let’s be honest, is anyone rushing to the theaters in 2012 to see The Phantom Menace in 3D? I don’t think I could stomach Jar Jar Binks in three dimensions.

For more on the 3D Star Wars saga, click here.