The 3D releases of the final two Star Wars prequel
films have been postponed to enable filmmakers to concentrate on Episode VII.
Disney/Lucasfilm confirmed that Star
Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones and Episode III - Revenge of the Sith are
to be delayed in the wake of Star Trek director JJ Abrams being confirmed as
the director of the forthcoming movie, Episode VII. The film is set for a 2015
release.
Disney
bought Lucasfilm, the company behind Star Wars, from creator George Lucas last
month for £2.6bn.
Episode I - The Phantom Menace was
released in 3D last February and earned $22.4m (£14.3m) in the US in its
opening weekend. The original prequels were released between 1999 and 2005.
Darth Maul from Episode I: The Phantom Menace |
Abrams
directed the Star Trek reboot in 2009 and its upcoming sequel, Star Trek into
Darkness, to be released May. Lucas said he was the "ideal choice" to
direct the the seventh movie in the series - due out in 2015 - adding "the
legacy couldn't be in better hands".
It
will be scripted by Oscar-winning writer Michael Arndt.