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Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a film that famously divides opinions and loyalties. But even the most contrarian Corellian has to admit that the film’s main villain, Darth Maul , was a highlight.  Now, the devil-horned Sith Lord is the star of his very own fan-made short film. Serving as a sort of mini-prequel to Episode I, Darth Maul: Apprentice is a 17-minute film written and directed by German film student Shawn Bu. There’s not a great deal of story here – the basic plot could be summed up with the word “lightsabers”. But damn, if it isn’t pretty. Boasting the sort of production values that fan films rarely offer, we see Maul’s famous double-sided lightsaber slice its way through Jedi like a knife through Force-sensitive butter. There’s even a decent stab at a Palpatine impression. As with any fan film, it is emphatically unofficial and non-canon; it remains to be seen whether the legal chin-scratchers at Disney and LucasFilm will let this one lie. But with n

Deadline is reporting that for now from Lucasfilm‘s promotional partners who are telling me the studio now owned by Disney wants to focus only on “rebooting the franchise” with three new Star Wars films . This surprising decision follows the underwhelming box office performance of Episode I: The Phantom Menace re-released in 3D in February 2012. It debuted to only $23M domestically but maybe even more importantly hardcore fans felt it was yet another craven cash grab by George Lucas. Back in September 2010, Lucasfilm and then-distributor Fox announced that all 6 films in the Star Wars franchise would be converted to 3D. Episode II: Attack Of The Clones (first released on May 16, 2002) was to hit theaters in 3D on September 20th, 2013, while Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (first released on May 19, 2005) was to play in 3D on October 11, 2013. This news comes just days after Disney confirmed that J.J. Abrams will direct the new Star Wars: Episode VII scheduled to be released

THR got a chance to sit down with Uncle George and ask him 5 hot questions that everyone wants to know the answer to. With yet another re-invigoration of the massive Star Wars franchise —hello, 3-Delirum! — the Star Wars creator confronts the controversy of content changes (again), shares his views on SOPA and gives an update on Indiana Jones 5 . In this 3D conversion of what is Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, were there any changes made to any characters or the plot, or was it just a conversion? George Lucas: Changes are not unusual — I mean, most movies when they release them they make changes. But somehow, when I make the slightest change, everybody thinks it’s the end of the world. That whole issue between filmmakers and the studios with the studios being able to change things without even letting the director of the movie know … I’m very much involved in that [so that’s not happening here]. … My job is to try to make the best possible movie it can be — and the current ver

Among the Super Bowl's movie ads: Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace , which is being re-released in IMAX 3D theaters this Friday. The 30-second spot -- released by Lucasfilm Ltd. and 20th Century Fox -- barely showed any scenes from Phantom Menace, which hit theaters in 1999 amid disappointment from fans of George Lucas' sci-fi franchise who missed the original blockbusters. Super Bowl XLVI Movie Trailer Round Up- In the clip, you'll see Mark Hamill, Darth Vader, light saber fighting and, from recent Star Wars sequels, an CGI-enhanced Yoda and Liam Neeson, who portrayed good-guy Qui-Gon Jinn in Phantom Menace. Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic is supervising the 3D conversion of Phantom Menace. If the first in the series is successful at the box office, the remaining five movies would follow a year apart on similar dates. However, depending on how the first release performs, Lucas and Fox could also decide to open the subsequent entries in various spots

Here are 5 new posters for the 3D rerelease of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace are now online, thanks to Kino Gallery . The films will re-release in internal-saga order beginning with The Phantom Menace, which is scheduled to be released on February 10, 2012 See all the posters after the Jump... Please Leave A Comment-

You may recall that, a couple of weeks ago, the poster for the first 3D reissue of the Star Wars saga arrived like an apocalyptic sign warning that The Phantom Menace was coming back to theaters. But even if you squeezed your eyes shut tight, plugged your ears and began humming the Imperial March at top volume, you can’t ignore the fact. And now comes the second sign: the trailer is online and can be watched below. There’s not exactly a whole lot new to see here, and since the trailer itself is not in 3D, we’re a little confused why Lucas and co thought it needed to go online. But then any awareness is good awareness, even if you’re part of a film series that has already earned billions. Naturally, the focus is on the stuff that will look best in 3D, with the space battles and the pod racing given the most exposure. But hey! You get to hear Peter Serafinowicz intone one of the best-remembered lines from the film. So there's a total upside here. Star Wars Episode I: The

They've been rolling closer for some time now, but here's real proof that the Star Wars 3D reissues are really, actually, honestly happening, with a poster for The Phantom Menace . It's back, and this time it's stereoscopic. You'll note that the poster designers have emphasised the more popular elements of the film here: Darth Maul is front and centre, Ewan McGregor and Yoda get a look in, but Jake Lloyd and Jar Jar are nowhere to be seen. Contrast this with the original poster back in 1999 below, where both got a shot. We're not quite sure why the still-popular Liam Neeson and Natalie Portman have lost their spot, however; presumably it's simply to make this one look different to 1999's, or perhaps it's more important to remind us that there will be pod-racing and space battles in 3D. The teaser's still the best of the lot though. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is out in 3D on February 10, 2012. Please Leave A Comment

Good old George Lucas just can't leave anything alone. Via Slashfilms Uncle George has replaced the puppet Yoda in The Phantom Menace with a fully CGI Yoda for the upcoming Blu-Ray release of Star Wars The Complete Saga . Comapre them both after the Jump... Please Leave A Comment-

Another Star Wars Box Set. Don't I already Own 5 Different Sets? The most anticipated Blu-ray release ever -- the Star Wars Saga -- emerges from light speed this September 2011. For the first time, all six of George Lucas' epic films (Episodes I-VI) are united in one complete set. Fans worldwide are able to pre-order now with online retailers. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Star Wars in three distinct sets to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan: * Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films) * Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III) * Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI) Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen dele

Disney's Star Tours Revamp Video From D23 Getting chill's just watching this. I will be heading down to Disneyland next month to get one last ride on Star Tours and can not wait till 2011. presentation The video features the clip of a new pod race sequence, drawn from Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace. The revamped Star Tours is set to open in 2011. Star Tours Getting an Updated Look To Reopen in 2011 Please Leave A Comment-

Star Tours Getting an Updated Look To Reopen in 2011 This has been a long time coming. As a Child I really enjoyed the ride and to this day every time I go to Disneyland I have to ride Star Tours. After watching The Phantom Menace , I thought to myself that would be Really cool if they updated Star Tours with Pod Racing and Look what Happened. I am heading down to Disneyland in October so I better get one last ride on Star Tours. Johnny Depp is a tough act to follow, so Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo brought in the heavy artillery today to announce plans to update the Star Tours attraction at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla. Radulo deadpanned that he had some "bad news" for the Disneyphiles attending the D23 Expo -- Star Tours would close in Oct 2010 . On cue, Stormtroopers marched on stage as the martial sound of John Williams' "Imperial March" played. Darth Vader appeared on the giant screen