Big honking Saturday morning rumor here! According to IESB.net, George Lucas will be creating a new trilogy once the first six Star Wars movies go 3D. This echoes what Lucas did in the 1990s after the original trilogy was rereleased.


When you check the link, IESB.net may be down from a traffic surge, but here are the pertinent details:

George Lucas is plotting to create new Star Wars movies at the ultra top-secret Skywalker Ranch. This is deja vu of the mid '90s when Uncle George start[ed] tweaking the Holy Trilogy to gear up for the Special Editions. [...] These new film will have nothing to do with the live action television series currently in development. That show already has over 50 scripts ready to go and plenty of pre-production time and money has been spent on artwork and storyboards. Once that show goes into production, Lucasfilm hopes to be able to produce at least 100 episodes since that is the threshold for syndication in the United States [...Fans] can expect the new trilogy after the entire saga is released in 3D which is expected to be complete around 2015 or 2016.


Also, the trilogy is reported to kick off approximately 24 months after the 3Ding of Return of the Jedi, and the next three episodes (which could be either Episodes 7-9 or 10-12) could possibly "occur as far as 100 years or 1,000 years in the Star Wars universe future." Furthermore, the IESB source claims that the movie will not focus on the Skywalker clan.

IESB's broken a couple pretty big scoops (including Joss Whedon being tapped to direct The Avengers and the PG-13 rating of Revenge of the Sith), but it's a rumor that should nonetheless be taken with a grain of salt.

UPDATE: Underwire reports that Lucasfilm has denied the possibility of a new trilogy, but that's expected either way.

Gold star goes to tipster Omgwtflolbbqbye!

[Spotted on Underwire. Photo via Bonnie Burton & Lesley Farquhar via Laughing Squid.]