A galaxy far, far away could seem considerably closer if George Lucas's plans to re-release the Star Wars films in 3D, apparently in emulation of James Cameron's success, come to fruition

It's been an interesting period for George Lucas watchers. First came the Star Wars creator's admission that it might be time to trot out his space opera series on the big screen once again - this time in 3D - in the wake of Avatar's spectacular box office take. Then, earlier this week, bloggers began to pick up on a new project which looks likely to be the next to emerge from LucasFilm, a CGI fantasy about fairies.

Not too many details have yet emerged of the latter movie, which has gone into preproduction at Skywalker ranch in California, with Lucas taking an executive producer's role. Kevin Monroe of TMNT (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated reboot) is directing from a script by David Berenbaum of Elf and The Spiderwick Chronicles fame. As a LucasFilm project, it's likely that Lucas came up with the original idea: If so, the movie would mark a rare foray outside the Star Wars and Indiana Jones universes for the film-maker.

While the fairies project is still firmly under wraps, Lucas did speak to Access Hollywood earlier this month to talk how Avatar's spectacular success has reignited a long-held desire to bring all six Star Wars movies - and yes, that does mean the Phantom Menace et al - back to cinemas in stereoscopic vision.

"I liked it," Lucas said, in reference to James Cameron's megalith. "I'm happy it's so successful, and worked very well in 3D. Haven't been a big fan of 3D, but that movie definitely improves in the field of 3D.

"We've been looking for years and years and years of trying to take Star Wars and put it in 3D," he added. "But the technology hasn't been there. We've been struggling with it, but I think this will be a new impetus to make that happen."

Of course, Star Wars has already been back on the big screen once before, in the mid 90s, when Lucas delivered new versions of the wonderful original trilogy with - in most cases - utterly superfluous and often hugely jarring CGI additions. One can only hope that Lucas swallows his pride this time around and gets his minions at Industrial Light and Magic (who also helped out on Avatar) to produce special effects work which actually blends into the style of the original films. Let's lose the appalling scene in which Han Solo meets a CGI Jabba in Star Wars (I refuse to call it A New Hope), the horrendously irritating digitised band in Return of the Jedi, not to mention the completely unnecessary addition of a beak and tentacles to the Sarlacc, which was always far more terrifying as simply a gap-toothed maw in the desert.

Beyond that, I can't really see too many arguments against bringing the films back in 3D. Every 10 years or so there is a new generation who haven't had a chance to see them on the big screen, and these movies really are capable of inspiring children at entirely new levels.

Unfortunately, given Lucas's refusal to accept that the later prequels experienced an enormous drop in quality in comparison to his earlier triptych, the chances are that we are likely to witness The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith get the 3D treatment first. I do sort of wonder whether there will be much demand for seeing these films again: their success, for me, was mainly predicated on the continuing reputation of the original trilogy. People in their 20s and 30s bought tickets to The Phantom Menace in the hope of re-experiencing the joy which the earlier films had brought them as kids, then managed to persuade themselves that the next two instalments would surely be better. But with the third film, Revenge of the Sith, having long been and gone, it's apparent that none of these films really came close to capturing the spirit of their predecessors. The later prequel films performed well at the box office, but will those who saw them the first time round really pay again to see them in 3D?

What do you reckon to Lucas's plan to bring back Star Wars once again? And does the idea of a LucasFilm produced CGI fantasy about fairies appeal to you? Answers on a post, please.