darth vader 3d 300x224 Star Wars 3D: Its Headed Your WayAccording to Variety, LucasFilm has confirmed that they are in the process of converting all six films in the Star Wars Saga into 3D format. The first film, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, will hit theaters sometime in 2012.

20th Century Fox will once again distribute. Fox domestic distribution prexy Bruce Snyder called the series “perfectly suited” for 3D and said “I expect this to be as much fun for people that have not experienced ‘Star Wars’ as it was for people who were there in 1977 staring at the screen with mouth agape.”

No word on release dates for the remainder of the films as that will be determined by the length of time it takes to actually convert the films over to the new format.

John Knoll, who is the visual effects supervisor for Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, is overseeing the conversion. Knoll promises that the studio is committed to making sure the final products will be just as good as those that are filmed in 3D format.

“Having seen a lot of stereo material, I have very strong opinions about what I like and don’t like about stereo,” Knoll told Variety. “I’m going to be applying my aesthetic. It’s not going to look like (conversions) we’ve seen in the past.”

I think it goes without saying that this will be received with very mixed reviews, as 3D films are seen by some as nothing more than a gimmick for studios to scrape more money out of movie goers. Others feel that it adds a new experience to a film that would otherwise be drab and uneventful.

As for this geek’s opinion, I can’t help but think that this is just one more attempt for Lucas to milk the Star Wars franchise for all it’s worth. Having said that, I am intrigued at the idea of seeing the original trilogy in theaters as I missed out the first time. I’m not a big fan of the 3D gimmick, but this may be one that I set that peeve aside.