Return of the franchise: Animated 'Star Wars' movie set

LOS ANGELES -- He said "Revenge of the Sith" would be his final "Star Wars" film, but creator George Lucas is taking another shot at silver screens with the animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" in movie theaters in August.

Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Warner Bros. film studio said Tuesday they would release the movie on Aug. 15, ahead of the fall debut of an animated TV series of the same name on cable television's Cartoon Network and TNT.

"I felt there were a lot more 'Star Wars' stories left to tell," Lucas said in a statement. "I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward."

The six-film "Star Wars" series is one of Hollywood's most lucrative franchises. It started with the initial "Star Wars" in 1977 and ended with 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."

At the time of "Sith," Lucas said he would not make another "Star Wars" movie, but has said he was in development on the animated TV show. In fact, Lucas told Reuters he thought he might go back to making smaller, more artistic films, although he never said exactly what he had on his mind.

The new stories will take place between episodes II and III in the "Star Wars" timeline. Key characters such as Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala will be joined by new heroes. Lucasfilm said each episode on TV would be like a 30-minute "mini-movie" with Jedi Knights battling familiar villains like Count Dooku and General Grievous.