Lucas announces new 'Star Wars' movie

'Star Wars' creator George Lucas has thrilled fans by announcing his upcoming spin-off TV series 'Clone Wars' will be preceded by a feature-length pilot movie to be released in cinemas.

The animated 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars', which is set immediately before the events portrayed in 2005's 'Revenge Of The Sith', will open in US movie theatres on August 15.

It will be followed by Lucas' long-gestating television series 'Clone Wars', which will air on America's Cartoon Network and TNT channels this autumn.

Lucas has already created 40 half-hour episodes of the show.