George Lucas has already spoken in the past of re-releasing all of the Star Wars films in 3D, and apparently 2012 will be the year when enough theatres will be equipped to display Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
If the reception is favourable, the rest of the series will debut in 3D, but the real question isn't whether people will be willing to pay a premium for a ticket to have 'Mannequin Anakin' and Jar Jar Binks invading your private space bubble; it's whether anyone will care about the franchise.
George isn't testing the waters; that's all smoke and mirrors. He's releasing Episode 1 to get everyone siked for the rest of the films that are also being converted to 3D.
2012 is also far ahead that he'll snag a generation too young to know anything else but the 3 awful prequels that made older and wiser fans queasy (and bored). The generation who grew up on the original first 3 films from the 70s and 80s are economically irrelevant because they're not the ones who will make George more money; they'll buy the original trilogy on Blu-ray and maybe BR 3D when the full 3D setup doesn't cost $4000. They'll likely catch the originals on the big screen as well, but it's the younger consumer base who'll keep the franchise alive, as George regurgitates mediocre material in three dimensions in cinemas, and in your home.
Not that the following singular post and series of reader comments reflect the fan base at large, but there will be people who just won't care anymore, and the only benefit will be George's pickiness for perfect effects yielding an improved cinematic delivery system, if not a standard that won't mandate multiple mixes and formats and prints for international release, as was done for James Cameron's Avatar. Further thoughts and media links are also available at the Digital Bits.
Sticking to 3D news, the Toronto Star reports that CBC will broadcast 2 hockey games in 3D on the following nights: Dec. 11, and Feb. 20, 2011. Unlike the recent airing of Queen Elizabeth in 3D, the hockey games will require a proper 3D set and glasses.
Incidentally, there are still some local postal outlets that have stock of the ColorCode 3D glasses needed for the Queen 3D broadcast. Not sure whether the glasses will get junked or shoved into storage for a repeat airing sometime in the future, but I managed to get a pair from the small outlet in the Loblaws at Queen's Quay and Leslie via a friend (thanks, Hauke!), making it possible to review the CBC and Channel 4 edits of the special in 3D. Watch for the reviews around the middle of next week.
Lastly, there's more 3D gear making the news at Atlanta's CEDIA Expo, such as JVC's HD-3D projection system, with models whose price ranges span $4,495 to $11,995 USD.
Hey, I remember when Sony's industrial 1.33:1 projection system cost $56,000 CAD back in the mid-90s, so things have improved for early adopters with big wallets.
I think.
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