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Inspired by Avatar, George Lucas is preparing to give the 3D treatment to the six films in the Star Wars series for theatrical re-release.

The conversion is being overseen by John Knoll, visual effects supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic, Lucas' company. According to Variety, Lucas wants the conversions to be as good as movies freshly shot in 3D, and Knoll plans to avoid "some of the more jarring, exaggerated uses of 3D.... 'I'm going to be applying my own aesthetic'." Unlike earlier re-releases, the 3D versions will not further tamper with the visual effects of the originals.

Each conversion will take at least a year to complete. That may be why LucasFilm will use "several higher-end conversion houses," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Phantom Menace will be the first to emerge in theaters, in 2012.

When these theatrical re-releases will extend to disc and streaming re-release has not been announced. The next Blu-ray release of the series will be a 2D Blu-ray box of all six films, with upgraded picture and sound, deleted scenes not seen in previous releases, and special features.

See The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.