Source: StarWars.com | Posted By: Dan Geer

As was announced last September, the Star Wars saga will be converted to 3D for theatrical release starting in 2012 with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Now, thanks to StarWars.com, we know that the official release date for Episode I will be February 10, 2012! Hit the jump for an excerpt from the announcement.

Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox announced today that the 3D theatrical launch of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace now has an official release date — February 10, 2012! Set against the thrilling and exotic backdrop of a “galaxy far, far away,” Star Wars is perfectly suited to the immersive 3D theatrical experience, and Episode I delivers some of the Saga’s most stunning and spectacular sequences — from the Naboo invasion to the Tatooine Podraces to the climactic lightsaber battle between Darth Maul and the Jedi.

The announcement also reiterates that this “meticulous” 3D conversion will be supervised by Industrial Light & Magic and will be done “with the utmost respect for the source material.” This is most likely due to the common perception that you only get poor results from converting a film shot in 2D to 3D. ILM has stated in the past that they are perfectly aware of this and are taking their time to do it right. Plus, the technology keeps growing, with the results becoming better and better with time.

Details are still fuzzy on when the rest of the films will be released, but my guess is still every 6 months to a year. Stay tuned as more details emerge!