I’m not exactly sure how many times it needs to be confirmed but George Lucas just re-iterated on stage at the Celebration V convention that he’s going to unleash the Star Wars saga on Blu-ray disc. This time, however, we’ve got a rough release window to look forward to – the discs will hit shops next year, in 2011. And they will include never-before-seen deleted scenes!!

According to Newsarama who were live-blogging the on-stage interview of Lucas by Jon Stewart, near the end of the event Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, made an appearance on stage to introduce one of those deleted scenes. From their live-blog:

“* Mark Hamill comes out to a HUGE pop from the crowd.
* Mark “Take a deep breath, and sit down, you’re cutting into George time!”
* Mark: I just saw this clip for the first time on a golf cart on a computer.
* This is my natural entrance as a Jedi.
* When they told me, I said “I vaguely remember this” and when they showed me I really remembered it. It’s very short, but it’s very special.
* For all you ultra-passionate fans, it’s special for you because let’s face it you’re like family.
* This is my original entrance into the film Return of the Jedi.
* Darth Vader walks down a hall, and into a chamber, meditating, reaching out to Luke telepathically.
* Luke is shown in robes, MAKING HIS Lightsaber.
* He turns it on, glowing green, nods, and turns it off.
* Wow. Very cool.
* It was a bit ominous, and was meant to make fans wonder until that Green lightsaber turned on, whether he’d join his father on the darkside or not. “

Check out the two storyboard images and the painting above for an idea of the imagery involved (UPDATE: Watch the deleted Star Wars scene here while you still can!) And just in case that’s not enough for you to chew on, here’s an even more vivid description of the scene we’ll see on the Blu-ray next year, from the Return of the Jedi soundtrack booklet:

“After a bold resolution of Vader’s theme, the music continues with TATOOINE RENDEZVOUS, most of which accompanies a sequence eliminated from the film. In it, Vader uses the Force to contact his son, Luke Skywalker. The tone of the music changes with the appearance of a synthesizer and dissonant strings, which Williams uses to gracefully transform the setting to the desert planet Tatooine. The next thirty minutes of music are imbued with dark complexity as Luke and his companions embark on the rescue of Han Solo from the notorious gangster, Jabba the Hutt. Eerie tonalities of wailing woodwinds and abrasive brass seem to emerge directly from the dingy, cavernous environment as the heroes encounter a repulsive den of bizarre alien creatures. The sequence begins with the brief telepathic exchange between Luke and Vader, which is broken by the appearance of droids Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio, accompanied by Luke’s theme and a playful bouncing wind melody as Luke places a newly constructed lightsaber inside Artoo’s domed head.”

We’ll know doubt learn much more about this Blu-ray release in the near future.

UPDATE: We’ve learned from an article on NYTimes.com that the original trilogy will only be presented in its “Special Edition” format. I wish I could say that I’m surprised by this. Meanwhile, the official site has posted a press release.

From StarWars.com:

“The Star Wars saga will at long last be released in a high-definition home video format as all six movies come to Blu-Ray in Box Set in Fall 2011, as announced by George Lucas this morning at Celebration V. The fan convention’s Main Event, thousands of Star Wars fans braved the muggy heat of an Orlando morning to queue for a one-time only stage session between George Lucas and The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart. Stewart asked Lucas questions submitted from the fan community, and one of the most frequently asked questions submitted online prior to the Main Event was about the saga’s release on Blu-Ray.

“I wish I could say it was coming out this year,” said Lucas, “but it will come out next year.”

The set will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films, with the highest picture and audio quality, along with extensive special features.

Star Wars fans were treated to a glimpse of bonus material, in the form of a long-lost deleted scene from Return of the Jedi. The scene has long been talked about online — a sequence that depicts Luke Skywalker assembling his new, green-bladed lightsaber prior to infiltrating Jabba the Hutt’s palace. After completing the Jedi weapon, Luke stashes it in R2-D2′s dome. What makes the Jedi deleted clip so remarkable is that it made it all the way to postproduction before it was cut, so it is a rare example of a cut scene with completed visual effects and music.

Actor Mark Hamill came out to describe the scene, remarking that once again his original introduction in a Star Wars film was cut out (his Anchorhead introduction was, of course, cut from A New Hope). Luke’s intro is purposely played as ominous, with his face cowled in shadows and his intentions unclear.”I had the black cloak, the glove, and I thought, wow, this time around I get to be the antagonist. Little did I know I was predicting the path of the prequels,” said Hamill, noting the similarities to Luke in this scene and Anakin Skywalker’s appearance.

Keep checking StarWars.com for more updates from Celebration V as the weekend continues.

Images via: http://www.starwarz.com/

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