Star Wars prequel trilogy

Star Wars prequel trilogy
The Star Wars prequel trilogy logos
Directed by	George Lucas
Screenplay by	George Lucas Jonathan Hales (II)
Story by	George Lucas
Produced by	Rick McCallum
Starring	Liam Neeson (I) Ewan McGregor Natalie Portman Jake Lloyd (I) Ian McDiarmid Anthony Daniels Kenny Baker Ahmed Best Pernilla August (I–II) Frank Oz Hayden Christensen (II–III) Samuel L. Jackson Christopher Lee (II–III)
Cinematography	David Tattersall
Edited by	Ben Burtt Paul Martin Smith (I) Roger Barton (III)
Music by	John Williams
Production company	Lucasfilm Ltd.
Distributed by	1999–2019: 20th Century Fox Since 2019: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures[a]
Release dates	May 19, 1999 (1999-05-19) (The Phantom Menace) May 16, 2002 (2002-05-16) (Attack of the Clones) May 19, 2005 (2005-05-19) (Revenge of the Sith)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$343 million (total for I–III)
Box office	$2.526 billion (total for I–III)

The Star Wars prequel trilogy, colloquially referred to as the prequels, is a series of epic space-opera films written and directed by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The trilogy was released from 1999 to 2005 and is set before the original Star Wars trilogy (1977–1983), chronologically making it the first act of the Skywalker Saga. Lucas had planned a prequel trilogy (as well as a sequel trilogy) before the release of the original film, but halted major Star Wars films beyond the original trilogy by 1981. When computer-generated imagery (CGI) had advanced to the level he wanted for the visual effects he wanted for subsequent films, Lucas revived plans for the prequels by the early 1990s. The trilogy marked Lucas's return to directing after a 22-year hiatus following the original Star Wars film in 1977, as well as a 16-year hiatus between the classic and prequel trilogies.

The trilogy consists of Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). The films follow the training of the powerful youth Anakin Skywalker (the father of the original trilogy protagonists Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa) as a Jedi under the tutelage of Jedi Masters Qui-Gon Jinn^[b] (1999), Obi-Wan Kenobi^[c] and Yoda,^[d] his fall to the dark side of the Force and rebirth as Darth Vader. The trilogy also depicts the corruption of the Galactic Republic, the annihilation of the Jedi Order, and the rise of the Empire under Palpatine (secretly the Sith lord Darth Sidious). The first two films received mixed reviews, while the third's reception was more positive. However, all three enjoyed box-office success.
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