George Lucas has used the internet to announce the title of his hotly-anticipated next Star Wars film. The official site, starwars.com. revealed that the title, "harking back to the sense of pure fun, imagination and excitement that characterized the classic movie serials and pulp space fantasy adventures that inspired the Star Wars saga", will be Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack Of The Clones .

The fan reaction has been immediate, if mixed, with message boards on internet sites such as Cinema Confidential (cinecon.com) and Ain't It Cool (aintitcoolnews.com) becoming the verbal battle grounds for fans on both sides of the fence. This is hardly likely to cause 20th Century Fox much worry, however, as the critic proof franchise will almost certainly produce yet another winner. 1999's Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace grossed more than $900m worldwide and is one of the most successful films of all time. Menace is also expected to become a record seller on DVD when it is released in the US and overseas in a two-disc special edition mid-October 2001, it has been previously unavailable in the format.

Attack Of The Clones is set 10 years after Phantom Menace, and sees Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Samuel L Jackson returning from Menace, alongside relative newcomer Hayden Christensen as the grown up Anakin Skywalker.