Despite earlier reports that the theater release was going to be the first three episodes in of the animated Star Wars: Clone Wars show that will appear on television, it is in fact a stand-alone movie. Hooray!

“The movie is an original full-length story that brings this new look and new energy to the Star Wars galaxy,” according to Lucasfilm spokesman John Singh. “It has a full and self-contained story.”

After the August 15 theater release runs its course, the Cartoon Network will begin airing 30-minute episodes. And then eventually (to-be-determined when) TNT will reair the episodes.

“It is serialized, but Lucas did it in such a way that they also can stand on their own,” says Turner animation president Stuart Snyder. More than 30 episodes have already been produced, and the show will be broken down into 22-episode seasons. Snyder says Turner has “a multiseasonal agreement” with Lucasfilm.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated film, will open in theaters Aug. 15 and be followed by a TV series of the same name, to air on the Cartoon Network and TNT this fall.

Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, both the film and TV show will be distributed through Time Warner Inc., which owns TNT, the Cartoon Network and the film’s distributor, Warner Bros.

“Warner Bros. and Turner are uniquely positioned to deliver on the enormous potential of The Clone Wars because together they offer a world-class opportunity: the theatrical and home-video distribution of Warner Bros. and the broad reach of the Turner Networks,” said Micheline Chau, President and Chief Operating Officer of Lucasfilm Ltd. “This terrific combination hits the key demographic groups, ranging from kids to adults, that make up the Star Wars audience.”

Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution, added, “This is a breakthrough project - returning Star Wars to the big screen in a completely new way while beginning an exciting new chapter in George Lucas’ legendary saga. We immediately felt that it would be a fantastic theatrical event and are thrilled to be bringing it to moviegoers.”

“Nothing like this has ever been produced for television,” said Stuart Snyder, President/COO Turner Animation,Young Adults & Kids Media. “For 30 years, Star Wars has shown that it appeals to a huge breadth of fans. The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network will be appointment television for everyone in the family. We’re thrilled to be working with Lucasfilm again and very excited to be playing a role in bringing this remarkable adventure to viewers.”

Turner broadcasting has acquired the TV rights of George Lucas’ upcoming CG-animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Lucasfilm Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures and Turner Broadcasting System Inc. made the announcement Tuesday that new episodes of the Lucasfilm animation series will premiere on Cartoon Network in the autumn following its theatrical release on August 15, across the US. The series will later be rerun on TNT.

Lucas said, “I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell. I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation forward.”

Lucasfilm has produced more than 30 new episodes of the series. They will premiere weekly on Turner’s networks.

There is more talk of the new Clone Wars animated series being first released in theaters before coming to television.

Action-Figure.com has been talking to some of Lucasfilm’s toy licensees, whom they say confirmed to them that the first three episodes of Clone Wars may get a theatrical release as a single, 90-minute film as early as this September.

After the theater release runs it’s course, the rest of the show’s episodes and presumably the first three episodes as well will then be aired on television, that is once George Lucas makes a deal with a network.