Next Star Wars Movie: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars fans felt the Force Monday as Lucasfilms posted the title of the next installment of George Lucas' science-fiction saga on its Web site.

The title for the fifth film in the series will be — drum roll, please — Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones.

The announcement said the title "harkens 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."

Attack of the Clones joins chapter titles for the four previous films: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace.

Until now, the newest Star Wars film had been known only as Episode II. The movie is due in theaters next spring.

Fan reaction the title was mixed.  Postings at the forum on fan site Theforce.net called the title "lame," "cheesy" and "the worst title I could possibly imagine."

Others were more positive, saying that Attack of the Clones "has a cool, old-style sci-fi feel to it" reminiscent of the Buck Rogers serials that inspired Lucas as a child.

The topic of clones first appeared in the first Star Wars film in 1977, when the "Clone Wars" came up in conversation between the original Obi-Wan Kenobi — Sir Alec Guinness — and Anakin Skywalker's son, Luke Skywalker.  Princess Leia also makes reference to the "Clone Wars" in that film.

Attack of the Clones picks up 10 years after the action in The Phantom Menace. Ewan McGregor returns as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Natalie Portman is back as Queen Amidala.

Hayden Christensen joins the cast as the young adult Anakin Skywalker, who evolves into villain Darth Vader.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.