Star Wars Episodes II and III 3D shelved to focus on JJ Abrams' VII

Star Wars stormtroopers are likely to be disappointed by the news (REX FEATURES)

The company behind the Star Wars franchise has revealed it is postponing the scheduled releases of Episodes II and III in 3D.

A statement posted on Lucasfilm’s website said it had decided to “focus 100 per cent of our efforts on Star Wars: Episode VII."

At the weekend it was confirmed that Star Trek director JJ Abrams would direct the next film, the first instalment of a trio of prequels.

It will be the first Star Wars film to be made since Disney acquired the franchise from creator George Lucas’ company for $4bn last October.

The statement reads: “Lucasfilm has decided to postpone this fall's scheduled release of Star Wars Episodes II and III in 3D."

"Given the recent development that we are moving forward with a new Star Wars trilogy, we will now focus 100 percent of our efforts on Star Wars: Episode VII in order to ensure the best possible experience for our fans. We will post further information about our 3D release plans at a later date.”

Star Wars: Episode VII is due for release in 2015.

An additional two films are being planned by Disney. Lucas himself won't be writing the scripts but he is expected to provide treatments for all three.

Michael Arndt who wrote Toy Story 3 is due to pen the screenplays for the trilogy.

Disney executives are planning to release the follow-ups "every two to three years" after Episode VII.