The upcoming third episode in the Star Wars saga promises to deliver the birth of Darth Vader, and it will also give rise to an all-new baddie. The villainous General Grievous takes the field for the dark side, and Cartoon Network will offer a first look when it continues its animated micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars beginning with Chapter 11 on Friday, March 26 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Subsequent chapters will air weeknights at 8 p.m. ET/PT from Monday, March 29, through Thursday, April 8.
Chapters 11-20 continue the battle between Anakin Skywalker and his would-be assassin, the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress, protégé of the evil Sith lord Count Dooku. Meanwhile, on the desert planet of Dantooine, Mace Windu must single-handedly take on an army of Droid soldiers while Yoda sets out to rescue two fellow Jedi, Barris Offee and Luminara Unduli, who are trapped on the icy planet Ilum. Padme Amidala, C-3PO and R2-D2 join the little green one on this dangerous mission.
General Grievous, who will play a big role in the upcoming feature Star Wars: Episode III, will be introduced in Chapter 20 of Clone Wars. The military leader of all the Separatist armies is described as an "enormous villain with a fearsome fighting technique." Star Wars producer Rick McCallum comments, "He’s part alien and part robot. Grievous is a master strategist and the greatest hand-to-hand Jedi killer the galaxy has ever known.”
“Introducing the new character of General Grievous is an awesome responsibility,” says Clone Wars producer/director Genndy Tartakovsky, who created Cartoon Network’s Samurai Jack and Dexter’s Laboratory. “Working with the great characters of the Star Wars universe was humbling to all of us on the crew of Star Wars: Clone Wars, but helping to create a new character that will enter the mythology has made us truly feel a part of the Star Wars family. The fact that he is a powerful villain made it even cooler.”
Cartoon Network will air Star Wars: Clone Wars marathons on Friday, April 9, and Saturday, April 10. The series of three-minute episodes is being produced at Cartoon Network Studios.
