Lucas to open Singapore studio

George Lucas has teamed with Singapore to set up his first animation studio and production house outside the United States, government and corporate officials said.

The Lucasfilm venture is expected to be up and running in Singapore by 2005, Micheline Chau, the company’s chief operating officer, said Tuesday.

“By having a base here in Singapore, we can create something new in animation, a style that will blend East and West and offer something not seen before,” Lucas said in a recorded message.

Chau declined to reveal financial terms, saying only that the animation studio would be 75% owned by Lucasfilm, with the rest by a “Singapore consortium” that would include the Economic Development Board.