‘Star Wars’ turns toward dark side

The intensity of the action and themes in the next “Star Wars” film probably will earn it a PG-13 rating, George Lucas says. The first five “Star Wars” movies were rated PG.

Lucas offered theater owners a preview of his final “Star Wars” chapter at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas this week. Opening May 19, “Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith” spells out the last dark steps the once good-hearted young Anakin Skywalker takes to become the villain Darth Vader.

“It’s not like the old ‘Star Wars,’ ” Lucas said. “This one’s a little bit more emotional. We like to describe it as ‘Titanic’ in space. It’s a tear-jerker.”

The trailer showed what fans have been waiting for since Lucas began the story of Anakin’s journey from good toward evil in “The Phantom Menace” and “Attack of the Clones”: Anakin in the guise of Vader -- black cloak, mask and helmet. But that transformation comes near the end of the film, Lucas cautioned. “Obviously, fans would love to see a movie about Darth Vader running around killing people,” he said. “I’m not telling that story, and I’m not interested in that. That’s not what the movie is.”