C-3PO: Star of the original film

The creator of the Star Wars series has told Vanity Fair magazine he plans to call it quits after the much-anticipated three-part prequel to his blockbuster space trilogy.

It had been believed that the complete Star Wars saga would run to nine parts.

"I never had a story for the sequels, for the later ones," he told the magazine. "And also, I'll be to a point in my age where to do another trilogy would take 10 years."

Lucas, 55, said in the February issue of Vanity Fair that he would "probably not" be open to letting anyone else make Star Wars movies.

Inside secrets

Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson star in the latest film

Mr Lucas has also revealed some aspects of the plot that will be of interest to fans eagerly awaiting the film - previously they had been a closely guarded secret.

He said the Phantom Menace in the title refers to two new characters who are the embodiment of evil: Darth Sidius and his apprentice, Darth Mau. The latter goes up against Ewan McGregor's Ben Kenobi in a fierce battle.

Details of the scrolling introduction at the beginning of the film have also been revealed - this time by the website Aint-it-cool-news. The text is reported to begin "Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic.The Taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute... "

But fans will have to wait until 21 May, when the movie is released in America, to find out what happens after the title sequence.