Star Wars condensed to 20 minutes

Adam Long, co-founder of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, is to write and direct Star Wars - Shortened! ahead of Sky Movies' showing of all six films.

There will be one-off performance by Long and two other actors at London's Criterion Theatre, recorded for broadcast on Sky Movies.

Long said he loved the films "more than anyone on the planet" and that the project was a "boyhood dream".

Sith premiere

"In the space of 20 minutes I'm going to be Jabba the Hutt, Jar Jar Binks, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker," he said.

A Sky spokeswoman said the play would be "packed with everyone's favourite scenes and lines".

Fans of the science fiction series can win tickets to the 17 August performance ahead of Sky Movies' Star Wars season, which starts on 26 August.

The six Star Wars films will be screened on successive Saturdays, culminating in the UK premiere of Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith on 30 September.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company famously condensed the Bard's 37 plays into a 97-minute show.