A new Star Wars movie is hitting theaters this summer!

The 3D computer-animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in theaters on August 15, 2008, with a story that takes place just before the events of 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The movie, which will follow the wartime adventures of a pre-Darth Vader Anakin Skywalker and his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, will be a lead-in for the half-hour animated TV series planned for Fall on Cartoon Network and TNT.

USA Today has a first look at the movie which has Anakin — who will have a padawan named Ahsoka — and Obi-Wan trying to hold the divided galactic republic together during a war between a separatist robot army and the white-armored clones.

Original actors returning for the movie and TV series are Anthony Daniels as C3PO and Matthew Wood as General Grievous and the battledroids; Star Wars creator George Lucas serves as executive producer on the projects.

Lucasfilm Animation has already produced more than 30 episodes for the TV series, and on Tuesday, Lucasfilm will launch an online Web documentary about the project at starwars.com.

[Source: Variety, USA Today]