Lucas Clamps Down on Star Wars Fans

A special fan screening of the Star Wars films in New York has been cancelled after creator George Lucas threatened legal action over the event.

A group of sci-fi devotees had organised a 13-hour Star Wars movie marathon for 200 fans in a bar in Brooklyn last Sunday (03Jul11), but the screening was called off after organisers received a cease and desist letterfrom Lucas' lawyers.

The letter was received just two days before the event, to be held at The Wicked Monk in Bay Ridge, and alleged the public screening would breach the movie mogul's copyright.

Organiser Mike DeVito tells the New York Post, "I've seen the Star Wars movies about 150 times but never in one long run together, and I thought it would be great to put something like this together for like-minded people...

"What bothers me most is that they waited until the last minute to notify us, so we couldn't get a chance to try working something out... It wasn't as if we were making money off it".