Television

ATLANTA – Dave Filoni was a classic Star Wars fan in his day. He saw all the films. Played the characters with his friends. Bought the toys. For the opening of Revenge of the Sith in 2005, he dressed up as a spider-faced Jedi.

Now he's actually working with the man behind Star Wars, George Lucas, directing the new Cartoon Network animated series Clone Wars, which debuts at 8 p.m. tonight. The 22 episodes feature battles between the Republic, which includes Anakin Skywalker (the future Darth Vader) and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Separatists.

"Working with him is like making a 22-minute film each week," says Mr. Filoni, 34, who is often seen wearing an Indiana Jones-style frontier hat. "He really challenges us to make it better and do more."

The Atlanta-based Cartoon Network is hoping Clone Wars can give it a shot of adrenaline on Friday nights, when its schedule of mostly films tends to get beaten by whatever rivals Nickelodeon and Disney air.

Animated Star Wars characters are the stars of a new show on the Cartoon Network.

While developing the TV series, Mr. Lucas liked what he saw and decided to create a film to help kickstart the show. Unfortunately, many movie fans were miffed by what they considered clunky dialogue, so-so animation and a boring plot line. As a result, the Clone Wars film did poorly in theaters in August, failing to reach $35 million in gross revenue, according to imdb.com.

"The movie fails on every level, and I have zero enthusiasm for the upcoming series," says Eric Levin, a Star Wars fan who caught a midnight screening of the film in August. "Of course, I'll watch, but I'm not excited in the least."

Mr. Filoni isn't fazed. "I wished more people liked it, but I take it for what it is," he says. "They want it to be great. And they see a lot of change here. They wanted a more intense drama. But this was supposed to be fun and light."

He says the film, like the series, is geared more to young kids, and not as much for the middle-aged hard-core fans who were around to see the original films in the 1970s and '80s.

Mr. Filoni says the series, unlike the film, will provide a variety of tones, some serious, some less so. He also wants to show that Anakin "is an adventurer and quite a good guy" at this stage.

For now, Mr. Filoni is looking forward to feedback, good or bad, from other viewers of the TV series.

"I want them to discuss it. I can't wait to interact with them," Mr. Filoni says. "I've been there. I still am. I understand the passion."

Rodney Ho, Cox News Service

8 p.m. Friday, Cartoon Network