'Star Wars' Movies, With Deleted Scenes, Interviews, To Be Available For Digital Download

Fans of the "Star Wars" saga have a reason to rejoice this week as the whole series is set to be available for digital download from Friday. There will also be several bonus features in the downloads that will be available for the fans to view in digital HD format, Walt Disney Studios, Lucasfilm Ltd and 20th Century Fox said in a joint statement Monday.

Fans can buy all movies in the franchise either individually or as a set from platforms like iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Vudu, Xbox Video, PlayStation Store and Verizon FiOS, the statement said, according to Variety. The downloaded movies will be available in customers’ accounts at Disney Movies Anywhere while the rights to “A New Hope,” the fourth episode, will be controlled by 20th Century Fox.

“It’s only fitting that audiences enjoy this legendary saga and its many fascinating behind-the-scenes stories on a wide variety of platforms, and we’re very excited to finally bring all six films to Digital HD for the first time,” Alan Bergman, president of the Walt Disney Studios, said in the statement.

The added features with the film will include at least five deleted scenes from each of the six episodes and interviews with the creative team including those with creator-director George Lucas, design director Doug Chiang and sound designer Ben Burtt, Variety reported. The digital bonus offering may be different among various retailers, who will decide the price for individual episodes and the package.

“These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists -- the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life,” Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said in the statement.

The upcoming part of the series “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” is set to be released in theaters on Dec. 18.