Cartoon Network's 'Star Wars' series set for fall

Cartoon Network will make a major play for viewers -- both kids and grown-ups -- this fall when it installs "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" in its lineup.

The network announced Thursday at its upfront that "The Clone Wars," a CGI-animated series that expands the "Star Wars" saga, will anchor a Friday-night programming block of fantasy/adventure series. The show is slated to debut in October, along with two other new shows -- "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" and "The Secret Saturdays" -- and a new season of "Ben 10."

"'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' is a game-changer for us and continues our commitment to staying in the forefront of offering kids something completely different than what they are seeing anywhere else," says Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner Animation.

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas attended the network's upfront presentation in New York and introduced a new trailer for the show, which tells the story of the Clone Wars that take place between episodes II and III of the film saga. Lucasfilm will also release an animated "Clone Wars" feature film in August, with the TV series picking up where the movie ends.

"I've worked in animation before ... and I love animation," Lucas says. "I just felt it was time for me to explore that medium, and at the same time, be able to explore a part of 'Star Wars' that's so vast. ... We get to deal with a little bit more of the minutiae of the Clone Wars."

In addition to the "Clone Wars" announcement, Cartoon Network also presented a new kids' show called "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack," about a boy who yearns for adventure on the high seas and announced that beginning in June, Sunday nights will be home to a movie franchise that will feature both animated ("The Ant Bully," "Monster House") and live-action ("Kicking and Screaming," "Cheaper by the Dozen") feature films.

The channel has also created the "Cartoonstitute," a creative lab for animators headed by Craig McCracken ("The Powerpuff Girls," "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends") that aims to produce 150 shorts in the next 20 months.