Lucasfilm announced on the Starwars.com website that it is ending its animated TV series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" in order to launch a new one. The program, to be shown on the Disney XD channel, will explore a time period that has never been broached by the saga on film or TV.

After five seasons, "The Clone Wars" is coming to an end even though there were plans for a sixth season. Lucasfilm wants to take a "new direction" through a series that will focus on completely new events. The studio said more details will be revealed over the next few months.

Since it was bought by Disney last October, Lucasfilm has been modernizing its legendary saga. J.J. Abrams will give it a new lease of life at the cinema when he directs the seventh episode, set for release in 2015.