Stick a fork in it . . . it's done.

George Lucas, the indisputable saint of geeked-out basement dwellers everywhere, is quoted in this Variety article as stating the obvious:

"As far as Lucasfilm is concerned, we've moved away from the feature film thing because it's too expensive and it's too risky."

Lucas indicated there will be a new focus on producing small-budget films, TV, animated movies and other entertainment offerings in addition to the special effects and gaming stuff. There are efforts in the works as well to figure out the money-making dynamics of online distribution of Lucasfilm materials, but the big-budget stuff is over as far as he's concerned.

Yes, the bubble has officially burst if even Lucas has decided to jump ship.

Years ago when the Star Wars universe first started expanding with Episodes I, II and III, Lucas indicated to interviewers that he was ready to put his trademark franchise behind him -- to some degree -- in favor of making smaller more indie-like films. Now he's apparently ready to follow through.

The article is well worth a read because Lucas points out what was become all too clear with the arrival of so many online, satellite and cable options. Film entertainment is going to become even more personalized and splintered with folks paying to see versions of things they want to watch in settings more accommodating than a traditional theater.

So in the not-too-distance future, it could be that people will all be watching different takes on the same material. Movie title "XYZ" will have versions A, A-1, B-1 and the super-premium, all-inclusive C and C-1 through C-4.

This is all really great to some extent: you can see what you want when you're good and ready. But it also carries some bad: to see it all and get the full experience, you'll have to pay extra and sit through much repetition to take it all in.

I'll admit that it's refreshing to see DVD editions released with extras, bonus material and never-before-released restored stuff. But I hate seeing three or four packagings of what is essentially the same film with just slight variations from one incarnation to the next; this is just money grubbing of the worst kind to exploit "true fans."

In the end, it's all just entertainment and stuff that shouldn't preoccupy way too much of your life. But it can still be a tad annoying to have way too many variations constantly pestering you for your "fun money."

Any thoughts?