George Lucas has released the first seven minutes of Red Tails online, the World War II fighter pilot movie he has finally produced to the big screen after years of trying.

Directed by TV helmer Anthony Hemingway with some re-shoots by Lucas himself when Hemingway was busy with Treme (production started in 2009 and had a few breaks), the film is based on the true stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all African-American aerial combat unit and their heroic adventures during World War II.

The impressive ensemble cast includes Terrence Howard, NeYo, Andre Royo, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr, Bryan Cranston, Method Man and more.

Also produced by Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson, the film is set to be released by 20th Century Fox on January 20, 2012.

You can watch the first seven minutes below;

RT Clip from Tambay Obenson on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, George Lucas spoken to USA Today about the importance of the film in terms of proving that serious movies featuring a black cast ensemble can do well at the box office. He says;

“”I realize that by accident I’ve now put the black film community at risk [with 'Red Tails,' whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions],” Lucas explained. “I’m saying, if this doesn’t work, there’s a good chance you’ll stay where you are for quite a while. It’ll be harder for you guys to break out of that (lower-budget) mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let’s make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there.”

You can watch the interview with Lucas below;

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