After the film prequels, the cartoon and the live musical experience it was only a matter of time before Star Wars was repackaged as a sitcom.

Despite protests from some commentators that George Lucas was already flogging a dead ewok with earlier spin-offs of his lucrative science fiction series, his company has confirmed that it is developing an animated project that will poke fun at the franchise.

Lucas, who created the long-running space saga in 1977, has pleased some fans by hiring Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, the creators of the anarchic animated series Robot Chicken, as creative consultants.

They have previously made irreverent spoof sketches authorised by Lucasfilm that include an awkward scene in which Darth Vader explains to the evil Emperor that his space station has been blown up by a "bunch of f***ing teenagers".

Other fans were pessimistic about the project yesterday, noting that Lucasfilm's recent attempts at humour have misfired. Jar-Jar Binks, a comic relief character introduced in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1999, has been widely criticised.

People commenting on Starwars.com, a fan website, suggested that Lucasfilm may have made one spin-off too many. Jedibert8 said: "I think they're milking [Star Wars] too hard, and it's going to ruin the franchise."

Jennifer Hill, who will produce the series, told Daily Variety magazine that she was not worried about criticism's of Lucasfilm's previous efforts at comedy.

"With the team we're establishing, Matt Senreich and Seth Green, it's going to be really fun and funny to the public. So I'm not too concerned about that," she said.

Hill, whose previous credits include the children's animated series The Backyardigans, said that episodes would be no longer than 30 minutes.

The project is at an early stage, and the announcement was designed to quash internet rumours, a Lucasfilm spokesman said.

Brendan Hay, who writes for The Daily Show, has been appointed to lead a team of up to ten writers.

Lucasfilm said in a statement that the series would "look at the saga's characters with a playful and irreverent tone".

It will be inspired by the live action feature films rather than the animated children's series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The Star Wars franchise is estimated to have earned more than $22 billion (£14 billion) since it began 33 years ago, according to Forbes magazine.