THE pounds 3bn FORCE IS WITH YOU

THE Force is about to hit Britain again.

The first film in the new Star Wars trilogy opens on July 16.

But before that a laser-sharp attack will be aimed at our pockets.

Twenty-two years ago Star Wars became the most successful movie in history.

Since then the film - and its spin-off merchandising - has taken pounds 3BILLION worldwide.

This time round the new film, The Phantom Menace, is tipped to make more than that on toys alone.

Phantom, being pushed by the same marketing machine as Titanic and opening in the United States in May, is predicted to be the first film to take $100million on its first weekend.

To add to the staggering profits, there will also be a revival of the original trilogy, which made Harrison Ford as Han Solo the most famous movie star in the world.

He said recently: "The Force, and I'm not joking, takes you to a different place. It is very frightening.

"For everybody involved the world will be a different place in May."

This time around Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Samuel L Jackson, Natalie Portman and Harry Connick Jnr are all set to rocket into megastardom. Of course, dolls of them all will be on sale soon.

McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi is the action hero of the trilogy, and it's expected to do for him what James Bond did for fellow Scot Sean Connery.

The trilogy will be completed by The Rise of the Empire, to be released in 2000, and The Fall of the Jedi in 2003.

As our pictures show, EVERYTHING is being marketed - characters, vehicles and weapons alike.

Already toy company Hasbro - which was founded for Star Wars merchandising last time around - is selling out of its STAP toy and model Battle Droids in the States.

That doesn't count the cash from the toys Lego are making, the two computer games from Nintendo and producer George Lucas's own Lucas Arts products.

Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell will all be decorated as planets from the film and their food will be themed. Even Barbie is bringing out a special doll.

The biggest draw in the toy shops is expected to be Hasbro's action figures which speak' dialogue from the film and operate by technology from Berkshire-based Innovision company.

But the biggest campaign will come from Pepsi Cola, to be launched at the Oscars in Hollywood on March 21.

They are distributing EIGHT BILLION cans of Pepsi featuring Star Wars characters. A limited edition golden Yoda can will be randomly placed in cases for instant prizes.

Pepsi are also marketing golf shirts, leather jackets, wrist watches, patches, caps, T-shirts, posters, cardboard cut-outs of characters and inflatable cans. In fact, anything that can carry the Pepsi and film logos.

"It's the greatest marketing campaign of all time,"' said business analyst Mike Harrison.

But what's it all about? The Phantom Menace takes us to an even longer time ago in a galaxy, further away than Star Wars did. The Planet Naboo is under attack.

Two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and McGregor's Obi- Wan Kenobi zip there to protect Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), who becomes mother to Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in the next film. They escape to Tatooine and meet Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) and Darth Maul (Ray Parks).

Sounds familiar, but as director Steven Spielberg has already said: "Oh, my God. Your jaw will hang open for a week."'

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