STAR Wars-mad friends cannot wait for the latest film to come to Blackburn - so they're flying to New York to see it!

The seven pals have booked flights to America tomorrow and are planning to spend their three-day stay glued to the silver screen.

John Lenehan, 24, has organised the trip, costing more than £2,000, after booking tickets on the Internet for a Broadway cinema to see the much-hyped prequel, The Phantom Menace, starring Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor.

He said: "One of the lads, Nathaniel Olaiya, is on holiday in Australia this week so he's flying from there to New York and we're going to meet him at JFK airport.

"We've booked tickets for one showing but we want to see it a few times while we're there and we're going to buy loads of Star Wars stuff as well."

John, of Moorgate, Blackburn, is flying from Stansted airport with his cousins Simon and Nigel Neal, and friends Gareth Carter, Danny Wrigley and Emmanuel Olaiya.

He said: "We're all lifelong Star Wars fans. They are all brilliant films. We got the toys for Christmas when we were little and we just latched on to it.

"When I was younger I used to watch them non-stop but now I just watch them every couple of weeks. I've no idea how often I've seen them altogether.

"We heard rumours years ago that they were going to make another and we just can't wait to see it. It will be out on July 19 in Blackburn, and we will all be queuing up for tickets then as well."

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