How great is this news?

Director George Lucas said Friday filming for the much-anticipated “Indiana Jones” movie will begin next year and he promised it will be “the best one yet.”

Lucas said he and director Steven Spielberg recently finalized the script, which stars Harrison Ford, who appeared in the three earlier flicks.

“It’s going to be fantastic. It’s going to be the best one yet,” the 62-year-old filmmaker said during an interview at the Beverly Wilshire hotel where he took a break from his duties as grand marshal for the Rose Parade.

Exact film locations have not been decided yet, but Lucas said part of the movie will be shot in Los Angeles. The fourth chapter of the “Indiana Jones” saga, which will hit theaters in May 2008, has been in development for over a decade with several screenwriters taking a crack at the script, but it only recently gained momentum.

While Lucas kept mum about the plot, he promised the latest action flick will be a “character piece” that will include “very interesting mysteries.”

“I think it’s going to be really cool,” Lucas said.

JG