Chat Transcript: 20th Century Fox's Peter Staddon on Home Theater Forum

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Chat Transcript: 20th Century Fox's
Peter Staddon on HTF

The following is a complete transcript of the on-line chat with with Peter Staddon of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, held on Monday, January 12th on The Home Theater Forum. Thanks to Ron Epstein, Parker Clack and everyone at HTF for all their hard work, and for providing the transcript for all to read. Enjoy!

Home Theater Forum
https://www.hometheaterforum.com

Subject: Live Chat with Peter Staddon
Date: January 12, 2004

[RonEpstein] At this time I'd like to introduce Peter Staddon from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Peter, many people know your name but may not know exactly what you do at Fox Entertainment. Perhaps you can better explain your job title.

[peterstaddon] Sure, I'm a senior vice president of marketing. I also oversee the development of all dvd product. I have a great job and get paid for looking at movies!! Ready for the questions, always a pleasure to chat with the HTF.

[RonEpstein] Let's open the floor to questions.

[Jessica] Hello - thanks for taking time to talk with us. I was wondering if there are any plans to release Remingtont Steele to DVD, now that Pierce Brosnan is Bond.

[peterstaddon] One of the guys in the office has been pestering us for six months straight to release Remmington, and we will be releasing it probably later this year. I hope you'll like it when we are done. Richard didn't put you up to that question did he ;)

[PatrickMcCart] Are there any plans to release "Sunrise" as a normal release? Also, any plans for the 1943 Oscar nominated "Holy Matrimony" or the 1935 Charles Laughton/Frederic March "Les Miserables"? "Matrimony" has been overlooked for decades, but it's a hilarious film. Also, the 1933 Best Picture winner, Cavalcade? Thank you for your time.

[peterstaddon] hi Patrick, no plans to release Sunrise as a stand alone at this point, but we might do something with it and cavalcade together later int he year as part of the studio classics. Les Miserables is a great film but we would struggle making it work commercially so I wouldn't hold your breath on that one which is a shame.

[Jacob] I know that the Garfield has not been release until this summer.. but can give a little preivew and hopefuly DTS.. Fox is still my number one DVD studio.. beautiful job on the Alien boxset!

[peterstaddon] Hi Jacob, it will be a big year for Garfield. Not just the movies but the TV show and the specials will start to make it out on DVD this year. In fact some of my team are meeting with jim davis in Indy today. No specific details on anything yet as it's way too early.

[GarethFlynn] Hi Peter, any word on season sets of the TV series Millennium? Thanks!

[peterstaddon] Hi Gareth, Millenium and Harsh realm will be out on DVD this year. The first season of millennium is some of the finest TV ever produced - in my humble opinion - and I'm glad we can finally bring it out on DVD.

[DavidLambert] Thanks for coming! As always I'm asking about plans for TV-DVDs. Fox did a great job shaking loose Roswell & In Living Color! What's being done to shake loose other hold-ups? Ex's: Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Wonder Years, WKRP, Batman, Gr. Hornet, Lone Gunmen, Space A&B, MTMoore S2, & Malcolm S2?

[peterstaddon] Hi David, most of the shows you mention have huge music clearance costs. WKRP is obviously music driven, but think of the music in a full season of Ally Mcbeal. We are working on reducing the costs but it's difficult to do that and retain the integrity of the show. Space A&B might be out in the not too distant future. Batman is tied up in legal and licensing rights hell. MTM2 is a possibility but no certain at this stage.

[PeterMFitzgerald] Good evening, Peter. Fox controls a staggering large amount of better-than-average "Film Noir" titles from the 1940s & 1950s, easily enough for its own DVD line (like Fox's "War Classics"). Any near-future plans for this sort of thing, or some Noir in the 2004 "Studio Classics" line (beyond the delayed LAURA)? Thanks also for finally releasing ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.!

[peterstaddon] Hi Peter, I'd love to get more of our film noir titles out there, and I beleive you'll start to see them coming out later this year. Thanks for the compliment on 1MYBC - the whole Raquel Welch pack looks great especially Myra Breckenridge.

[AgeeBassett] Any hope of seeing The Innocents, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and the much-neglected gem Zoo in Budapest any time soon? Thanks.

[peterstaddon] Hi Agee, if you had to pick one of those to see on DVD Ihope it would be "a tree grows in Brooklyn" as that's the only on ewe are doing any work on at the moment. I'll have to check out the innocents as I'm not that familiar with it.

[Tony-B1] Hey Peter! I want to compliment you for the great work that you do for Fox. Your work has made Fox my favorite DVD studio. Anyways, here's my question. What is the status on that Office Space Special Edition DVD? I'm sure you haven't heard that one before. ;)

[peterstaddon] It's on hold. I think there is a strong chance you'l see the sequel before you see the Special Edition. Mike is a busy guy - I'd love to be able to give you a date that we are releasing it as it would sell like crazy and be a really fun project to work on.

[MichaelSliger] Just curious to get some more info about the Millennium DVD release. There were some rumors last year claiming that there was some music clearance issues surrounding these episodes (presumably more a problem in Season 2, when more popular music tracks were integrated into the show). Any reality behind these rumors (and if so, is this why the series has taken a while to get out the door)? Thanks as always for chatting with us.

[peterstaddon] There were a number of reasons delaying the release. Part of it was waiting for TV DVD to take off and have a bigger audience for the set to sell against and part of it was waiting until we had the X Files finished. The music clearances on this one are nothing compared to some of the other titles, so that wasn't really a factor. I hope it sells as I pushed this through some sceptical people in the office.

[JohnTwardos] Hi Peter, great work as always. I was wondering on the status of the 300 Spartans DVD. THX.

[peterstaddon] Hi John, did you know that one of the co chairmen of the studio happens to be Greek and he has taken a special interest in both this title and Zorba the Greek, both of which will be coming out later this year. 300 Spartans is really a guilty pleasure of mine and it has never looked better than it does on the DVD. I would think it might make sense to release that on DV around the same time "Troy" is in theatres -what do you think ;).

[TomWoodward] Hi Peter, good to see you! I was just wondering if you could divulge a few details on the upcoming Master and Commander disc, which I believe is being produced by David Prior. Also, is there a firm release date for it yet? Thanks.

[peterstaddon] The release date is still being negotiated. The DVD itself is also still far from finalised. There may well be a fairly basic single disc release and a special edition 2 disc release at the same time. Our principle concern is the audio and video of the feature itself which will not disappoint anyone. It might even give my SVS subs a work out!! The DVD's are produced by David Prior who continues to do some of the best work in the industry.

[Haden] Hi Peter! Easy question... Can you confirm if or when we might be getting the following Special Editions in 2004: The Fly:SE (1986), Predator:SE, True Lies:SE, and Romancing the Stone:SE?

[peterstaddon] Predator SE - yes just in time for Alien Vs Predator, The Fly should make it into 2004 but no promises. True Lies is dependent on getting a number of very busy people together to work on it. I don't know if a sitting Governor has done a commentary track before, and Jim Cameron has a truly crazy schedule. I'd love to bring it out in 2004 but I'm not too hopeful.

[Matt_Goddard] Thanks, Ron. In your last chat, Peter, you said work on the Mel Brooks "To Be or Not to Be" was done, but that it was being held up "pending resolution of some other issues." That was late 2002. Anything changed? Regardless, Fox is one of the most reliable studios with great product and I know you're an advocate for we enthusiasts. So, thanks for all your hard work - it is appreciated!

[peterstaddon] We have a number of Mel Brooks films that are still being held up by some discussions going on at the studio, which is a shame as it's preventing them from hitting the market. However, on a positive note if they don't make it out in 2004 I'd be suprised.

[BenjaminDorsey] Thanks for being here!! Are there any plans to re-release the non-anamorphic Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals?

[peterstaddon] Hi Benjamin, not at this point, but as the costs of remastering are coming down and the market for these titles increasing it might be worth taking another look at this one. If you see them on the release schedule in a couple of months you can take credit for that fact!!

[jamesluckard] HI, I've noticed that Shining Through with Melanie Griffith has been released most everywhere else in the world, is there a rights issue? Also, any possibility of Two for the Road or Julia with Jane Fonda. Thanks so much.

[peterstaddon] Two for the road is being considered, and I think you may be right about the rights issue on Shining Through but I would have to check.

[CalvinWattsIII] Peter,thanks for being here - I second what Tony-B said about you & Fox! Anyways - any possibility yet of The Abyss with an anamorphic transfer?.. So,does Fox still own the rights to the X-Men animated series - any chance of season sets? Thank you very much!

[peterstaddon] Hi Calvin, Bad news first, no we don't own the rights to the X Men animated series - I believe it's Universal but I may be wrong. As far as the Abyss is concerned, I'm actually looking to see what it would take to justify an anamorphic re release as that would make the double disc set perfect in my opinion. If it can be done we will do it in 2004.

[Mike_Kickham] Hi Peter , Thanks for being here tonight & Ron too. Rumor has it that depending upon the success on LOST IN SPACE DVD Season 1 sales #'s - Season 2 would follow on DVD. If this is true , then would the following apply for possible 3rd season LIS on DVD depending upon Season 2 sales success? I ask this out of concern that Season 2 is considered the weakest of the 3 seasons and fear that a Season 3 release possibiliy will not happen if Season 2 does not sell well.

[peterstaddon] Hi mike, we'll wait and see how Lost in Space sells at retail. So far it looks encouraging but I'll hold off on any decision on seasons 2 and 3 until we have some better data.

[joe] Any chance of my favorite films coming - Prince of Foxes, The Egyptian, Untamed, Prince Valiant, Garden of Evil.

[peterstaddon] Prince Valliant would be a great studio classic title as would Garden of Evil, the other two aren't being worked on at this stage. thanks.

[Esten] Hey,Peter.Any horror titles lined up for this year,particularly "Terror Train" with Jamie Lee Curtis? Thanks. :)

[peterstaddon] Hi Esten, That one might well be in our Haloween promotion later this year. There are always a number of requests for it and we should probably just put it out and see how it does.

[martinB] Good evening! Tomorrow is Lost in Space day and I been waiting for years to get that show on DVD. There's just one thing bugging us French Canadians: why isn't french audio available for Lost in Space Season One DVD? That tv show was last seen in french on tv in 1981â?¦A lot of potential customers here in Quebec are sooo disappointed about that.

[peterstaddon] The honest truth is that I don't know why, but I do know there must be a reason as we try to be very supportive of French Canadians on our releases. I apologise, but I just don't know the answer to that one.

[JackHarasta] Hello, thanks again for 20 Million Years BC. Any plans for Romancing The Stone (20th Anv) or Kagemusha this year?

[peterstaddon] Hi Jack, I'd love to bring out Kagemusha on the same day as The Last Samurai, but alas it won't happen. We have licensed the rights to Kagemusha to someone else - maybe you can ask about it at the next HTF Chat;). No plans for Romancing the Stone SE. To be quite honest I didn't think there was that much demand for one but yours is the second question about it tonight.

[BobBlack] Hi Peter. Thanks for coming tonight. Great news about the special edition of Cronenberg's "The Fly". Any plans on revisiting Fort Apache The Bronx, Home Alone, Commando, or History Of The World with new anamorphic transfers? And what about the status of High Anxiety and Eating Raoul? Thanks for your time.

[peterstaddon] Where to start? The Fly should be out in late 2004. History of the World and High Anxiety are ready to go pending the resolution of some issues at the studio, Fort Apache isn't being worked on. Home Alone could be an SE sometime down the road but we aren't working on it at this point. Commando and Eating Raoul are not being worked on either at this stage.

[matt_hankinson] Any chance for remasters of 9 to 5, Towering Inferno or Poseidon Adventure?

[peterstaddon] Hi Matt, Towering Inferno and Poseidon Adventure have some rights issues which will prevent us from working on them at this point. 9 to 5 is not being remastered, I wasn't aware of any problems with the existing master.

[NickGraham] I'm probably gonna get some groans for this, but despite already owning and loving the Alien Quadrilogy, I'd gladly pay for an uncut version of the documentaries, or at least knowing why they were cut. Also, any chance we'll finally get Tales From The Crypt this Halloween after last Halloween's straight to tape only line-up? Thanks for taking your off time to chat with us, and I'm looking forward to Daredevil 1.5 in the spring/summer.

[peterstaddon] The short answer is there is no chance of seeing the uncut docs.

[JeffUlmer] Hi Peter, thanks for coming. You had mentioned at a previous chat that Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was to have an announcement coming with the speculation on the net that this was going to be sublicenced to a certain Collection. Can you comment on the status of this and the other films mentioned at that time? How about a repromotion of Zardoz in giant head packaging ala Battlestar Galactica (just joking)! Looking forward to the Raquel Welch box. I'd be up for a Romancing the Stone SE. Keep those cool discs coming. Cheers!

[peterstaddon] Beyond the Valley may wel be getting the SE treatment either from us or Criterion in th enot too distant future. There is talk about remaking the original film which would give this DVD the impetus it needs. The Zardoz /Gallactica suggestion nearly made me lose my coffee!!

[Nils_Luehrmann] Peter, First of all thank you for your generosity in sharing your time with us this evening and your tremendous support of DVD. Kudos on the new Alien Box Set and your terrific Studio Classics Series. Considering the rapid development of HiDef DVD and the roll-out of both Blu-Ray Disc and HD-DVD players, what are Fox's plans regarding this highly anticipated new DVD format and how soon can we hope to see HiDef DVD releases from Fox?

[peterstaddon] Hi Def DVD is probably the biggest strategic issue facing all studios at the moment. The first thing we need to be clear about is that we will insist on copy protection standards before committing to support any new format. We are in regular discussions with the Blu Ray group as well as the blue laser AOD 264 group, and both of the products have their strengths and weaknesses but the bottom line is that we haven't been convinced of adequate CP standards on either format and so cannot commit to support any on at this stage. I would love to launch HD DVD as the picture quality is stunning, and imagine what you could do with 30 - 50GB of disk space. It will happen eventually, it is inevitable but we need to sort out some key issues in the next year. If we don't get this right the home entertainment market as we know it will be under serious pressure and if it was impacted in the same way the music industry has been by piracy, then the golden age of Hollywood that we are all currently enjoying will come to an end.

[JonRobertson] Hello Peter, I wondered if you could give us any news of Fox's relationship with Criterion? You mentioned in your last HTF chat THREE WOMEN, KAGEMUSHA, and BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. Additionally, THE LEOPARD and UNFAITHFULLY YOURS seem to be coming from Criterion via Fox, and I wondered if you could spill any more titles? Many thanks, and please consider licensing out more so that more rarer stuff can come out! Thanks.

[peterstaddon] All in all I think we have licensed about a dozen titles to Criterion. To be honest I would prefer not to give out all the titles as I don't think that's fair to Criterion. We would gladly license out more of the rare material to them as they do a great job but they cannot accomodate a large number of titles from one studio in any given year.

[JoseMariaMendez] Hi there, Mr. Staddon, and thank you very much for being here. Well, I think all of us here are aware of the whole Fincher affair with the QUADRILOGY boxset, so maybe it would be useless and even impolite on my part to delve further into it, but what about the abridged ALIEN EVOLUTION docummentary and the incomplete Ridleygrams gallery on ALIEN (despite menu claiming otherwise)? Thank you for your time, I wish we could have you around more.

[peterstaddon] I wish I could be around to post more, but work has this habit of cutting in on my time:) I don't know about the incomplete Ridleygrams, to be quite honest when you have so much material to look at it's tough to be on top of all teh detail. I'd have to check that with Sven or Charlie. I'll try and do that and get back to you via Ron. Sorry for not having a better answer for you.

[ChrisCook] Hi! Any chance seeing "Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place" on DVD in the near future? Thanks!

[peterstaddon] Two guys and a girl will be coming out in the first half of this year. I'm not familiar with Pizza Place and we're not working on it now. thanks.

[Jim_Beaver] Hi there Peter. What are the plans for MAD TV & Arrested Development on DVD? Also Doogie Howser M.D.?

[peterstaddon] Hi Jim, we are lookign at Doogie Howser I believe. Arrested Development is being looked at now and should be a lot of fun, I'm not sure we have the rights to MAD TV.

[EdGossett] Hi Peter. Any chance of seeing The Time Tunnel or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea tv box sets in 2004? Thanks for stopping by the HTF.

[peterstaddon] Hi Ed, two great shows from my childhood!! A lot will depend on how Lost in Space works out. If we cannot bring them out there might be the possibility of licensing them to a 3rd party who will bring them out. It would be good to see them on DVD.

[AshAtchison] First of all, thanks for the Ford Fairlane disc. Second, is there a chance we'll ever see Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore)? You mentioned in the mid 2001 Fox chat possibly Halloween for that year, but I guess it fell through. This year, maybe? And if not, ever think about liscensing it out to dvd-producers such as Anchor Bay or Blue Underground, who specialize in these sorts of releases?

[peterstaddon] If we don't release it this year along with Terron Train I think we will look at licensing it out. Anchor Bay do a great job with these titles and seem to be able to focus on them in a way that the big studios are unable to.

[Brandon_Conway] Hey there, Peter! I'm curious about a few more contemporary titles: the Cocoon films, The Chase (1994), and a possible SE of Raising Arizona. Thanks.

[peterstaddon] Hi Brad, both Cocoon films will be out shortly, they look great and the packaging is fantastic, the Chase will also be out this year. No plans for a Raising Arizona SE.

[MatthewKiernan] Hello, Peter. I've always wondered exactly what is the criteria that Fox uses when you decide to release your catalog titles, other than the obvious tie-in reasons (remakes, sequels, anniversaries, holidays). For example, it seems like March is Raquel Welch month - how did that come about?

[peterstaddon] Sometimes it comes about because people involved in the film come to us and say "hey could we work on XYZ" and that gives a project the impetus it needs. Sometimes there are obvious tie ins such as 300 Spartans and Troy. And sometimes it's just that a certain titel would make a good Fathers Day title. We are always looking for reasons to promote catalog titles.

[DavidBelden] Hi Peter. I would like to know if you are planning to do anamorphic transfers for the "Planet of the Apes" sequels, and will "Battle for the Planet of the apes" feature the extended cut?

[peterstaddon] I would like to get all our non anamorphic releases re issued in anamorphic discs, but the business man in me needs to be able to justify the expense. So I guess we'll see how well the POTA re issue sells before determining if we weill re issue all the other films in the series. I'd have to check on the condition of any print of the extended cut, but it would be cool to include it.

[Adam_ME] Any word on a quick DVD release for The O.C. once the season wraps? Also, why do so many of your TV show releases remove the "Previously on" intros from episodes? Thanx.

[peterstaddon] I believe we don't have the rights to the OC which is a bummer!! Ther is no hard and fast rule on removing the "previously seen" bumpers from releases.

[Mike_Joyce_B9RBC] Hi Peter, How will the possible new "Lost in Space" series (pilot is currently being produced by John Woo for Warner Bros) affect the release of the original series DVD Seasons 2&3? Thanks for Season One! (release date tomorrow!!)

[peterstaddon] I'm not sure. I guess we'll have to wait and see how they work out. The core audience for the classic Lost in Space is likely to be very different to the "John Woo remix " so I'm not sure how it will affect season 2 &3. The bigger indicator is how well season 1 sells.

[jonathan] At the last couple of chats I asked you about rereleases of Home Alone and Big. Both could use new 16x9 transfers. You had mentioned that the next holiday there was a good chance for both. You did say that Home Alone would have been out sooner, but some things had come up. Nothing came out so I was wondering if you could give me an update on them. Thanks and keep up the great work!

[peterstaddon] Home Alone got delayed by a year because of the Home Alone 4 release, so look for it this Christmas. Big isn't being worked on at the moment.

[DaveGR] Hello,wondering if Paris Texas, Bigger than life, Forty Guns, and Heaven Can wait will be seeing the light of day along with LIFEBOAT. They all need a good DVD home.

[peterstaddon] Heaven Can Wait will be coming out as part of the Studio Classic Line, we are lookign at Paris Texas. Lifeboat would be a good studio classic title. The other two aren't being worked on.

[kris] Hey Peter, kudos for the Alien Quad box and especially Alien 3 assembly cut!!! I know that Star wars OT is Lucas film ltd, but can you say anything about the rumors that it is finally comming out next September? Also will the originals be included and not just the SE?

[RonEpstein] Almost two hours into the chat to ask that one! :)

[peterstaddon] You know I cannot talk about any Lucasflim properties, even to a few friends on the HTF!!!

[RonEpstein] Well, you tried, Kris. I was waiting all night for that question.

[Derek_Germano] Hi Peter, thanks for coming tonight. Got here late… Sorry if any of this has been asked, but … Any chance of THE LODGER, HANGOVER SQUARE, THE ANNIVERSARY, THE NANNY or HUSH… HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE?

[peterstaddon] I have been trying to find ways of getting The Lodger and Hangover Square out on DVD for a while and this may be the year that our Film Noir titles break out onto DVD. I just hope they will sell! Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte would be another great DVD.

[Matt_L] Hi Peter, and thanks for taking the time to be here. I was wondering why Fox U.S. go to the effort of removing the the 'previously on' intros from tv shows (even if it means the tail-end of audio remains),particularly Buffy? I guess this is particularly important in regards to the episode 'The Gift' which hadan intro consisting of snippets from the 99 preceding episodes. Most fans of the show consider this morethan a standard intro.

[peterstaddon] I don't have a specific answer for you as there are no hard and fast rules for this, it's very much up tothe DVD producer and the development exec they are working with. It's certainly not a policy that Fox has.

[Doug_Graham] Thanks for the great bargain bin releases like Ford Fairlane! Is there any chance that we'll see The Crucible anytime soon? Seems like a natural choice considering it was part of the widescreen VHS line.

[peterstaddon] The Crucible will be out this year. It's amazing the value that DVD gives consumers. I was at Wal Mart last week and was in one of their stores looking at the movies you could buy for well under $10. IT really is remarkable how DVD has changed the way people view movies.

[James_Garner] Hi. I would like to inquire about the possibility of these titles...TV Shows: Dharma & Greg (In 16x9); The Pretender. Movies(16x9 A MUST): Silver Streak, Pirate Movie, WW & the Dixie Dancekings (as a Budget Wal-Mart title similar to "Pick-up Artist") Harry & Tonto.

[peterstaddon] Dharma and Greg is being considered for this year. Not sure about The Pretender. Silver Streak would be a great title to put out, and I've been getting a lot of requests for the Pirate Movie. Nothing happening with the Dixie Dancekings I'm afraid!

[Aaron_H] Hi Peter. Any chance of seeing JUMPIN' JACK FLASH (OAR of course) on DVD and getting an anamorphic MRS DOUBTFIRE or STRANGE DAYS?

[peterstaddon] Mrs Doubtfire should be out sometime this year, it's finished and we just have some obstacles to overcome at the studio. Jumpin Jack would be a good title to put out with the Silver Streak in a budget line comedy promotion.

[KenKoc] Hi Peter, Any chance for some Paul newman comedies WHAT A WAY TO GO or RALLY ROUND THE FLAG BOYS? Please consider THE EGYPTIAN. Also, What is the status of STAR on DVD?

[peterstaddon] Good news first - Star will be coming out in the next couple of months. None of the other films you mentioned are on the release schedule at this stage. I hear the second vote for the Egyptian.

[Bill_Geiger] First off, thank you for the The Song Of Bernadette. My girlfriend thanks you. The disc was absolutely fabulous. Now, just a quick question. Been waiting 2+ years to ask you this. What are the chances of License To Drive (Corey Haim & Corey Feldman commentary maybe) arriving on dvd sometime very soon (anamorphic of course)? Pretty please???? I'll wash your car!!! :)

[peterstaddon] You must really want this film!! I can't see it running as a double feature at your house with the Song of Bernadette! No plans yet but I'll have to look at it again.

[SteveO] I am asking about Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto. Also the Laurel and Hardy Fox films. Thanks.

[peterstaddon] It's really difficult to sell the Charlie Chan films, I'd love to get them out as they are really a peice of the studios history. But the commercial side of this business rears its ugly head and I would loose my shirt on these releases, so they are staying in the vault for the time being. Sorry to disappoint.

[peterstaddon] I can't believe I've made it this far without a Roswell or Firefly question

[Karen_Pence] Hi Peter, thanks for your time tonight! Is there any chance the tv show Strange Luck will be released on DVD?

[peterstaddon] Hi Karen, I'm not sure we have the rights to that show, and I know we are not working on it for release, so I'd have to say no!

[BrianPB] Kudos for Fox's excellent work on FW Murnau's SUNRISE (the overwhelming success of the mail-in offer must have been a pleasant surprise). Are there plans to release other silent films from the Fox library, such as Murnau's CITY GIRL/OUR DAILY BREAD, or the films of Frank Borzage (e.g., STREET ANGEL, 7TH HEAVEN, THE RIVER)? If not, would you consider licensing them elsewhere?

[peterstaddon] We might consider licensing them, but we might also look at putting them on some of the Studio Classic titles as double features. Sunrise is exceptional.

[VincentP] Any chance of an X-Files movie: SE, esp. with deleted scenes (Chris Carter talks about them in the commentary). And do you know about the problems with the X-Files season sets (episodes missing changed "truth is out there" taglines in seasons 2 & 5)? Finally, anamorphic Young Frankenstein and a rerelease of French Connection movies since they went out of print?

[peterstaddon] I don't think French Connection is OOP. There are no plans for an X Files Movie re issue - we probably have a milion or so VHS copies left over from the first promotion!!

[JayGregory] I'm hoping that Mr Kline might make some sort of announcement concerning '3 Women' in a couple of weeks --

[peterstaddon] hi Jay, you know he might just do that :)

[Kolchak] Hi I wanna know if there's any plans for these films... Spike Lee's "Girl 6",Brian Depalma's "Wise Guy's" and John Travolta's "Two of A Kind"

[peterstaddon] We are lookign at Girl 6 and Wise Guys, but have no plans for Two of a Kind. Thanks.

[JeffNewcomb] In the last chat, you mentioned that some titles (Kagemusha, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Three Women) would be coming, but not directly via Fox. What other titles will fall into this category? The Lodger? Pretty Poison? What else? Thanks.

[peterstaddon] I touched upon this earlier. We have licensed a number of films to Criterion, but I don't think its fair of me to announce what those films are before Criterion are ready to launch them and talk about them themselves, so I can't fill in the blanks as it were.

[Greg_P] Hi Peter, I just got here so I apologize in advance if this question has been asked before: Any plans to release the short lived sci fi tv shows Alien Nation or Space Above and Beyond? Two great scifi shows that never got their just due. Thanks.

[peterstaddon] Hi Greg, Space above and Beyond should be launched just for Rebbeca Gayheart! It might well be out in the later part of the year. Alien nation is one I would have to check to see if we still have the rights and if we do we ill be launching it. An easy question to end on.

[RonEpstein] Okay, I first want to thank all of you for coming here tonight. It's so cool to have our membership all together here. I want to thank Steve Simon for his help tonight and my partner, Parker Clack, for just being my partner.

[RonEpstein] Now.....Peter Staddon....You have meant so much to Home Theater Forum. We have known you forever, and appreciate all the support you have given and continue to give us. Studio support isn't always easy - but Fox has always been there. Thanks.

[peterstaddon] Listen Ron, its my pleasure to talk to you and all the HTF members. You represent the grassroots of this industry and I really believe that if we can produce DVD's that can satisfy your requirements we are doing a good job.

[ParkerClack] Well, we all know that DVD from Fox wouldn't be what it is without your efforts.

[ParkerClack] Peter. Thanks for coming tonight. Please say hello to your wife and daughter for me. Is she one year old this month?

[peterstaddon] She was one year old last week

[Steve_Simon] Peter... Thanks for your time, and ongoing friendship with HTF!!! You truely are a mench!!!

[peterstaddon] Thanks and good night to all.

Session Close: Mon Jan 12 23:29:21 2004

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