The Rumor Mill - Archived Posts (5/16/00

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Rumor Mill
(Archived Posts 5/16/00 - 2/2/99)

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5/16/00

We've been looking into that upcoming MGM re-release of Platoon, and while it will be anamorphic, it looks as if you'll have to find the original DVD release to get any worthy extras. The original version had 2 commentary tracks (including one with director Oliver Stone and one with Captain Dale Dye) as well as a documentary - none of it will be on the new DVD.

Could the new Princess Bride be 16x9 after all? I've gotten word from a source at the studio who seems to indicate that it WILL in fact be anamorphic. That's welcome news if it's true, but MGM needs to get their s@#t together to keep from misleading or confusing people about this.

Word has apparently leaked to the Home Theater Forum that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is coming to DVD - complete seasons of the TV show - in 2001. These would be released in sets, like Fox is currently doing with The X-Files. We've also gotten word here at The Digital Bits that Fox is getting ready to bring The Simpsons to DVD as well.

Artisan is getting ready to release Cujo and Langoliers on DVD on July 25th. Buena Vista's Breakfast of Champions is coming June 27th, with Down to You coming on July 11th. All About My Mother is set for July 11th from Columbia TriStar, along with George Carlin: Doin' It and Gorgeous (Jackie Chan). It's the Rage and Suddenly, Last Summer are on tap for August 15th. New Line has Boiler Room set for July 11th and Boogie Nights: Special Edition coming on August 29th. And Paramount is releasing Nashville on June 27th.

4/27/00

Our own Todd Doogan just spoke with Vincent Pereira, View Askew's consultant on the Dogma: Special Edition DVD that's coming out later this year. He let us in on director Kevin Smith's plans for the disc, and it should be great. It's being produced for Columbia TriStar by J.M. Kenny, the talented producer behind the incredibly fun Mallrats: Collector's Edition DVD, and it looks like it will be just as packed as Mallrats was (if not more so). There will be a commentary track with Vincent, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes and producer Scott Mosier, which will utilize the same alternate angle feature from Mallrats (you know - where you get to see the boys making comments in a picture box). This time around, there will be even more "cut-to" commentary video than the Mallrats disc had, although it still won't be throughout the entire film. The film itself with be the same 16x9 transfer as the movie-only disc with the same running time (in other words, it's the theatrical cut). But most everything that was in the famed longer edit will be here in the form of a 100-minute deleted scenes loop (introduced by Smith himself). The infamous "Fat Albert" scene (i.e. the extended strip bar sequence) will probably be there as well, pending some music clearances that Vincent thinks should work themselves out. You'll also find a documentary (also produced by Kenny) focusing on the controversy behind the release of the film, a trailer (and possibly some TV spots, but don't quote anyone on those) and storyboards for the action sequences drawn by Scott Mosier. That's a load of Askewniverse stuff worth waiting for! Look for the special edition sometime in the fourth quarter of 2000.

But that's not all today. With recent word of director Steven Spielberg's new commitment to DVD (and the news of Jaws arriving on the format in July), word has come from industry insiders as to the tentative status of his other major Universal titles on DVD. According to our sources, Jurassic Park is currently slated for a September release, with its sequel Jurassic Park 2 following in October. The Back to the Future Trilogy has been delayed until early in 2001, so that more time can be taken to prepare extra materials. Perhaps most surprising, we're told that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is even under discussion for DVD, with a tentative release planned for the 1st Qtr of 2001 as well. And as those of you who read the Home Theater Forum Columbia TriStar chat learned, work has yet to begin on the Close Encounters of the Third Kind DVD, although the high-definition digital film transfer has long been finished.

Stay tuned...

4/18/00

Okay, we've got some more Star Wars DVD information for you today. We've heard "quietly" from some folks inside ILM and Lucasfilm about what Lucas plans for the DVDs, and it should make some of you pretty happy. Keep in mind that this is very tentative - until it comes from the Man officially, we should treat this as rumor only. But we're told that Lucas plans for the upcoming DVDs to serve as the final version of the Star Wars: Special Editions. Over the years there's been word of lost scenes and unfinished or alternate versions of some sequences in the films - there's even a great website dedicated to uncovering them all. Lucas apparently has ILM working to finish many of them, to make them available on DVD (a few may be edited back into the films, but most will likely find their way into deleted scenes sections). And you may remember all those rumors last year about how some animators and computer graphic artists claimed to still be working on digitally "enhancing" scenes from the Star Wars films, even AFTER the Special Editions were released in theaters and on video. This new information would seem to bear that out.

As far as a release timeline, we're told that previous Lucasfilm and Fox claims about "No DVDs in 2000" are accurate. However, our information is that Episode I could find its way to DVD as early as 1st Qtr 2001. And I'm told by several sources that very tentative plans have the original Star Wars Trilogy arriving on DVD in the 4th Qtr of 2001, in time for the holidays. In any case, work is definitely underway. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.

In other Fox news, our sources have informed us that the long-awaited (and long-completed) boxed set of the entire Planet of the Apes series on DVD should arrive in mid-August. They should also be Fox's last non-anamorphic widescreen titles. The Sound of Music is also planned as an August release, with Edward Scissorhands following in September. And October should see a Rocky Horror Picture Show: Special Edition DVD. Other films in the works for DVD from Fox include Zardoz and the original The Fly and Return of the Fly (as a double feature DVD), along with the remake of The Fly and The Fly II (also as a double feature).

And among the DVDs in the works from MGM for August and beyond are the following:

The Fog, The Howling, Misery, Phantasm IV, Pumpkinhead, Salvador: Special Edition, Scanners, The Swamp Thing, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Emerald Forrest, Hope and Glory, Platoon: Special Edition, Terminator: Special Edition, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Spinal Tap: Special Edition, Escape from New York: Special Edition, Rocky: Special Edition, Rocky II-V, a Rocky boxed set.

4/14/00

We've got some extremely cool news for you today! This morning on KROQ radio in Los Angeles, morning show hosts Kevin and Bean interviewed George Lucas... and he specifically said that his team at Lucasfilm is currently working on the DVD version of Episode I. Lucas also revealed that the first draft of the Episode II script is now complete. You can read more on this over at our fellow IGN.com affiliate The Force.net. But that's not even the best part.

A good friend of the Bits had the unique opportunity to spend some time chatting with Lucas in person this week, and among the many topics discussed were the Star Wars DVDs. What our friend learned is amazing, but the person is sworn to secrecy on most of it. However, thanks to Lucas' comments on KROQ this morning, our friend can confirm that there are still several unfinished scenes and sequences from Episode I, the original Star Wars and the other films. Lucas plans to finish them and include them on the DVDs. Whether these scenes are edited back into the film or included in a separate deleted scenes section is still unknown. What's taking so much time is that ILM actually needs to complete the footage - much of it was never finished originally. And since work on Episode II is under way at ILM, along with several other non-Star Wars films, resources there might be stretched a bit thin. But best of all... our friend says Lucas seems totally enthusiastic about doing the DVDs.

On a separate note, we CAN confirm unofficially that there is work underway on at least the Episode I DVD. Another friend of the Bits, who was visiting a post production facility in L.A. on business recently, noticed a box full of digital master tapes of Episode I in anamorphic widescreen and in multiple languages (the person was told that they're for the DVD).

Naturally, there's no word at all on release dates. But the whole situation is starting to look pretty good for DVD fans...

4/7/00

Here's a title update from some of our sources. It looks as if Fox's Anna and the King won't be day and date - it turns out that the director wants to get involved in creating a 2-disc special edition (a la Fight Club and The Abyss) and the time needed to do so will push the disc back to the fall of this year. It seems as if the 2-disc SE is becoming a calling card over at Fox - we're glad to see it! Look for The Beach to hit DVD in the first week of July. Also from Fox, word is that the studio will be lowering the price of it's non-SE DVDs to $29.98 SRP (down from $34.98) with a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) of $19.95. That's good news.

Columbia TriStar is prepping Hanging Up (starring Meg Ryan) for June and What Planet Are You From? (starring Gary Shandling) for July.

Warner's working on The Green Mile for June and The Whole Nine Yards for July.

New Line also has a June/July combination in the offing - Next Friday and the Boogie Nights: Platinum Edition (the new version).

The Talented Mr. Ripley is coming from Paramount in June, and will include a featurette, a making of the soundtrack presentation, a director's commentary and 2 music videos. Also in June are Dead Again (with a commentary), Harold and Maude and Clue (with 3 endings). Angela's Ashes should follow in July and The Next Best Thing (the Rupert Everett/Madonna film) looks to be coming for August.

And finally, Universal is prepping The Hurricane for July.

Stay tuned...

4/4/00

Buena Vista will soon announce that their DVD line-up for June will include:
Bicentennial Man, Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo, Play It to the Bone, Twin Warriors and Blood In, Blood Out

More titles will be added. In addition, Annie and Life-Size have replaced The Straight Story and Princess Mononoke in the May lineup - the delayed titles are now expected in June or July (unofficially, the additional time is needed to allow more extras to be included).

Stay tuned...

3/21/00

We've gotten some interesting information over the last few days, so we've been doing some checking with our sources. We've got some updates on possible street dates/release windows on a few upcoming DVD titles - none of this is to be considered official.

First of all, it looks as if June 6th was the planned release date for Paramount's long-awaited Braveheart, but it's been delayed until probably August - trust us, it's for good reason. Look for it to have a Gibson commentary, and possibly a featurette. Also, we're hearing that Star Trek: The Next Generation is definitely coming to DVD, but that the expected release timeframe for the first discs is now Fall (possibly October). What's being discussed is apparently the number of episodes to be included per disc - 2 or 4. Meanwhile, Fox is prepping the second set of The X-Files episodes (all of Season Two) for release in the 4th Qtr (November seems to be the anticipated release month). And they've finally got their long-completed Planet of the Apes boxed set slated for August release. Also, MGM's forthcoming Desperately Seeking Susan DVD (coming in June) should be identical to the laserdisc special edition that came out a few years ago, with audio commentary and an alternate ending.

3/9/00

We're hearing some cool rumors from our sources about a number of awesome, upcoming DVDs in the works at Warner, Fox and HBO. The following information is very tentative, but here's what we've got:

Word is that Fox is prepping DVD special editions of Edward Scissorhands (for September) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (as a probably Halloween release in October).

HBO is currently working on a DVD release of the entire first season (12 episodes) of their critically acclaimed Sex and the City. The 2-disc set is expected sometime in May. Also, the Sex and the City release is being used as a test run - if it goes well, look for the first season of The Sopranos to be released in the fall.

And we've gotten word that Warner Bros. is working on a special edition of Goodfellas, as well as the new director's cut of The Exorcist. And if restoration goes according to plan, you may see a boxed set of Superman 1-4 before the end of the year. Also in the works is a possible Oliver Stone boxed set, which would contain Any Given Sunday, Heaven and Earth, Platoon: SE (coming from MGM) and Natural Born Killers (we've heard that Warner is going to be releasing their own DVD version of the controversial film).

Remember - the above information is very tentative. But the following isn't:

A&E is set to release Monty Python's Flying Circus Sets 5 (2 volumes) and 6 (2 more volumes) on DVD on May 5th. Columbia TriStar also has The Eyes of Laura Mars on the way for June 6th (along with Girl, Interrupted). Fantoma's Whity is due on April 25th. Flawless is expected from MGM on April 18th. Tumbleweeds streets on April 11th from New Line. And Rhino has Coach and My Favorite Martian set for May 23rd.

Stay tuned...

3/1/00

We've just gotten word of MGM's planned DVD releases for June and July. Keep in mind that this far in advance, everything is tentative. But here's what to expect:

June

Supernova, Stonebrook, Desperately Seeking Susan, FX, FX2, Hot Spot, Married to the Mob, Missing in Action, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

July

Three Strikes, American Pimp, Annie Hall, Banannas, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, Interiors, Love and Death, Manhattan, Sleeper, Stardust Memories, Woody Allen DVD 8-pack, Easy Money, Henry V (1989), The Best Years of Our Lives, The Princess Bride: Special Edition

Ah... but that's not all. Today we've also got a rundown of Buena Vista's DVD titles for April and May:

April

Tarzan: Collector's Edition, The Aristocats, The Insider, Mumford, Happy, Texas, That's the Way I Like It, Music of the Heart, Jet Li's The Enforcer, The Mighty Ducks, The Rich Man's Wife, The Tie That Binds

May

The Fox and the Hound, Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Mystery, Alaska, Jackie Chan's Project A, The Mighty Peking Man, The Cradle Will Rock, Best of the Best (Double Feature), Switchblade Sisters, Next Stop Wonderland

Stay tuned...

2/15/00

We've heard from our sources that Artisan is going to be lowering some of its DVD pricing to join Warner at the low price game. They've got several titles that will be repromoted in March-April at $9.95 each. Here's the list of titles in question:

Bad Boys (Sean Penn version)
Capricorn One
Critical Care
Frances
The Highlander (Director's Cut)
The Jazz Singer
Millennium
Punisher
Tender Mercies

We've also got lots more information today on those Warner June DVDs. The Lethal Weapon 1, 2 & 3 DVDs WILL be the longer director's cuts. LW1 will include 7 minutes of extra footage, LW2 will have 4 minutes and LW3 will add some 3 minutes. All will feature new Dolby Digital 5.1 remixed soundtracks, along with DTS 5.1 as well. They'll also include trailers and full-motion menus. Look for them on June 6th. Also on 6/6, will be the new DD & DTS 5.1 version of Twister. This will feature a completely new anamorphic widescreen transfer, all new full-motion menus, 2 behind-the-scenes documentaries, 2 music videos, commentary by director Jon de Bont and 2 trailers. And finally (the same day), a revamped Interview with the Vampire will include a new documentary featuring never-before-seen interviews with all the stars, a new introduction by author Anne Rice and director Neil Jordan, director's commentary, a stills gallery, production notes and a trailer.

Other Warner June DVDs will include Freejack (with DD 5.1), White Sands (also DD 5.1), Shaft, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa (all with trailers and in the first ever widescreen release). All will street June 6th. And on June 27th, look for the complete, award-winning documentary, Ken Burns' Baseball. It will SRP for $179.98, and will ship on 10 discs (the 19 hours of the documentary will be on discs 1-9, and disc 10 will include a bonus documentary and extras).

Once again, the new, 2-disc Platinum Editions of New Line's Boogie Nights and Seven should street sometime in June. Also coming in June are Magnolia (6/6), Next Friday and Simpatico.

Also, we've got word on more upcoming DVDs from the following studios:

A&E - The Avengers '64, Set 1: Volume 1 & 2 (4/4)

Buena Vista - Happy Texas and The Insider (4/11), The Enforcer (4/25) and The Fox and the Hound, Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros (5/2)

Columbia TriStar - The Messenger and The Natural (4/4), Dogma (5/2), The Larry Sanders Show (5/2) and Dennis Miller: Live From Washington (5/9)

Criterion - Chasing Amy (4/18)

DreamWorks - Galaxy Quest (5/2)

Fox - Boys Don't Cry (4/18) and Fight Club (6/6)

Trimark - Saturday Night Live: Best of Chris Farley, SNL: Best of Steve Martin and SNL: Game Show Parodies (4/25)

Warner - Gyspy, Anchors Aweigh and On the Town (5/2) and Kelly's Heroes (5/16)

2/14/00

According to the latest information we've received, the folks at Warner are getting into the DTS audio game. The month of June will see the re-release of the following films on DVD, with dual DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks on each disc:

Twister, Interview with the Vampire, Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2 and Lethal Weapon 3

Also, June may see the release of new 2-disc editions of Seven and Boogie Nights (although this information is early and unofficial, and does not come from the studio).

Also, about a week ago, I mentioned a new "special, special edition' version ofThe Exorcist that was being worked on by director William Friedkin. Fandom.com's got a full report on what it might include. Do check it out.

Stay tuned...

2/9/00

We've heard back from Lightstorm on The Abyss, and the official claim is that all is ship-shape for the DVD. They tell us that the title is entering the QC (Quality Control) stage, and that the only thing that's been dropped as of this point are the DVD-Rom game demos for non-Abyss titles. At the moment, they still expect to meet the March 21st street date. With all due respect to Lightstorm and Fox, we hope this is true. But if James Cameron does indeed have a problem with some of the features of the disc, we're pretty sure they wouldn't talk about it.

So there you have the official word. Let's all cross our fingers and hope that the title makes street date...

Now then... I bet you'd all like proof that Braveheart is indeed coming to DVD, right? We'll here's a scan taken from Paramount's new DVD promotional insert, packaged with Runaway Bride.

Braveheart from Paramount DVD pamphlet

I have to tell you, this may be the one DVD I want more than any other right now - can't wait to see what Paramount does with it! Keep in mind that the disc has been pushed back from its originally planned May street date so that director Mel Gibson can be involved.

Also included in the new Paramount DVD pamphlet, is a list of other great movies coming to DVD in 2000 from the studio. Here they are:

Spring '00

The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, Blue Hawaii, Braveheart, Bringing Out the Dead, Dead Again, El Dorado, The Firm, G.I. Blues, Hollywood Confidential, Jennifer 8, King Creole, Nashville, Roustabout, Sleepy Hollow, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series Volumes 9-12, Superstar and True Grit

Summer '00

American Gigolo, Harold and Maude, An Officer and a Gentleman, Romeo & Juliet and Star Trek: The Next Generation Volumes 1-2

2/7/00

You Spielberg fans out there will be happy to know that we've uncovered more evidence that Jaws is in production for DVD. We've been told that the film is receiving boffo special edition treatment from Universal, and that the film is being re-mixed for full Dolby Digital 5.1. Look for it later in the year.

We've also gotten word that there's a new cut of The Exorcist being prepped. There's no word yet on when it might appear on Warner DVD, but word is that director William Friedkin decided that he wanted to re-edit the film, and add back in some scenes he'd cut originally. We'll have more on this when we hear it.

Finally today, could there be trouble for The Abyss on DVD? As many of you know, it's been in production for some time as a very complex disc, which will utilize such nifty features as seamless branching and more (click here to see Fox's sell sheet listing planned features). Well now we're hearing from our sources that, with the disc very close to complete, director James Cameron himself has pulled the plug on much of the disc's complex interactivity, fearing a Matrix-like disaster where the disc won't work in many players. Word is that specifically, Cameron vetoed the seamless branching feature and decided that only the longer Special Edition version of the film should be included on the disc. We think this is a major mistake, and such big changes so late in the disc's production will almost certainly result in the street date being pushed back. We're waiting on an official comment from Lightstorm, so stay tuned...

2/2/00

A trio of sources have checked in with more updates on Paramount's upcoming DVD lineup for early 2000, and there's great news for Star Trek fans. According to our sources, the recently released DVDs of The Original Series episodes have sold better than expected. So much so in fact, that the studio has decided to push ahead with plans to release the complete episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD as well! There's no word on street dates, but the first discs should be out by summer. Speaking of Star Trek, the third movie in the series, The Search for Spock, will be released on April 11th. And work is currently underway on The Wrath of Kahn and The Motion Picture. May we suggest that the DVDs include the longer extended cuts of both of these films? The longer cut of Star Trek II has a number of additional scenes, or pieces of scenes (see this listing at IMDB), and has been shown on ABC here in the States.

Braveheart has indeed been delayed from its original May release target date, and we're hearing that the reason for this is a good one. Director Mel Gibson has agreed to be involved in creating special edition materials, but with The Patriot set to open in the spring, his schedule won't allow him to participate in time enough to meet the May date. So hang in there... the disc IS coming and it should be well worth the wait.

Another delayed title is Robert Altman's Nashville, which is also due to the additional time needed to gather special edition materials. There's still no word on Grease, but several Elvis films (Blue Hawaii, G.I. Blues, King Creole and Roustabout) are due on DVD in April.

Finally, we're hearing that there's some discussion and very early work going on as to releasing The Godfather Trilogy on DVD, but that any release is a ways off. However, we do know that another Francis Coppola film is definitely in production for DVD at the moment. We're not positive, but we're pretty sure that it's The Conversation, starring Gene Hackman.

One last note: that version of Henry V that we mentioned in the last update was coming from MGM in July? It's the 1989 version starring (and directed by) Kenneth Branagh. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more..."

Stay tuned...

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