Site created 12/15/97.		page updated: 2/19/01 Rumor Mill (Archived Posts 1/2/01 - 8/22/00) Back to Previous Archives Back to Current Posts (LATE UPDATE - 1/2/01 - 3:30 PM PST) How about that - two Rumor Mill updates in one day! Must be a record. We've just gotten word of a number of great upcoming Warner DVDs (including New Line & HBO titles, which they distribute), and we even have street dates and SRPs for them. So here's goes... Elvis: That's the Way It Is - Special Edition (1/16 - $19.98), Nuremberg (1/16 - $19.98), The Player's Club (1/23 - $19.98), Five Senses (New Line - distributed by Warner - 1/23 - $24.98), Bird (1/30 - $19.98), Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning (1/30 - $19.98), Get Carter (2000 - 2/13 - $19.98), Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2/20 - $19.98), Lost Souls (New Line - distributed by Warner - 2/27 - $24.98), The Little Vampire (3/6 - $24.98), Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (3/6 - $19.98), Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost, (3/6 - $19.98), Reversal of Fortune (3/13 - $19.98), Our Lips Are Sealed (3/27 - $24.98), Defending Your Life (4/3 - $19.98), Empire Records (4/3 - $19.98), Powerpuff Girls: The Mane Event (4/3 - $19.98), The World According to Garp (4/3 - $19.98) and Being There (4/3 - $19.98) Also, don't forget that Columbia TriStar's Dogma: Special Edition has been delayed temporarily from its original 1/9 street date (due to "issues beyond the studio's control"). Expect it to be reannounced soon. We've also got word that Paramount's Ordinary People DVD, which was originally slated for release on February 27th, may be delayed. The reason? Director Robert Redford has just committed to recording a commentary for the disc, which may mean additional production time. And finally, still no word on Universal's 2-disc Legend: Collector's Edition, but we're still being told to expect it in early 2001. Stay tuned... (EARLY UPDATE - 1/2/01 - Midnight PST) We've been doing some digging, in advance of the VSDA show this coming weekend, to see what's in the works at the various studios for 2001. Some of these titles you may know about, but many are new. So here are just a few of the DVDs we've learned are forthcoming. Looks like it's gonna be another GREAT year for DVD! An American in Paris: Special Edition (Warner), 42UP: Special Edition (First Run - will include commentary by director Michael Apted), Citizen Kane: Special Edition (Warner - will include archive interviews with writer/director Orson Welles), The Color Purple: Special Edition (Warner - will include a behind-the-scenes featurette and new interviews with the cast and director Steven Spielberg), Doctor Zhivago: Special Edition (Warner - 2nd half 2001), The French Connection: 5-Star Edition (Fox - March), Hannibal: Special Edition (MGM - 2nd half 2001), Enemy Mine (Fox - March), Lust in the Dust: Special Edition (Anchor Bay - March), The Magnificent Seven: Special Edition (MGM - May), The Princess Bride: Special Edition (MGM - 2nd half 2001), Proof of Life: Special Edition (Warner), Terror Firmer: Special Edition (Troma - January), Twin Peaks (Artisan), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: Special Edition (Warner - includes commentary by director Mel Stuart, additional commentary by actors Peter Ostrum, Julie Dawn Cole, Denise Nickerson, Paris Themmen and Michael Bollner, featurette and interviews with actor Gene Wilder and Angelo Muscat), Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Fox - yes indeed, we've got reliable word now that this WILL be a late 2001, 2-disc special edition DVD release), MASH: 5-Star Edition (Fox), Schindler's List: Collector's Edition (Universal - late 2001), How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Collector's Edition (Universal - 1st half 2001) Those titles are in addition to the following: Superman: Special Edition (Warner - this plus all sequels will be out in mid 2001), Blade Runner: Special Edition (Warner - late 2001), Die Hard: 5-Star Edition (Fox - April or May - this plus all sequels as special editions), Ben Hur (Warner - March 13th), Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Special Edition (Columbia TriStar), Lawrence of Arabia: Special Edition (Columbia TriStar), Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Special Director's Edition (Paramount - mid 2001), The Godfather Trilogy (Paramount - late 2001), Once Upon a Time in the West (Paramount), Tootsie (Columbia TriStar), The Natural (Columbia TriStar), Kramer vs. Kramer (Columbia TriStar), Gandhi (Columbia TriStar), The Back to the Future Trilogy (Universal - mid 2001), Cleopatra: 5-Star Edition (Fox - March or April), The Terminator: Special Edition (MGM - late 2001), Rocky: Special Edition (MGM - this plus all sequels in April). And believe it or not, DVD special editions are already in development for Steven Spielberg's A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (which will feature a behind-the-scenes featurette, among other extras) and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, even as both films are in production. Look for those from Warner in 2002. 12/13/00 We've told you MGM's got a lot planned for 2K1 and they've just announced their March slate (see below). How's about a sneak peek at their April titles? The batch includes the long awaited release of the Rocky: Special Edition (and all the sequels) as well as the second wave of Woody Allen films. Here's what to expect... Serpent's Kiss, Forever Mine, O.K. Garage, The Adjuster, Boxing Helena (unrated), How I Won the War, Tank Girl, Fellini's Roma, Fellini's Satyricon, King of Hearts, Live Flesh, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Broadway Danny Rose, Hannah and Her Sisters, Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Radio Days, Purple Rose of Cairo, Zelig, Woody Allen Collection #2, Rocky: Special Edition, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, The Rocky Collection, Some Like it Hot (movie only), Some Like it Hot: Special Edition We're still waiting for confirmation of an approximate street date on Paramount's Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Special Edition, but what we're hearing from the studio is mid-2001 at the moment. However, if you're just dying for ANYTHING pertaining to the title, our friends over at IGN's Film Force have posted a leaked image of Foundation Imaging’s CGI model of the Starship Enterprise that's being used to recreate special effects shots (and to create some new ones as well) for the DVD. The old gray mare looks pretty damn good, doesn't she? Fandom.com has an article about Sci-Fi's Dune miniseries. Seems it was such a hit, that the network has already commissioned a sequel. The only question is, will writer/director John Harrison be doing just Dune Messiah, or that and Children of Dune as well. You can read more here. FYI - look for Artisan's Frank Herbert's Dune: Special Edition on DVD in March. And you'll be happy to know that Columbia TriStar expects to release Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind as a 2-disc special edition sometime in 2K1. According to a recent article in Billboard magazine, the studio is looking to focus on "classics" next year, and also plans to release Tootsie, The Natural, Kramer vs. Kramer and Gandhi in 2001, along with a 2-disc version of Lawrence of Arabia (which we already knew about). Stay tuned... 12/1/00 We've just gotten word that, if it all works out, the Artisan DVD will feature the international cut of Sci-Fi's Dune miniseries, featuring footage that won't be seen here in the States due to commercial break restrictions. That's good news for fans. If any of the producers of the mini-series or DVD are reading this, keep this in mind: anamorphic, anamorphic, anamorphic... ;-) Could David Fincher's The Game be coming to DVD as a deluxe multi-disc special edition, a la Fight Club and Se7en? Widescreen Review's new Ultimate Widescreen DVD Movie Guide features a studio DVD roundtable, in which Criterion's Lee Kline mentions that The Game is among the titles they're trying to make happen. Let's keep our fingers crossed, 'cause that would be just too damn nifty... And sources are also telling us that Paramount's upcoming The Untouchables isn't going to have much in the way of extras, but not for lack of trying on the studio's part. Apparently, none of the cast or major crew was available to participate in creating new extras for the DVD. Ditto with the studio's recent Planes, Trains and Automobiles disc - John Hughes was unavailable to do a commentary and legal issues prevented the use of other available materials. Paramount's working hard on this issue for 2001. With any luck, we'll start seeing more extras from then in the new year. The reason I'm posting this, is so you know that, in the vast majority of cases, when a disc comes out with little in the way of extras, it's not that a studio was trying to shaft anyone (no pun intended). With the actor's strike looming, and with the rights and contract issues getting more complicated all the time, it's getting harder and harder to produce special edition materials for DVD. Note that our review of Planes, Trains and Automobiles has been updated accordingly. Stay tuned... 11/27/00 Here's some cool news for Sci-Fi fans (literally). We've just confirmed that Artisan Entertainment will be releasing the Sci-Fi Channel's 6-hour Dune mini-series on DVD early next year. I've been hearing mostly positive things about the series, which will be broadcast on Sci-Fi here in the States starting on December 3rd. I for one am looking forward to it. Artisan couldn't confirm any disc specs - the title is still VERY early in the production process. But we're hoping the disc will arrive as a fully-loaded special edition, with anamorphic widescreen video (the film will be shown at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1) and a boat-load of extras. Cross your fingers. Look for the title to arrive in March at the earliest... 11/20/00 We gotten word of MGM's February & March DVD slates, and they look to be as impressive as their January offerings. Expected in February are Wild Angels, Die Monster Die, Blue Sky, Emerald Forest, Baby Boom, Cherry 2000, The End, Fantasticks, Attack of the Puppet People, Death Warrant, The Mighty Quinn, Navy Seals, Mermaids, City of Industry, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Man from Planet X, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Dr. Phibes Rises Again!, Losin' It, Fuzz, Fatal Beauty, Moonlight & Valentino and Double Impact. And following in March should be The Jackie Robinson Story, Lillies of the Field, The Lion in Winter, The Miracle Worker, The Big Country, The Halelujah Trail, Long Riders, Support Your Local Gunfighter, Support Your Local Sherrif, Twelve Angry Men, All Dogs Go To Heaven, All Dogs Go To Heaven 2, Fluke, Hendrix, The Birdman of Alcatraz, The Bishop's Wife, Elmer Gantry, The Fortune Cookie, The Greatest Story Even Told, Getting Even with Dad, Hans Christian Anderson, Napoleon, Yours, Mine & Ours, Vera Cruz and Wild Bill Not a bad run of titles. We also have reason to believe that the original Rocky and The Magnificent Seven are on the way for Q2 2001 as special editions. Also, just a quick note - Universal has revealed that they're going to be releasing the classic films Harvey (starring Jimmy Stewart) and The Lost Weekend on DVD on February 6th. And we've heard from sources that A&E will begin releasing the first season of Space: 1999 on DVD sometime in Q2 2001, with remastered episodes spread 4 per disc (season 2 will follow later, as we saw with Monty Python). Expect some extras on the discs, including production notes and new interviews. A&E has yet to confirm this information, but we'll keep looking for official word. At the rate of 4 episodes per disc, expect the whole series to run over 12 DVDs. Stay tuned... 11/16/00 We all know that New Line's currently-in-production Lord of the Rings Trilogy will eventually make its way to DVD, but what about the animated Ralph Bakshi version? Well.. the website Tolkin Online is reporting that Saul Zaentz's Fantasy Films has confirmed that Warner Bros. has tentative plans to release the animated LOTR on DVD in 2001 (click here for the specific report). Our guess is that this would be a tie-in sometime around the holiday 2001 release of New Line The Fellowship of the Ring. Let's keep our fingers crosses... 10/31/00 Word has been spreading, over the last couple of days, that episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation are slated to start arriving on DVD in May of 2001 in Europe. The information apparently originated from the German site SF-Radio.de and has been repeated on Trek Today and many other places. According to the report, the series would be released a season at a time, in sets of six discs each, with the first season in May and subsequent seasons appearing in August and November. A number of disc specs were also listed. The Digital Bits spoke with Paramount yesterday, and according to the studio, these reports are complete inaccurate. Episodes of ST:TNG are coming in 2001 but are not expected until the 3rd or 4th quarter of next year... anywhere. Part of the delay is that no decision has as yet been made as to how to release the episodes - 2 or 3 at a time per disc like the original series, or in full season boxed sets. Don't look for this to be settled until well into the new year, and anything you hear otherwise is just gossip. We can't wait for the show on DVD either, but as Dr. McCoy says, "Beware Romulans bearing gifts..." 10/25/00 You know... I was just thinking to myself the other day that it's about time for a new Rumor Mill update. So here we are! We've got street dates for lots of cool, upcoming DVDs and we'll get to that in a minute. But first, a couple of other things... We've gotten word from Paramount that their Star Trek: The Next Generation DVDs have been pushed to the second half of 2001. But they're definitely still coming. No word yet on disc specs or number of episodes per disc. Also, just FYI, the Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Special Edition DVD is now slated for Spring 2001 release. Now then... let's take a look at some artwork for Fox's upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete First Season. The 3-disc set will probably street early next year here in the U.S., and will include (among other things) all 12 season one episodes, audio commentaries by Joss Whedon and David Boreanaz, cast & crew bios, the script for the pilot episode, trailers, a photo gallery, the I Quit music video by Hepburn, and special "crucifix" gatefold packaging. Click on the artwork below (or here) to see a larger image. Note that the image is about 250k in size, so be patient while it loads. This artwork is for the UK, Region 2 release, which streets on November 27th, but you can be sure that the Region 1 release will follow a similar layout. Thanks to Bits reader Scott Johnston for sending the scan along. Thanks also to The R2 Project. Now then... New Line will be releasing their Platinum Edition DVD version of The Cell on December 19th. Also arriving same day, same studio is Saving Grace. Columbia TriStar's Hollow Man arrives on December 26th. Godzilla 2000 streets that same day. Disney's The Kid, Coyote Ugly and The Crow: Salvation are all expected to be January releases, and the single and double disc editions of Dinosaur are currently slated for January 30th. Universal has The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and the Bring it On: Collector's Edition slated for January 23rd, with Cotton Mary, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Starry Night and Jesus' Son following on January 30th. Also, look for the studio to finally release their delayed Legend: Collector's Edition 2-disc set in December or January. Paramount's Survivor: Season One and Wonder Boys should be available on January 9th. Ryko/Palm Pictures has Macross II: The Movie and Wings of Honneamise coming on November 28th. Fox's Digimon: Season One is slated for December 5th. Finally, Warner's In Crowd will street on November 28th, with Warner Music's Hootie and the Blowfish: Summer Camp and Tori Amos: The Complete Videos 1992-1998 set for November 7th. Stay tuned... 10/3/00 A quick follow-up today on Universal's Back to the Future Trilogy. We're now hearing that the title has been pulled off the slates because it's still deep in production, and the fact that it's off the release lists means nothing. Ridley Scott's Legend was in production for nearly a year before the studio even acknowledged that it was coming. So our best information says that BTTF will still be out in 2001, in a time frame that's still TBD. Stay tuned... 9/28/00 We're not sure what to make of this, but some very reliable sources are now telling us that Universal's Back to the Future Trilogy is no longer on the DVD release list for 2001. Does this mean the DVDs have been delayed, either temporarily or indefinitely? Does it mean that they might still be released yet THIS year? We just don't know at this point, but we're working to find out more as soon as we can. Stay tuned... 9/12/00 Hope that big X-mas bonus comes through, 'cause here's some more street dates for DVDs you're gonna want this holiday season. Add 'em to yesterday's list. Some you know... and some have yet to be announced. Just isn't fair is it? October 10th - Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Shanghai Noon, Keeping the Faith, Love and Basketball October 17th - Toy Story 2-pack, The Ultimate Toy Box, Scary Movie, Rules of Engagement October 24th - American Beauty, The Patriot, U-571, Pitch Black, The Skulls October 31st - Frequency, Anna and the King, Where the Heart Is, Return to Me November 7th - Best of the Andy Williams Show, Destiny, Quicksand November 14th - Twilight Zone 36 & 37, Puppetoon Movie, Moody Blues: Hall of Fame, Ski Movie, BET on Jazz: Lou Rawls, BET on Jazz: Bobby Womack November 21st - Gladiator, Cartoon Noir, Astounding She Monster, Best of Tina Turner: Celebrate, Don Henley: Live Inside Job, New World Order, Shirley Bassey: Divas are Forever, Spaceways November 28th - Gone in 60 Seconds, Computer Animation Extravaganza, Inland Sea, Jan & Dean: One Last Ride December 5th - The Doors: SE, Me, Myself & Irene, Shaft 2000 December 12th - Road Trip 9/11/00 We've got a list for you of some of the best titles so far announced for November, December and early 2001 (including street dates). Keep in mind that the farther they are away, the more tentative they become: November 7th - Cruel Intentions 2, Donnie Brasco, Gilda, Kids, Life on Earth, Mission: Impossible 2, Prince of Egypt (DTS), Short 1:10, South Park: The Chef Experience, South Park Christmas, The Straight Story, Titan A.E., Wall Street November 14th - Annie Get Your Gun, 9 1/2 Weeks, Cinderella, Do the Right Thing (Criterion), Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, Fantasia Anthology, Hamlet 2000, Perfect Storm, She's So Lovely, Three Stooges: Nutty But Nice, The X-Files Season Two November 21st - The Bounty, Bridge on the River Kwai, Chicken Run, Code of Silence, Escape from New York, His Girl Friday, Malice, Romper Stomper November 28th - Big Momma's House, X-Men, Trois Note that Legend and Gladiator are both tentatively slated for November as well, but are as yet unannounced. December 5th - Fort Apache The Bronx, Gettysburg, Friendly Persuasion, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Land Before Time VII, Pete's Dragon, Imaginary Crimes December 12th - Air Bud 3-pack, Kikujiro December 19th - Alamo, At Close Range, Bat 21, Breaker Breaker, Breakheart Pass, The Doors, Gorky Park, House of Games, Kill Me Again, Mouse on the Moon, Pop & Me, Rancho Deluxe, Sid & Nancy Note that Dinosaur, Disney's The Kid, Space Cowboys, The Nutty Professor 2 and The Road to El Dorado are all tentatively slated for December, but are as yet unannounced. January 29th - CHUD, Schlock February 5th - Backstreet Boys, Barbara Streisand: The Concert, Bruce Springsteen Anthology, Cher: Live in Concert, Elvis: That's the Way it Is, Imagine: John Lennon, Kate Bush: The Line, The Cross & The Curve, Hoop Dreams, The Long Good Friday, Lost in New York, The Natural, Omega Man, Pink Floyd: Pulse, The Program, Withnail & I Note that Lawrence of Arabia is tentatively slated as a 1st Qtr 2001 release, but is as yet unannounced. 9/1/00 Yep.. there's very reliable word that Miramax is working to bring Krzysztof Kieslowski's Blue, White & Red to DVD. A lot of people have been waiting for these great films to reach the format, us included. Remember that chat we mentioned the other day on the P.T. Anderson website? It's an interview with Mark Rance, who has been working on the new Seven DVD for New Line. Well, Mark reveals in the text that he's also been working on the Trois Colours Trilogy for Miramax, as well as a Crow boxed set, a John Waters boxed set and the Twin Peaks movie for New Line. Very cool. Now if we could just get an anamorphic English Patient: Special Edition out of Miramax... 8/29/00 We've gotten word from our sources that Paramount has commissioned new D-5 high-definition masters of Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, starring Kevin Costner and Sean Connery, in both full frame and anamorphic widescreen. There's no word yet as to a specific release date for DVD, but it's entirely possible that the disc could be out before the end of the year. Stay tuned... 8/28/00 Sources are telling us to expect Fox's official announcement of their DVD version of X-Men this week, perhaps even as early as tomorrow. We're told that the disc will include the film in anamorphic widescreen with dual Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks. Also expected on the disc are an extensive deleted scene section, a behind-the-scenes featurette with cast & crew interviews, artwork, a funny Easter Egg and more. Watch for official word any day. 8/22/00 How's about an update on Mission: Impossible 2? We're hearing that this disc, which is expected in mid-November, will be Paramount's biggest release to date in terms of special edition materials. Look for the following to be included: anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, a "making of" documentary, filmmaker commentary with director John Woo, a featurette on the stunts, breakdowns of the major action sequences, a music video, DVD-ROM content and more. Should be cool. Expect an official announcement very soon. Also today, I want to debunk a series of rumors that have been flying around the Net about DreamWorks' upcoming Gladiator DVD. No... it will NOT be a rental priced disc. That's complete hogwash and this word is official. Also, there will be no two versions of the disc, one in November and one next year, as has also been rumored. There will just be the one damn-fine, 2-disc SE in November. It will include the film, deleted scenes, a commentary and more, as well as sound in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1. So you can all relax. Stay tuned... More Archived Posts Back to Current Posts
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