Site created 12/15/97.		page updated: 2/18/05 Rumor Mill (Archived Posts 9/24/04 - 5/6/04) Back to Previous Archives Back to Current Posts 9/24/04 You heard it here first, Star Trek fans! Several months ago, we first broke the news that Paramount was working to start releasing complete seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise on DVD in 2005. Well, guess what? It's not QUITE official yet, but it will be very soon - Paramount is preparing to announce that all four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise are indeed coming to DVD next year. Look for some kind of announcement to be made the week of 10/4. And yes, we DID say all four seasons - that includes all three seasons that are currently in the can, as well as the upcoming fourth season that premieres on UPN on 10/8. Again, nothing is yet official, but you can reasonably expect the episodes to be presented in full anamorphic widescreen video (the first time a Trek TV series has taken advantage of glorious 16x9 on DVD - 1.78:1 widescreen is Enterprise's original broadcast aspect ratio), with full Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, new interviews with the cast and crew and many other cool extras. Personally, we're hoping for audio commentaries and DELETED SCENES for each episode (hint, hint Paramount). Anyway, watch The Bits for all the official details on the DVD release of Enterprise very soon. Stay tuned, Trekkers! 9/23/04 Here's some interesting news... some of our sources are telling us that Warner is currently working on a box set of all four live-action Batman films, which will include a new Batman: Special Edition. The set is being timed for release to coincide with the new Batman Begins film next year. We'll keep you informed. Also, those of you who enjoyed Tony Scott's recent Man on Fire, but felt that the movie-only DVD release was a little lackluster (containing only a commentary) can rest easy. We've learned that a much more elaborate special edition is on the way from 20th Century Fox early next year. We'll give you all the details as soon as they come in. Stay tuned... 8/24/04 We've heard from a number of inside sources now with great news for you classic animation fans. Word is Disney's Bambi is going to be arriving on DVD in 2005 as a Platinum Edition title, complete with an amazing restoration similar to the one the studio did recently on Snow White. Our information is that it might street as early as March, while Cinderella will be a late 2005 title. The release news was also leaked at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend. During an annual presentation of classic Disney soundtrack music, the conductor reportedly told the crowd that Bambi would arrive on DVD next year (thanks to Bits reader Mike A. for that). Stay tuned... 8/23/04 Here's some cool early skinny on forthcoming MGM titles. Showtime's The Ranch will be released in R-rated and Unrated versions on 11/23. The Sleepover: Special Edition will arrive on 11/23 as well. Look for Luther to street on 11/30. In December, look for Species 3 and a Wild at Heart: Special Edition on 12/7. Wicker Park and De-Lovely are expected on 12/21, with Code 46 following on 12/28. MGM also has a Martin Scorsese Film Collection tentatively due in early 2005, which will include a New York, New York: Special Edition, a Raging Bull: Special Edition, The Last Waltz: Special Edition and Boxcar Bertha. Here's my favorite bit of news... there's a Hoosiers: Collector's Edition on the way for early next year as well. Finally, the studio's Hitchcock box set (which had been set to include The Lady Vanishes, Notorious, The Paradine Case, Rebecca, Sabotage, Spellbound, Thirty-Nine Steps and Young and Innocent), has been delayed indefinitely - we'll give you an update as soon as we have one. Stay tuned... 8/18/04 A lot of you guys have been asking us when we'll finally see Warner's TBA Heat: Special Edition. Look for it to street at the end of the year, timed to coincide with the DVD release of Michael Mann's Collateral (from DreamWorks or Paramount - we're not sure how the video rights will split). Also, many of you have been asking us when New Line is FINALLY going to officially announce The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Special Extended DVD Edition. The answer is soon - probably in the next few weeks. A number of retail sources now are telling us to expect a 12/14 street date. We'll confirm that as soon as we can. Stay tuned... 8/12/04 I thought we had a lot on this title in yesterday's post, but we're back AGAIN today with still more information on Warner's The Ultimate Matrix DVD Gift Set (TBA, due in December). As a reward for taking an online survey over at the Warner Home Video website, Bits reader Jeremy H. was able to learn some new details about the set... AND get some pics for you too! According to Warner's survey, the 10-disc The Ultimate Matrix DVD Gift Set will include the three Matrix movies, The Animatrix and 6 discs of "enhanced content" with over 35 hours of bonus material. SRP is expected to be in the range of $59.99. It looks like there will also be more elaborate (and more expensive) version of the set that will include all 10 discs in special packaging, along with an "exclusive resin Neo bust and an 80-page book with never-before-seen artwork and storyboards." Wanna look-see? Well, here you go... Our thanks again to Bits reader Jeremy H. for sending us this. Stay tuned... 8/11/04 Anyone out there up for The Ultimate Matrix Collection? According to the Wachowski Brothers, who made a rare public appearance at the recent Comic-Con to talk about the DVDs, it's on the way in December. They were part of a Warner Bros. DVD panel on Saturday, which happened right before the big Lucasfilm Star Wars panel, so it seems not many people from the online DVD world were in attendance to hear them talk (including us). But faithful Bits reader Doug S. was there and sent us all the details, some which confirm things we'd heard before (click here and here) and some of it new information. A promo was shown revealing two versions of the set, including a more expensive Collector's Edition Gift Set that includes a Neo minibust from Gentle Giant and a soundtrack CD. As we've heard before, this will be a 10-disc set as follows: Disk 1 - The Matrix (digitally remastered and recolored) Disk 2 - The Matrix Revisited (The SAME disc already released) Disk 3 - The Matrix Reloaded Disk 4 - The Matrix Reloaded Revisited Disk 5 - The Matrix Revolutions Disk 6 - The Matrix Revolutions Revisited Disk 7 - The Animatrix (The SAME disc already released) Disk 8 - The Roots of the Matrix Disk 9 - The Burly Man Chronicles Disk 10 - The Zion Archive Here's additional information the Wachowskis revealed at the panel: Despite rumors, there will be no new director's cuts. The brothers said they were very happy with the original theatrical versions. There will be two audio commentaries for each film - one from philosophers Ken Wilber and Cornel West (who analyze the meanings behind the films), and one from three professional critics who hated all three films (no names given). According to Andy Wachowski, "It's the best idea we've ever had. It's hilarious. They just sit there and rip the shit out of us for six hours." All the footage shot for the Enter the Matrix videogame is present on the DVD for Matrix Reloaded. However, it is not cut into the film - it's a separate special feature you can view scene-by-scene. Finally, the Wachowskis said that none of the special features from the original DVD releases of the trilogy will be reproduced except for what you find on Discs 2 and 7. You may see some of the same footage re-edited, but if you want to own all of the extras you'll need to keep your original DVDs too. So there you have it, straight from a Bits reader who was there. Todd and I actually saw the Wachowskis at the Burly Man booth in the dealer room, so we know there were on hand for all the Comic-Con fun. Our thanks to Doug for his efforts and for sending all this information to us to post for all of you. 7/21/04 Here's some good news and bad news all at once. Sources are telling us that Warner is FINALLY at work once again on a Blade Runner: Special Edition. That's the good news. The bad news is that instead of the 3 or 4-disc ultimate edition we all hoped for (featuring all the different versions of the film), the title is now likely to be one of the studio's 2-disc editions, featuring only the recent "director's cut" version of the film (remastered from a new HD transfer), the Channel 4 On the Edge of Blade Runner documentary and perhaps a few other odds and ends. Look for it sometime in the first half of 2005. Sources are also telling us to expect Columbia TriStar's Spider-Man 2 in mid-November as a 2-disc set (note that a more elaborate special edition is already in production for release at a later date). Also coming from Columbia TriStar in November (finally) are the first two seasons of TV's Seinfeld, complete with extras featuring all of the show's cast members. FYI, the studio's recent White Chicks is due on disc in October. How about a little Big Green Ogre news? Our friends over at Animated-News.com have scored an early look at the menus for DreamWorks' Shrek 2, along with a few details on the extras. As with the original film's DVD release, this 2-disc set (which streets on 11/5) will feature both anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and full frame versions of the film, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Surround audio. Extras will include a pair of audio commentary tracks (one with directors Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, and another with producer Aron Warner and editor Mike Andrews), along with behind-the-scenes featurettes, interactive games and much more. We expect further details to be announced soon by the studio. And on the subject of another long-awaited DVD release, the Integral Naked website has just posted a new (and rare) audio interview with Matrix co-director Larry Wachowski, in which he gives some interesting details about Warner's forthcoming (and yet to be announced) Matrix Trilogy special edition DVD box set. According to the site (and interview), the set is planned for release in October. Brothers Larry and Andy W. reportedly declined to do audio commentary on the films themselves, apparently "fearing that whatever they said would turn into dogma." So they've tapped friends and fellow I.N. über-thinkers Ken Wilber and Cornel West to do the commentary on all 3 films for the set. We're... well, just not sure what to think about that. Could be über-cool... or über-frustrating. In any case, click on over to the site to listen to the interview (note that doing so involves a $10 subscription fee). Thanks to Bits reader Brian O'H. for the link. Damn... lotta rumors for one day. Stay tuned... 7/12/04 We're hearing new reports about a possible 4-disc Gone with the Wind: 65th Anniversary Special Edition that's in the works at Warner Bros. Word is that the title has been announced already for release in Germany on 11/5. We DO know that such a title had been planned as at least a 2-disc special edition (click here for a list of Warner titles on the way) and that it has undergone the "ultra restoration" process at the studio. We've also been hearing whispers about the release from industry insiders. This would be the first retail confirmation of the title, and the first time we've heard about the release being expanded to 4 discs. We'll keep you up to date on this as we learn anything new. Stay tuned... 6/28/04 We've gotten very tentative early word from a retail source that Universal may be working on a number of interesting catalog special editions for release later in 2004. Among the titles that are reportedly in the works are Jay Roach's Meet the Parents (presumably to coincide with the release of Meet the Fockers in theaters), John Carpenter's The Thing and (gasp!) David Lynch's Dune. We're working to get additional confirmation on this. Dune would be huge... but anything less than Criterion-level treatment would be a shame. The longer TV version should be included, and someone ought to let Lynch do his ultimate director's cut the way he originally wanted it. You can be sure we'll post more when we hear it. One would hope Uni is working on Flash Gordon and Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century as well... Also today, our friends over at TV Shows on DVD.com have posted a list of shorts that are expected to be included in Warner's 4-disc The Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume 2 when it's released later this year (in October or November). Be sure to check it out. Stay tuned... 6/18/04 We've received some additional (and very solid) confirmations from industry sources that DreamWorks will release Shrek 2 on DVD on 11/5. Also today, we can't vouch for the source, but a Star Wars fan website has information that reportedly leaked from someone who attended a recent Lucasfilm marketing meeting. Among the interesting bits of information is word that the first and second series of Star Wars: Clone Wars animated shorts will hit DVD in the first quarter of 2005. Also of interest (but not DVD related): the Episode III teaser trailer will debut in November, the first full trailer for the film will arrive in theaters in April 2005, and the word "Revenge" keeps appearing on marketing materials, prompting renewed speculation that Star Wars: Episode III will be called Revenge of the Sith. Finally, a live action Star Wars TV series may premiere in 2006. Fascinating stuff... Stay tuned... 6/17/04 Boy... a lot of Trek news these days! Following a special screening of Star Trek: First Contact on Tuesday night at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, co-screenwriter (and now co-creator of Star Trek: Enterprise) Brannon Braga participated in a Q&A session with audience members about the film and the Star Trek franchise as a whole. Among the interesting revelations of the evening was word that the 2-disc Star Trek: Generations - Special Collector's Edition DVD is planned for release by Paramount on 9/7. In addition, Braga also confirmed that the Star Trek: First Contact - Special Collector's Edition will be released next year. For more on this event, including many more details on the Q&A, visit this link at TrekWeb.com. Stay tuned... 6/14/04 Well... we've suspected it was going to happen (and we've been saying it ought to happen for a while now), but industry sources are finally starting to hint to us to expect Paramount to release seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise and the complete Star Trek: The Animated Series on DVD in 2005. Word is now that Enterprise has been picked up for a fourth season by UPN (reportedly only after the studio lowered the network's price per episode for the show from $1.7 million to $800,000 - that's according to the latest issue of TV Guide - click here for more), the studio believes that releasing the series on disc might help bolster the ratings and possibly extend the broadcast life of the series further. In addition, on his website former Trek scribe David Gerrold has confirmed that "plans are underway" at Paramount to release The Animated Series on DVD with features that will reportedly include commentaries with the cast and writers. Both of these series coming in 2005 would make sense. Paramount has been releasing at least one complete Trek series a year on DVD for three years now. With both Voyager and The Original Series set to be out before the end of 2004, and The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine already out, Enterprise and The Animated Series are all that's left. We'll keep a close eye on this and let you know as soon as we have any new information. Cross your fingers. Or do that funny Vulcan hand thingie if you'd prefer. There's also one other DVD rumor worth mentioning today, although we can't vouch for it. The Harry Potter-themed fansite Wizard News has reported that one of the series' cast members has let slip that a Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Director's Cut may be in the works. This would presumably include the added scenes that were shown on ABC here in the States recently, in addition to never-before-seen footage. Again, we can't speak to the validity of this, although we wouldn't be surprised if it's true. Thanks to Bits reader Matthew S. for the link. Stay tuned... 6/11/04 We know how much you guys like TV shows on DVD, and Paramount's working on a whole bunch of them. Here are some more street dates we're getting from our best retail and industry sources: 8/31 - South Park: The Passion of the Jew 9/7 - Mork & Mindy: Season 1 9/14 - 7th Heaven: The Complete First Season, C.S.I.: The Complete Fourth Season 9/21 - Frasier: The Complete Eleventh Season 9/28 - Crank Yankers: Season 1 Uncensored, Strangers with Candy: The Complete Third Season 10/5 - Frasier: The Complete Final Season 10/12 - C.S.I. Miami: The Complete Second Season, South Park: The Complete Fifth Season, Taxi: The Complete First Season, The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete First Season, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment: Season 2 Don't worry... Star Trek is still coming. Don't get your panties in a bunch because you don't see any Trek titles listed here. We'll post dates as soon as we have them. Other titles Paramount is working on for DVD release include Mean Girls (expected 9/21), the new The Stepford Wives remake (10/26), and both The Hebrew Hammer and Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet (11/16). With any luck, The Stepford Wives will include a bunch of those deleted scenes and alternate endings that audiences reported seeing in early test screenings. The film apparently was reshot to include a happier ending, but according to recent reviews the added scenes end up badly confusing the basic twist of the whole story. It's a shame - this could have been a good flick. Stay tuned... 6/8/04 We've been hearing from a number of industry sources in the last 24 hours that DreamWorks will release Shrek 2 on DVD on 11/5. As if to confirm this, several Hollywood Video staffers have let us know that they're now selling Shrek 2 gift cards that promote the 11/5 street date. I'll lay odds that this is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) DVD release of the year. Also today, a friend of The Bits e-mailed us last night with a link to the message boards at Spawn.com. Seems one of the moderators there let slip that Todd McFarlane himself has just been interviewed for The Matrix Trilogy DVD box set. Although sources have been telling us that it was in production for some time now, this is the first public confirmation we've seen. Here's the relevant quote from the post: "Today, in this very office... actually at this very moment, Todd is sitting down to do an interview for the upcoming DVD boxed set of The Matrix Trilogy (scheduled to be released sometime this winter). While I don't have all of the details regarding Todd's involvement, I do know that the segment in which he will be appearing revolves around the history of action films. For more specifics you'll either have to wait until I have more info to share with you, or you'll have to pick up the boxed set, but until then, here's a photograph of the set, which is decorated with a wide assortment of our Matrix action figures..." Click on the link to see the whole post and the figure pics. Cool and the gang, baby. Cool and the gang. ;-) Stay tuned... 6/7/04 A lot of you have been asking us about 20th Century Fox's Lost in Space DVDs, specifically when the studio plans to release the second season of the series on disc. I've just spoken to Fox representatives, and have learned that the studio plans to release the second season in two parts. There is reportedly so much material on the second season, that they've decided to split it into two separate releases to keep the price point down. So look for Lost in Space: The Second Season, Part One sometime in September or November, with Part Two following early next year. Stay tuned... 6/4/04 This one is just a quicky, but a lot of you have been asking us about it. So be aware that sources are telling us to expect Jon Favreau's very funny Elf on DVD from New Line on 11/16. Still laughing about this flick... "You're not Santa! You smell like beef and cheese!" Also... believe it or not... we're hearing rumors that Anchor Bay is prepping a classic unreleased TV series for DVD release in 2005... The Greatest American Hero. Nice. Stay tuned... 5/21/04 Back to Paramount today. You're going to love this. We've got early details on the studio's catalog plans for the rest of 2004 - both titles and street dates! Here you go (all dates are tentative)... 10/5 - Bebe's Kids, Black Beauty, The Untouchables: Special Collector's Edition, All I Want for Christmas, The Godfather, Part II, The Godfather, Part III 10/12 - The Stooge, The Ladies Man, Cinderfella, The Delicate Delinquent, The Patsy, The Bellboy, The Family Jewels, The Disorderly Orderly, The Errand Boy, The Nutty Professor: Collector's Edition (1963) 10/19 - Explorers, Deep Impact: Special Collector's Edition, Fire in the Sky, The Conquest of Space, D.A.R.Y.L. 10/26 - The Thing Called Love, Brain Donors, Jimmy Hollywood 11/9 - Last Train from Gun Hill, Ace High, Arrowhead, The Naked Jungle 11/16 - Testament, Bopha!, 1492: The Conquest of Paradise, Ragtime, Foul Play, Top Gun: Special Collector's Edition 11/30 - Racing with the Moon, The Lords of Discipline, It's All True, The Keep 12/21 - A Show of Force, Distant Thunder Those of you wondering where the Star Trek: The Original Series DVDs fit into this list should know that the discs are literally still in production, so final Region 1 street dates have not yet been determined. We'll post them as soon as they're available. The WILL all be out before the end of the year. Also today, you should know that Criterion is working on a 2-disc special edition of David Cronenberg's Videodrome for release in August, along with a DVD release of George Franju's Eyes Without a Face. Videodrome is expected to include audio commentary by Cronenberg and cinematographer Mark Irwin, another commentary by stars James Woods and Deborah Harry, Cronenberg's short film Camera, a 30-minute documentary about the film's makeup and special effects, the 30-minute Fear on Film 1982 roundtable discussion (between Cronenberg, John Carpenter and John Landis, hosted by Mick Garris), a 1982 promotional featurette, trailers, extensive photo galleries (with makeup tests, behind-the-scenes photos, publicity stills, marketing materials and more) and the complete Samurai Dreams (the fake Japanese soft-core porn film seen in the movie). You can read more at Fangoria. Stay tuned... 5/20/04 Yesterday we talked Paramount. Today, we've got a sneak peek at MGM titles on the way for September and October. On 9/7, look for Walking Tall, Soul Plane, a Judgment at Nuremberg: Special Edition, The Burning Bed, Gotham (aka The Dead Can't Lie), Moving Target, The Martian Chronicles (mini-series), and a David Lean Collection (SRP $99.96) including Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, In Which We Serve, Madeleine, Oliver Twist, The Passionate Friends and This Happy Breed (which will also be available separately at SRP $19.98 each). On 9/14, look for Coffee & Cigarettes. 9/21 will see Unspeakable. And on 9/28, watch for The Saddest Music in the World. Among the titles coming in October from MGM are Sleepover, Intermission, Showtime's The Ranch, a Species: Special Edition, Alexander the Great and Stargate SG-1: Season Seven. We also have confirmation of the titles coming in November as part of MGM's Alfred Hitchcock promotion from the studio. These will include The Lady Vanishes, Notorious, The Paradine Case, Rebecca, Sabotage, Spellbound, The Thirty-Nine Steps and Young & Innocent. They'll be available in a box set and separately as well. Just so you know, because we know you'll start asking, we don't know what any of the above means for Criterion's current releases of some of these Lean and Hitchcock titles. You might, however, want to pick the Criterion discs up if you haven't done so yet, just in case they do go out of print. Also today, a number of online retailers (including EZYDVD) are listing a 9-disc The Matrix Trilogy DVD box set for Region 4 (street date TBA). This would supposedly include 3 discs for The Matrix, 3 discs for The Matrix Reloaded, 2 discs for The Matrix Revolutions, and the single-disc Animatrix DVD. Features of the set are reported to include new HD film transfers of the films, an extended version of Reloaded with an hour of additional footage and new documentaries, commentaries and other newly created special edition content. We do know that Warner and the Wachowski brothers are working on new special editions of the films, but this is the first time we've heard about this specific release. We'll look into it and hopefully have more information for you soon, particularly word on R1 plans. Stay tuned... 5/19/04 Anyone interested in what Paramount's cooking for DVD release through October 2004? Let me tell you, a DAMN fine batch of titles according to our sources. Here's a look at some of what's on the way. Keep in mind, these street dates are tentative and may change: 8/31 - Come Back Little Sheba 9/7 - Whispers in the Dark, Star Trek Generations: Special Collectors Edition, Murder on the Orient Express, Eddie Murphy: Raw 9/14 - Orca: The Killer Whale, I Married a Monster from Outer Space, Bug, Body Parts, Friday the 13th: From Crystal Lake to Manhattan - The Ultimate Edition DVD Collection (the first 8 movies on 5 discs) 9/28 - Footloose: Special Collector's Edition Coming in October - 10 classic Jerry Lewis films, Explorers, Deep Impact: Collector's Edition, Fire in the Sky, The Conquest of Space, D.A.R.Y.L., Black Beauty, The Untouchables: Special Collector's Edition, The Godfather, Part II (movie only), The Godfather, Part III (movie only) Not bad for a couple of months, eh? Orca? Raw? Fire in the Sky? Nice. By the way, we have word that 1492: The Conquest of Paradise is finally on the way as well, as a movie only DVD, probably for November or December. Also this morning, I imagine by now many of you have seen the altered Return of the Jedi DVD screen shot posted yesterday over on Ain't it Cool News. While some sources are still hedging their bets... yes, we can confirm that this is authentic. It IS one of many changes that are being made to the original Star Wars films for the September 21st DVD release. We've been saying for months now that there were going to be changes made to these films for DVD, and while many believed us, a number of Star Wars fans have e-mailed to say we must be on crack. Nevertheless, believe it or not, we know for a FACT that several more changes are being made to these films. Trust us on this - our contacts are in positions to know. Like it or not, the films we will get on DVD on 9/21 are NOT going to be the original theatrical versions and they're not going to be the 1997 special editions either. Even Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet has confirmed this, saying at the recent WonderCon convention that the films contained on the discs would be the incarnations of the films "as George Lucas sees them today." It's gonna get mighty interesting in the months ahead, folks. Stay tuned... 5/14/04 This update is short but sweet. We're being told by retail and industry sources to expect the 2-disc edition of Columbia TriStar's Hellboy on 7/27. A more elaborate 3-disc director's version will street later in 2004. We'll post all the details as soon as these titles are officially announced. Stay tuned... 5/6/04 Here's something interesting. Sources are telling us that likely titles for Warner's third wave of animated Hanna Barbera DVD releases include Top Cat, The Flintstones: Season Two and Wacky Races. Look for these possibly as soon as the 4th quarter of this year. Also, word is there's a Tom and Jerry box set on the way, formatted much like the previous Looney Tunes: Golden Collection (i.e. not on chronological order). The following is actually confirmed, but since we're talking Warner we're posting it here. It's word on Warner's forthcoming Elvis titles. On 8/3, look for Double Trouble, Harum Scarum, It Happened at the World's Fair, Spinout, Speedway and The Trouble with Girls (SRP $14.97 each). The studio's previous Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas and Elvis: That's the Way It Is DVDs will be reduced to the same price on that same date. Finally, Warner will release Tod Browning's Freaks on 8/10, along with Dead Ringer, The Bad Seed and a double feature DVD of Village of the Damned/Children of the Damned. Stay tuned... 5/6/04 Anyone out there interested in what 20th Century Fox has planned for Chris Carter's Harsh Realm on DVD? Look for the 3-disc set to street sometime in August, featuring all 9 episodes of the series, along with commentary on the pilot episode by Carter, the Inside the Harsh Realm featurette, TV spots and more. Now then... some Paramount news. Sources have informed us that the studio will release the original 1975 Stepford Wives on DVD on 6/14 - yes, a Monday - in fact the Monday after the new remake hits theaters. Word is this will be some kind of distribution deal involving the previously released Anchor Bay special edition, so all the extras will be the same. Paramount is apparently close to announcing the DVD release of Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Other classic TV titles are apparently on the way as well, including (but not limited to) Mork and Mindy, Taxi and The Andy Griffith Show. On the Star Trek front, it may be a while yet before we get official R1 street dates for the Star Trek: The Original Series full season sets, even though R2 info is leaking like crazy. According to the Italian Star Trek Fan Club website, the features and extras you can expect from these new Original Series sets include: all episodes in broadcast order, plus both the color and B&W versions of The Cage (full frame, Dolby Digital 5.1), episode TV previews, text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda (coauthors of The Star Trek Encyclopedia) on 3 episodes, The Birth of Star Trek featurettes (including new interviews with the cast and crew), the Life After Star Trek: William Shatner featurette, the To Boldly Go: Season One production documentary, a Leonard Nimoy interview on Spock, the Love in Star Trek featurette on the history of relationships in the franchise, a featurette focusing on Kirk, Spock and McCoy, the Science Fiction Visionaries featurette on the creative forces and influences on the series, the Imagining the Final Frontier production design featurette, Star Trek Connections information and a photo gallery. All in all not bad. Sources have told us that the R1 extras will be close if not identical. Meanwhile, Play.com has released small (and we might add, crappy) box shots of the R2 packaging... In other Trek news, Voyager: Season 2 streets 5/18, with Season 3 following on 7/6 and Season 4 arriving on 9/28. Beyond that, the dates have not been finalized for Seasons 5, 6 & 7. Also we have confirmed that Star Trek: Generations - Special Collector's Edition will street late in 2004, but there's nothing more solid at the moment in terms of a specific date. Finally, Paramount's The Untouchables: Special Collector's Edition is still planned for release later in 2004, but the exact date is up in the air. Stay tuned... Archived Posts
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