Meanwhile, here’s a Universal catalog 4K title that we know is official: The studio will release a To Kill a Mockingbird: 60th Anniversary Edition on 10/11 as well. That comes straight from the studio’s own website.
Are there any fans of Russell Mulcahy’s Highlander (1986)? Well, we’re still awaiting details on a potential US release from Lionsgate, but StudioCanal is releasing the film as a 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition in the UK on 10/31. The package will contain the film on 4K Ultra HD and all-region Blu-ray, along with a booklet, a mini comic, a poster, art cards, and more. You can order it from Amazon.co.uk by clicking here or on the packaging image below...
Speaking of StudioCanal, the company has listed Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others (2001) and Walter Hill’s The Driver (1978) for 4K Ultra HD release in France. The street dates for each are listed as 12/31, so keep in mind they may be placeholders. But you can click on the title links to visit their respective Amazon.fr pre-order pages.
Here’s another official title: Kino Lorber Studio Classics has just announced that they’re working on Robert Aldrich’s The Longest Yard (1974)—a title they’ve licensed from Paramount—for release on 4K Ultra HD later this year. The street date is currently set as “coming soon” but we expect an official date in the weeks ahead.
And while we’re on the topic of Paramount, here’s some very exciting news: We’ve known for a while that Paramount was working on new UHD releases of Saturday Night Fever (tentative street date 11/8) and Wayne’s World (tentative date 11/15). But now our retail sources are reporting that they’re planning a 4K Ultra HD release of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) in November as well—a Miramax title that’s now distributed by Paramount. The tentative street date is 11/1, but that’s apparently still in flux. Nevertheless, it will be good to have more Tarantino in 4K, and—since they’re all Miramax titles—we certainly hope that Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (or even Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair?) might follow in 4K UHD in 2023.
Hell, if Paramount is looking for more great Miramax titles to release in 4K, I’d like to personally take the opportunity to request Good Will Hunting, The English Patient (a Best Picture-winner that’s deserving of a 4K upgrade), The Crow, the Coens’ No Country for Old Men (also a Best Picture title), and Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002). I’m confident that any of those would sell very well on the format.
On a related note, the Paramount titles Kiss the Girls and Æon Flux (2005) have just been upgraded to 4K on Apple TV and iTunes, so those are possible for physical 4K release at some point in the future.
And with their physical 4K Ultra HD release just a couple of weeks away now, the HD Digital presentations of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country on Apple TV and iTunes have now been updated to their new remastered presentations. 4K Digital versions should go live on or about street date (9/6). And if you already own the SD Digital version of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Director’s Edition, some Bits readers are reporting that it’s now being updated to the new 4K presentation on some Digital services, though without the extras that will come with the Digital sale version of the title on 9/6.
One last item today: Disney and 20th Century Studios have just released a new trailer promoting the return of James Cameron’s original Avatar (2009) to theaters on 9/23 for a limited engagement in 3D and 4K HDR. This is obviously part of the built-up to the release of the sequel in theaters, Avatar: The Way of Water, on 12/16. We fully expect the studio to release the original Avatar on physical 4K Ultra HD as well, but we’re not sure yet if that will happen before sequel arrives in theaters or after, possibly early next year with the sequel’s physical disc release. But studio and industry sources are indicating that it is coming to 4K Ultra HD, along with Cameron’s long-awaited The Abyss. However, we’ve been waiting for that one for years now, so we’re not holding our breath for it just yet. In the meantime, here’s the trailer for Avatar’s return to theaters...
All right, we’ll leave you this evening with a better look at the cover artwork for the Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection – Volume 2 box. You can already pre-order the title on Amazon.co.uk (click here or on the image below), though do keep in mind that the UK version may not include Blu-rays and will not have Digital codes...
And that’s all for tonight! Back tomorrow with more. Stay tuned!
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