Among the confirmed revelations...

Shout! Factory is going to be doing a new ground-up 4K scan and restoration of Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness (1992) for release on the format next year via their Scream Factory label.

Paramount confirmed it’s working on a 4K Ultra HD release of Michael Mann’s Collateral (2004) for 12/8.

Well Go USA confirmed a 4K UHD Ip Man: The Complete Collection, which will include Ip Man, Ip Man 2, Ip Man 3, and Ip Man 4: The Finale (already released separately on the format) for release on 12/15. It’s not mentioned, but we presume Master Z: Ip Man Legacy will also be included.

And here’s a great surprise: We knew that Blue Underground was working on Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop 3 for release on 4K Ultra HD, but they’ve confirmed that they’re also planning 4K releases of Dead & Buried, Fire and Ice, and The Final Countdown!

Yes, you read that right… The Final Countdown (1980) is coming to physical 4K Ultra HD. Holy shit.

One interesting note: When I was interviewed for the piece, I specifically mentioned our readers’ excitement for Warner’s forthcoming 4K releases of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit... and that comment did not make the final edit of the article. Warner reps were interviewed for the piece, so this suggests that there’s still a possibility that both 4K trilogies could slip into 2021.

You can read Media Play’s September 2020 Digital issue right here online, and I strongly suggest that you all check it out. Well done, Stephanie!

Now then... you might be thinking: “Wow, that’s a big day for 4K UHD catalog news!” And you would be correct. But if you’re thinking that’s all the 4K catalog news we have to report today, you’d be wrong. Because all of the above came in addition to a few more actual disc announcements...

First, StudioCanal has announced the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release of Alexander Mackendrick’s The Ladykillers (1955), starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers, in the UK on November 9th as part of their Vintage Classics line. This new Ealing Studios/three-strip Technicolor restoration has been done in celebration of the film’s 65th anniversary. The 4K presentation will include Dolby Vision HDR.

The 5-disc set will include the film in both 1.37: and 1.66:1 aspect ratios, the new Investigating the Ladykillers documentary, the new Colour in The Ladykillers interview with professor Keith Johnston, the Forever Ealing documentary, audio commentary with author and film scholar Philip Kemp, a King’s Cross Locations featurette with Alan Dein, an excerpt from BBC Omnibus: Made in Ealing (1986), an audio interview with assistant director Tom Pevsner, an audio interview with unit production manager David Peers, galleries of lobby cards and behind-the-scenes photos, a Peter Sellers spoof trailer from the set of The Ladykillers, and the film’s theatrical trailer. The package will also include Those Glorious Eailing Films (a CD that includes music from the film), a 64-page booklet, and 6 art cards.

Here’s what it looks like (click here or on the image below to pre-order it on Amazon.co.uk)...

Newly announced just this morning by Arrow Video is a new 4K restoration of Ron Underwood’s Tremors (1990) on both Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD (being released in the US, Canada, and the UK). Licensed from Universal, the restoration was approved by Underwood and DP Alexander Gruszynski. The 4K disc will include Dolby Vision HDR, along with restored DTS-HD MA original theatrical 2.0 stereo, 4.0 surround, and remixed 5.1 surround audio options, with optional English SDH subs. You’ll also get a 60-page book, large and small fold-out (and double-sided) posters with art by Matt Frank, 6 lobby card reproductions, and reversible sleeve art.

New extras on the 4K and Blu-ray will include audio commentary by director Ron Underwood and writers/producers Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson, audio commentary by Jonathan Melville author of Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors, Universal’s new Making Perfection documentary on the film, new interview featurettes (including The Truth About Tremors with co-producer Nancy Roberts, Bad Vibrations with director of photography Alexander Gruszynski, Aftershocks and Other Rumblings with associate producer Ellen Collett, Digging in the Dirt with the VFX Crew, and Music for Graboids with composers Ernest Troost and Robert Folk), and Pardon My French!, a newly assembled compilation of overdubs from the edited-for television version.

Legacy extras on the 4K and Blu-ray will include Laurent Bouzereau’s The Making of Tremors (1995) documentary, Creature Featurette, an EPK featurette and interviews with Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire, deleted scenes (including the original opening), trailers, TV spots, and radio spots for Tremors and all of its sequels, and image galleries (of behind-the-scenes photos, storyboards, and two different drafts of the film’s screenplay).

The Limited Edition release will also include a bonus Blu-ray that adds extended hour-long interviews from Making Perfection (with Ron Underwood, Brent Maddock, S.S. Wilson, Nancy Roberts, and creature designer Alec Gillis), outtakes with optional introduction and commentary by S.S. Wilson, and 3 early short films by the makers of Tremors including S.S. Wilson’s stop-motion horror/comedy classic Recorded Live (1975).

Here’s what the Limited Edition package looks like. Click here or on the image below to pre-order it on Amazon...

Arrow Video has also announced a new Blu-ray edition of Ryûhei Kitamura’s Versus for release on Blu-ray in the US, Canada, and UK on December 7. It will include the original 2000 cut and 2004’s Ultimate Versus, featuring over 10 minutes of new and revised footage, along with a ton of new and legacy extras.

Vinegar Syndrome has also confirmed that they’re working on a new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release of Don Coscarelli’s The Beastmaster (1982)! As many of you will recall, Coscarelli recently revealed that the film’s original camera negative has been misplaced and is presumed missing. So this will be mastered from a new 4K scan of a high-quality 35mm interpositive found in the Warner Bros. vaults. You can pre-order this title direct from Vinegar Syndrome via their website here for just $36.99 (the price goes up a bit on Monday). We don’t yet have a street date, but we presume it will ship before the end of the year. Here’s the cover artwork...

By the way, Vinegar Syndrome also has René Manzor’s Dial Code Santa Claus (1989, aka 3615 code Père Noël) set for 4K Ultra HD release on 10/27. You’ll find that available for pre-order here.

The company is also working on a new Blu-ray release of Fade to Black (1980) and a new gaillo Blu-ray box set as well that’s still TBA.

Still a couple more to go: European retail sources are already taking pre-orders for Disney and Fox’s The New Mutants in 4K Ultra HD. There’s no street date listed and to our knowledge the title hasn’t yet appeared on US retail sites.

Finally today, multiple retail and industry sources are confirming that Sony is going to release Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive (2011) on 4K Ultra HD late this year or in early 2021. This is not too surprising, as the title was one of many listed in Sony’s 4K UHD poll from a few months back.

A couple of quick additional site notes: We’ve learned that the Blu-ray Discs included in Second Sight’s forthcoming Dawn of the Dead 4K/Blu-ray box set (due on November 16th) will be coded for Region B. The 4K discs of course are all region. Adjust your plans accordingly.

Also, here at the site today, we’ve posted a new review from Tim of Sony’s recent The Mask of Zorro 4K Ultra HD release. It’s a terrific A/V remaster and well worth your time.

I’m also working on some new Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD reviews which I hope to post over the weekend. They’ll be linked on my own Twitter page and of course The Digital Bits social media pages on Twitter and Facebook as soon as they’re live here on the site.

Tim and Dennis have more reviews on the way as well, so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Last but not least, we’ve updated our 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits to reflect all of the breaking 4K news covered in today’s post.

All right. Whew! That was a big day and a nice way to close out the week. Have a great weekend, everyone... and we’ll see you back here on Monday.

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)