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Friday, 21 February 2020 13:54

Universal sets Sam Mendes’ 1917 for release on Blu-ray, DVD & 4K on 3/24 (plus a big Star Wars 4K update)

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All right, we have a major new title announcement for you today, plus a significant Star Wars 4K update.

Let’s start with the announcement: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just set Sam Mendes’ 1917 for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 3/24, with the Digital release expected on 3/10.

The film was finished as a native 4K digital intermediate, and the 4K SKU will include HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision high dynamic range, with Dolby Atmos audio.

Extras will include feature commentary with director/co-writer Sam Mendes, a second feature commentary with director of photography Roger Deakins, and 5 featurettes (The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes, Allied Forces: Making 1917, The Music of 1917, In the Trenches, and Recreating History). [Read on here...]

You can see the cover artwork here (and also above). Click on the covers to pre-order the film on Amazon.com...

1917 (Blu-ray Disc) 1917 (4K Ultra HD)

By the way, our sources now indicate that Universal will also be bringing John Landis’ The Blues Brothers to 4K Ultra HD this summer, so we’ve added the title to our 4K Ultra HD Release List here at The Bits.

Now then, I mentioned that we have more info on the Star Wars 4K discs (both the individual film SKUs and the Skywalker Saga box set—the actual discs are the same). Here’s the latest details we have from studio sources regarding the confirmed bonus features on each, broken down disc by disc (new info is in CAPS)...

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace will include audio commentary (with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, and Dennis Muren) and an archival commentary (by the cast and crew) on Disc One. The Bonus Disc (running time 181 minutes) will include The Beginning (feature-length documentary), Conversations: Doug Chiang Looks Back, Discoveries from Inside: Models & Miniatures, EXTENDED AND DELETED SCENES, FILMMAKER AND CAST INTERVIEWS (including George Lucas on the Digital Revolution, AND MUCH MORE (essentially a Making of Collection of legacy content).

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones will include audio commentary (with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Ben Burtt, Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, John Knoll, and Ben Snow) and an archival commentary (by the cast and crew) on Disc One. The Bonus Disc (running time 196 minutes) will include Conversations: Sounds in Space, Discoveries from Inside: Costumes Revealed, From Puppets To Pixels: Digital Characters in Episode II (feature-length documentary), EXTENDED AND DELETED SCENES, CAST AND CREW INTERVIEWS, the State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II documentary, The Art of Attack of the Clones, AND MUCH MORE (essentially a Making of Collection of legacy content).

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith will include audio commentary (with George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, and Roger Guyett) and an archival commentary (by the cast and crew) on Disc One. The Bonus Disc (running time 327 minutes) will include Conversations: The Star Wars That Almost Was, Discoveries from Inside: Holograms & Bloopers, Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III (feature-length documentary), FILMMAKER AND CAST INTERVIEWS, The Journey: Part 1 & 2 documentary, AND MUCH MORE (essentially a Making of Collection of legacy content).

Solo: A Star Wars Story is being released separately in new packaging that matches the other single-film 4K SKUs. We believe that this will be the same 2-disc 4K/Blu-ray combo package released widely previously, which included Deleted Scenes and 9 featurettes (Solo: The Director & Cast Roundtable, Kasdan on Kasdan, Remaking the Millennium Falcon, Escape from Corellia, The Train Heist, Team Chewie, Becoming a Droid: L3-37, Scoundrels, Droids, Creatures, and Cards: Welcome to Fort Ypso, and Into the Maelstrom: The Kessel Run). WHAT WE DON’T KNOW is whether the previous Target-exclusive bonus featurette The Millennium Falcon: From Page to Park will also be included or not.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is also being released separately (and for the first time) in 4K Ultra HD in packaging that matches the other films. We expect that the bonus content will match the previous Blu-ray release, including 12 featurettes (The Stories: A Rogue Idea, Jyn: The Rebel, Cassian: The Spy, K-2SO: The Droid, Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills, Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & the Revolutionary, The Empire, Visions of Hope: The Look of Rogue One, The Princess & The Governor, Epilogue: The Story Continues, and Rogue Connections). WHAT WE DON’T KNOW is whether the previous Target-exclusive bonus featurettes (Inside the Creature Shop and Digital Storytelling) will also be included or not.

Star Wars: A New Hope will include audio commentary (with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt, and Dennis Muren) and an archival commentary (by the cast and crew) on Disc One. The Bonus Disc (running time 101 minutes) will include Conversations: Creating a Universe, Discoveries from Inside: Weapons & the First Lightsaber, Anatomy of a Dewback, CAST INTERVIEWS, EXTENDED AND DELETED SCENES, Aboard The Death Star Overview, AND MUCH MORE (essentially a Making of Collection of legacy content).

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back will include audio commentary (with George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt, and Dennis Muren) and an archival commentary (by the cast and crew) on Disc One. The Bonus Disc (running time 125 minutes) will include Conversations: The Lost Interviews including George Lucas on Editing The Empire Strikes Back (1979), Discoveries from Inside: Matte Paintings Revealed, the A Conversation with the Masters documentary (2010), FILMMAKER INTERVIEWS, EXTENDED AND DELETED SCENES, AND MUCH MORE (essentially a Making of Collection of legacy content).

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi will include audio commentary (with George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt, and Dennis Muren) and an archival commentary (by the cast and crew) on Disc One. The Bonus Disc (running time 163 minutes) will include Conversations: The Effects, Discoveries from Inside: The Sounds of Ben Burtt, the Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi documentary (1983), CAST AND CREW INTERVIEWS, EXTENDED AND DELETED SCENES, Death Star II Space Battle Overview, AND MUCH MORE (essentially a Making of Collection of legacy content).

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will include audio commentary with director JJ Abrams on Disc One. The Bonus Disc (running time 149 minutes) will include the same bonus features released previously on Blu-ray, including the Secrets of The Force Awakens documentary, Blueprint of a Battle: The Snow Fight, John Williams: The Seventh Symphony, ILM: The Visual Magic of the Force, Deleted Scenes (at least 6 – more in this in a moment), The Story Awakens: The Table Read, Building BB-8, Crafting Creatures, and the Force for Change promo. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW is whether the previous retail and digital exclusive featurettes will be included or not. Among those were Foley: A Sonic Tale, Sounds of the Resistance, Dressing the Galaxy, The Scavenger & The Stormtrooper: A Conversation with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, and Inside the Armory. There were also a trio of retail-exclusive deleted scenes (Leia & The Resistance, Unkar Plutt at Maz’s Castle, and Tunnel Standoff). At least one source has suggested that these will be included, but we’ve been unable to confirm this with Disney thus far.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will include audio commentary with director Rian Johnson. AT LEAST ONE RETAIL SOURCE suggests that the Blu-ray in the package will include much-welcome a surprise: The Score-Only Version of the Movie that was previously a Digital exclusive (we have as yet been unable to confirm this with Disney). The Bonus Disc (running time 165 minutes) should carry over the same package of extras found on the previous Blu-ray and 4K version of the film, including The Director and The Jedi documentary, Balance of the Force, Scene Breakdown: Lighting the Spark – Creating the Space Battle, Scene Breakdown: Snoke and Mirrors, Scene Breakdown: Showdown on Crait, and Andy Serkis Live!: One Night Only. There were also 14 deleted scenes with Rian Johnson introduction. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW is whether the previous Target-exclusive featurette Meet the Porgs will be included or not. At least one source has suggested that it will, but we’ve been unable to confirm this with Disney thus far. We also don’t know if this 4K disc will still have Dolby Vision HDR as before, or whether it’s been re-authored without it.

I HAVE CONFIRMED THAT NONE OF THESE OTHER 4K DISCS WILL INCLUDE DOLBY VISION HDR—that will be Digital only.

Now then, one more to go...

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will officially include the feature-length The Skywalker Legacy documentary, along with 5 featurettes Pasaana Pursuit: Creating the Speeder Chase, Aliens in the Desert, D-O: Key to the Past, Warwick & Son, and Cast of Creatures. There will also be a digital-only exclusive featurette called The Maestro’s Finale (VERY frustrating—this should be on the disc). Now then... WE HAVE CONFIRMED that the only retail-exclusive featurette will be on a Target-only BONUS DVD and will be called A FINAL ALLIANCE. All of the rest of the retail exclusives are packaging or swag only (a Steelbook at Best Buy, the Gallery Book at Target, and custom packaging at Walmart).

As for the 27-disc Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga box set (a Best Buy exclusive in the US and an Amazon exclusive in the UK), it will include the exact same discs listed above and available separately. There should be no difference in bonus content. All the box will add is the custom Death Star packaging, an elaborate collectible book with pre-production artwork to hold the discs, and an exclusive letter from Mark Hamill. THERE SHOULD BE NO ADDITIONAL BONUS CONTENT IN THIS SET.

All right, once again, here is all the final cover artwork for the individual 4K discs, with Amazon.com pre-order links if available...

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (4K Ultra HD) Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (4K Ultra HD) Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (4K Ultra HD)

Solo: A Star Wars Story (4K Ultra HD) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (4K Ultra HD)

Star Wars: A New Hope (4K Ultra HD) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (4K Ultra HD) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (4K Ultra HD)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (4K Ultra HD) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (4K Ultra HD) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (4K Ultra HD)

And of course the box set…

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (4K Ultra HD)

Before we go, I expect to have a couple of additional disc reviews up between now and Monday, including Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ Force 10 from Navarone on Blu-ray and Knives Out in 4K from Lionsgate. So keep your eyes peeled for those over the next couple of days here and on my social media (linked below).

And that’s all for this week. Have a great weekend!

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