Blade Runner: Director's Cut and Final Cut SEs

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flyonthewall2983
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#1 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Jan 31, 2006 6:42 pm

From thedigitalbits.com, some hopefully good news...
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982) is currently on track for release as a multi-disc special edition in time for its 25th anniversary in 2007. The release is far from certain (as usual, there's a lot more that I can't post about this title yet - think of the old saying, "Loose lips sink ships"), but Warner says that work is proceeding, most of the key players are involved and things are "looking good" for release next year. We'll see.

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Fletch F. Fletch
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#2 Post by Fletch F. Fletch » Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:05 am

From DavisDVD, screenshots from the Work Print.

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Antoine Doinel
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#3 Post by Antoine Doinel » Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:12 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:From thedigitalbits.com, some hopefully good news...
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982) is currently on track for release as a multi-disc special edition in time for its 25th anniversary in 2007. The release is far from certain (as usual, there's a lot more that I can't post about this title yet - think of the old saying, "Loose lips sink ships"), but Warner says that work is proceeding, most of the key players are involved and things are "looking good" for release next year. We'll see.
I'll believe it when I see it....

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Polybius
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#4 Post by Polybius » Wed Apr 26, 2006 2:38 am

Yeah. News items about this film on DVD always have at least a tinge of Lucy van Pelt with a football, for me.

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Kristoffer4
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#5 Post by Kristoffer4 » Fri May 26, 2006 6:37 am

Good news! YES!
Marathon 'Runner'

WB preps 'final cut' of sci-fi classic

By Diane Garrett

Warner homevid has disentangled "Blade Runner's" famously thorny rights issues to pave the way for a September reissuereissue of the remastered "Director's Cut" version, followed by a theatrical release of a version promised to be truly Ridley ScottRidley Scott's final cut.

Warner's rights to "Blade Runner" lapsed a year ago, but the studio has since negotiated a long-term license. The pic, now considered a sci-fi classic, has had a troubled history from the start: When Scott ran overbudget, completion bond guarantors took control of it and made substantial changes before its 1982 theatrical release, adding a voiceovervoiceover and happy ending. That version was replaced by the much better-received director's cut in 1992, but Scott has long been unhappy with it, complaining that he was rushed and unable to give it proper attention.

The helmer started working on the final cut version in 2000, but that project was shelved by Warner soon after, apparently because the studio couldn't come to terms with Jerry Perenchio over rights issues.

The restored "Director's Cut" will debut on homevid in September, and remain on sale for four months only, after which time it will be placed on moratorium. "Blade Runner: Final Cut" will arrive in 2007 for a limited 25th anniversary theatrical run, followed by a special edition DVD with the three previous versions offered as alternate viewing: Besides the original theatrical version and director's cut, the expanded international theatrical cut will be included. The set will also contain additional bonus materials.

The massive "Blade Runner" project comes on the heels of Scott's four-disc treatment for "Kingdom of Heaven," released this week by Fox homevid, less than a year after the pic's initial homevid release.
The news we all have waited for! I am going to buy the DC in September.
Last edited by Kristoffer4 on Fri May 26, 2006 7:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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HerrSchreck
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#6 Post by HerrSchreck » Fri May 26, 2006 7:32 am

Kristoffer4 wrote:Warner homevid has disentangled "Blade Runner's" famously thorny rights issues to pave the way for a September reissuereissue of the remastered "Director's Cut" version, followed by a theatrical release of a version promised to be truly Ridley ScottRidley Scott's final cut.

The restored "Director's Cut" will debut on homevid in September, and remain on sale for four months only, after which time it will be placed on moratorium. "Blade Runner: Final Cut" will arrive in 2007 for a limited 25th anniversary theatrical run, followed by a special edition DVD with the three previous versions offered as alternate viewing: Besides the original theatrical version and director's cut, the expanded international theatrical cut will be included. The set will also contain additional bonus materials.
Fuckin A YES! At last.

That 4-month dvd, then theatrical release, then jumbo-complete-o dvd release is pretty wild. Cunning. They just know nutheads like us will not be able to resist all three because we been starving in agony for so long. How could I resist the 1st dvd. How could I resist going to the cinema (I saw that fucker as a boy with my pop when it first came out with the conrball voice-over, etc)... then resist the bonkers-supersonic boku complete 21-disc collectors edition?

Bastards! I love them for making me hate them in this wonderful, wallet draining way...

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Antoine Doinel
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#7 Post by Antoine Doinel » Fri May 26, 2006 12:58 pm

So wait, they're already announcing they're going to double-dipping?

So what's the incentive of buying the Director's Cut in September if the uber-edition with all four versions will be released a year later?

I guess they're honest in annoucing it in advance - but the September Director's Cut release smacks of a Christmas season cash grab.

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Matt
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#8 Post by Matt » Fri May 26, 2006 1:17 pm

Antoine Doinel wrote:I guess they're honest in annoucing it in advance - but the September Director's Cut release smacks of a Christmas season cash grab.
Sounds more to me like Ridley Scott being a prima donna and wanting a special edition of his cut on the market first. This all reeks of contractual obligations and concessions.

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Antoine Doinel
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#9 Post by Antoine Doinel » Fri May 26, 2006 1:32 pm

Perhaps, and that wouldn't suprise me, but with all these versions coming out which is going to be considered as Scott's definitive version? The "Director's Cut" (which he apparentally wasn't happy with) or the Final Cut?

Also, is there any other indication that the September release won't be anything other than a marginally cleaned up version of the 1997 DVD?

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solaris72
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#10 Post by solaris72 » Fri May 26, 2006 1:47 pm

Antoine Doinel wrote:Also, is there any other indication that the September release won't be anything other than a marginally cleaned up version of the 1997 DVD?
Well, it'll likely be a new HD transfer of the 1997 DVD, which if you've seen that disc on a high-res screen recently, would be a lot more than a marginal clean-up, but yeah, there is little reason not to wait for the special edition (particularly with the theatrical release to tide us over).

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#11 Post by jcelwin » Fri May 26, 2006 2:49 pm

... Followed by the HD Disc, followed by the HD Special edition disc...

Can't wait to get my hands on the disc'/s', though. I just hope he doesn't mess up with the new version.

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exte
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#12 Post by exte » Fri May 26, 2006 3:29 pm

I literally have tears in my eyes! This is amazing news!!!

BEST NEWS OF THE FUCKING YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kristoffer4
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#13 Post by Kristoffer4 » Fri May 26, 2006 4:42 pm

The Digital Bits

My Two Cents

5/26/06

So... you remember how we said that for every piece of good DVD news this week, there was a piece of bad news? Well... how 'bout we end the week on a REALLY great note, sans the dark could? You may have heard the word from Daily Variety this morning. Yes... Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is FINALLY, officially, coming to DVD. It's going to be coming to HD-DVD. And it's going to be coming to Blu-ray Disc as well. This is real... it's happening... and it's going to be very, very cool.

First a bit of background on the reason for the title's delay. Warner had been planning a 2-disc special edition of the film early last year... but suddenly realized that their rights to the title were about to lapse. However, the studio ponied up the big bucks to get back what is arguably one of their primo Cadillac catalog titles (dare you to say that three times fast). The ownership situation now resolved, Warner has set in motion plans to really do something special with the film. You might recall back in January when I asked them about the film at their 2006 catalog press event, they hinted that things were looking good for a 2007 release. Privately, we were told that there were BIG things in the works, but were also told that if we leaked too much about the project, we might end up like Fredo Corleone (or WORSE, that the project itself could be complicated). Needless to say, though we've been dying to talk about this for months now (and we get about two e-mails a day asking about the title), we've kept largely silent on the subject. Now that the project is finally out in the open, however, we can finally say a few things. Keep in mind that the major portion of the release is still over a year away. But here's the basic plan...

This coming September, there will be a new limited DVD release (HD-DVD & Blu-ray Disc are also planned) of the restored 1992 Director's Cut (you know... the one that isn't really a director's cut). This will be available for just four months. We believe this is basically the 2-disc release that Warner had originally planned to bow LAST year.

Then next year, just in time for the film's 25th anniversary, Ridley Scott's ultimate Blade Runner: The Final Cut will hit theaters for a limited run. This will be a REAL director's cut, with restored scenes and more - all the stuff that Ridley's always wanted to do with the film but hasn't really been given the chance to do before. That will be followed later in the year by an Ultimate Blade Runner DVD release. You can expect a multi-disc box set (again, likely with a simultaneous HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc release) that will contain at least four different versions of the film... ALL in full anamorphic widescreen, we might add. You'll get the film's original U.S. theatrical cut, you'll get the expanded international theatrical cut, you'll get the 1992 Director's Cut and you'll get the new Final Cut as well. Now... we realize at this point, you may have questions. Keep in mind, there's a TON of additional material that's going to be included in this set that hasn't been announced and can't be talked about yet - all-new material that you've never seen before. The set is pretty early in the planning and production stage, so it's way too early to talk details, but trust us... some very cool stuff is in the works.

You veteran Bits readers will also be thrilled to learn that longtime Ridley Scott DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika and his team are involved in project, and have already been working on the set for a while now. Lauzirika, as you may know, was the producer responsible for Fox's 9-disc, massively comprehensive Alien Quadrilogy box set, as well as the 4-disc special editions of Scott's Gladiator (from DreamWorks), Black Hawk Down (from Sony) and Kingdom of Heaven (recently available from Fox), among others. You should also know that Lauzirika and his team are big fan of Blade Runner themselves. Rest assured that they know what you guys all want to see on this release, and they're working very hard to make it as good as it can be. Trust us when we say that this project is in EXACTLY the right hands.

Alight, Replicants... here's a little eye candy from artist Drew Struzan to salve yer synthetic souls in the meantime...

Image

Blade Runner poster art by Drew Struzan

So how's that for a helluva great way to end a strange week? In fact, I don't think there's anything else to say for it except that we'll see you back here on Tuesday (Monday being a work holiday here in the States) with a bunch of those new HD-DVD reviews.
WARNER HOME VIDEO ACQUIRES LONG-TERM WORLDWIDE RIGHTS T0 RIDLEY SCOTT'S BLADE RUNNER

1992 Director's Cut, Restored and Remastered,

Debuts on DVD in September

Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Scott's definitive new version, follows in 2007 with 25th Anniversary Special Edition
Burbank, CA (May 26, 2006) -- Warner Home Video (WHV) announced today that it has acquired worldwide rights to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and plans two new DVD releases of the futuristic classic. Rights had lapsed a year ago, but negotiations for a long-term license have now been completed, and the film will again be available to the public.

First, a restored and remastered DVD version of the 1992 Director's Cut will debut in September in the U.S. for a special four-month limited release, after which it will be placed on moratorium by WHV.

Later in 2007, to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary, the studio will unveil Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Scott's definitive new version of his science-fiction masterpiece. The film will be released theatrically in select major U.S. cities, followed by a multi-disc Special Edition DVD release which will also contain three alternate version of Blade Runner: the Original U.S. Theatrical Cut, the Expanded International Theatrical Cut and the 1992 Director's Cut. Ample, ground-breaking bonus features will also be included.

In making the announcement, Jeff Baker, WHV's Senior VP and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog said: "This is clearly Ridley's signature film and we are thrilled to have it back. While details of the new DVDs will be announced later, we wanted to get this great news to the many serious film buffs and ardent Blade Runner fans who've been so patient, despite besieging us with thousands of annual requests in recent years for new Blade Runner DVDs.

Continued Baker, "A number of people have told me that in the start-up days of DVD, Blade Runner was absolutely the first DVD title they wanted, so much so that they purchased it even before their first DVD player! I guarantee these fans our new DVDs will be well worth waiting for."

Blade Runner -- starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos and Daryl Hannah -- made its first appearance in U.S. theaters on June 25, 1982, dazzling audiences with its stylish, brooding look into the future. From its intelligent, provocative story line to its stunning camera work and state-of-the art special effects, Blade Runner opened the door to a new view of tomorrow.

Set in a multi-ethnic, overcrowded, high-tech city of the future, Blade Runner was also a benchmark in production design and helped propel the "cyberpunk" look into mainstream American consciousness.

With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

End Of Release

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Antoine Doinel
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#14 Post by Antoine Doinel » Fri May 26, 2006 5:30 pm

Wow, that just made some good news into awesome news. Don't under the double dipping, but it's nice to see that this finally coming to DVD in a comprehensive fashoin. Lucasfilm could really learn something from Warners about not pissing off their customers.

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John Cope
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#15 Post by John Cope » Sat May 27, 2006 2:12 am

They're spoilin' us!!!!

Actually, hate to seem ungrateful but what about the Workprint?

And really, why bother to include both the original domestic and the expanded international? There is precious little difference (just include the international cut--the domestic will play like a TV edit by comparison). If they intend on being completists to that degree then the absence of the Workprint is indeed strange; and I don't know about you but I've been dying to see that as much as a new cut. But I'm sure there's some technicality to blame for it.
Last edited by John Cope on Wed Jul 26, 2006 6:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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HerrSchreck
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#16 Post by HerrSchreck » Sat May 27, 2006 7:03 am

John Cope wrote:They're spoilin' us!!!!

Actually, hate to seem ungrateful but what about the Workprint?
My sense is, be patient; it may well be in there viz
You can expect a multi-disc box set (again, likely with a simultaneous HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc release) that will contain at least four different versions of the film
Someone said there was yet another thread for the BLADE RUNNER SE's coming up. I can't even believe this one flew, since there are 10 zillion SE DVDs for every film inna world.

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#17 Post by rs98762001 » Sun May 28, 2006 3:53 pm

I wonder if there's ever really going to be a definitive version of BR. Just about everybody is unhappy with the original version. Ridley is unhappy with the so-called Director's Cut. And, bearing in mind Scott's track record outside of BR and ALIEN, I wouldn't be surprised if the Final Cut has stuff in it that should have stayed on the cutting room floor. I'm a huge BR fan in any version, but I doubt the Final Cut will be everything to everyone.

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Kirkinson
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#18 Post by Kirkinson » Sun May 28, 2006 3:58 pm

I've actually talked to some people who prefer the original theatrical version because they like the old-fashioned detective story flavor they feel the narration gives to it. In any case, I expect a flurry of fan edits after this SE hits the market.

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Gigi M.
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#19 Post by Gigi M. » Wed Jul 26, 2006 3:28 pm

Release date slated for October 10. No words on extras yet.

Offical specs:
Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Blade Runner: The Director's Cut for 12th September 2006 priced at $19.97 SRP. Director Ridley Scott's Blade Runner -- starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos and Daryl Hannah -- made its first appearance in U.S. theaters on June 25, 1982, dazzling audiences with its stylish, brooding look into the future. From its intelligent, provocative story line to its stunning camera work and state-of-the art special effects, Blade Runner opened the door to a new view of tomorrow.

Blade Runner: The Director's Cut has been restored and remastered, presented here in 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with English and French Dolby Surround audio and optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. There are no extras.

As previously outlined, this restored and remastered DVD version of the 1992 Director's Cut will be available for a special four-month limited release, after which it will be placed on moratorium by WHV. Then later in 2007, to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary, the studio will unveil Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Scott's definitive new version of his science-fiction masterpiece. The film will be released theatrically in select major U.S. cities, followed by a multi-disc Special Edition DVD release which will also contain three alternate versions of Blade Runner: the Original U.S. Theatrical Cut, the Expanded International Theatrical Cut and the 1992 Director's Cut. Ample, ground-breaking bonus features will also be included.

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#20 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Jul 26, 2006 7:03 pm

Nuts. At least it won't be in that awful snapper-case.

Senya
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#21 Post by Senya » Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:08 am

No workprint... :(

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Kristoffer4
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#22 Post by Kristoffer4 » Sat Jul 29, 2006 12:39 pm

....Next year properly.

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perybo
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#23 Post by perybo » Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:52 pm

Yes, I am a sucker for Blade Runner.....

Got the new edition in the mail today and it does look a lot better to me. But I am not the man to make comparisons, leaving that to the crew at The Beaver and hope they will find time to make one soon :D

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Highway 61
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#24 Post by Highway 61 » Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:25 am


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Kristoffer4
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#25 Post by Kristoffer4 » Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:36 pm

Oh ohhhh Color correction. Do you think Ridly Scott was involved and what is the "corect" color?! :)

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