RUMOR time, folks. It appears that the 2021 film “Last Night in Soho” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on January 18th, 2022 via Universal Studios Home Entertainment, according to a retail source. The film, co-written & directed by Edgar Wright, stars Thomasin McKenzie, Matt Smith, Michael Ajao, and Anya Taylor-Joy.
The tech specs and bonus materials for the releases have not yet been detailed, as it has not even officially been announced by the studio. So, I’m only considering this a rumor until it is officially announced. However, as mentioned, one dependable source is indicating the aforementioned release date on physical media. Both releases it appears will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning the 4K will include its Blu-ray counterpart, the Blu-ray will include its DVD counterpart, and each will come with a digital code (copy of the film). You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray both available for preorder over at Amazon. And, just in case Amazon decides to remove the release date, I’ve decided to take screenshots of each listing.
Below, after the break, you can find the trailer for the film.
The 1982 remake of “The Thing“ is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on September 7th, via Universal, according to numerous retailer listings. The film, directed by John Carpenter, starred Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, Keith David, David Clennon, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Joel Polis, and Donald Moffat.
The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of high dynamic range and DTS:X immersive sound, on a BD-100 disc. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” with its original Blu-ray Disc counterpart as well as include a digital code (copy) of the film, which is compatible with Movies Anywhere. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon, as well as listed (but not yet as a functional preorder) over at retailer Best Buy.
And, no, at this time there does not appear to be a 4K SteelBook release planned for this. But, stay tuned for a possible update if one is in fact coming. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.
John Carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape
Outtakes
Feature Audio Commentary with Director John Carpenter And Actor Kurt Russell
Theatrical Trailer
Just a reminder, to my knowledge, this release has not yet been officially announced by the studio. Or, perhaps one of the public relations firms forgot to include me in the loop? That being said, consider this still a rumor with a whole lot to back it up at this point. I don’t want to upset the studio (Universal) here, but it’s pretty obvious that this title is coming at this point.
The 1977 film “Smokey and the Bandit” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on June 1st via Universal Studios Home Entertainment, according to retailers. The film, directed and co-written by Hal Needham, starred Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Mike Henry, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Jackie Gleason.
UPDATE: The tech specs include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos sound on a BD-66. The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” (via the artwork) meaning that it will include its Blu-ray Disc counterpart and a digital code (copy) of the film. You can as of now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder (with the 6/1 release date) over at Amazon, as well as retailers Barnes & Noble, DeepDiscount, HD Movie Source, and Target. The bonus materials set to be included on the release (according to the back of the artwork) are listed below.
The Bandit
Loaded Up and Truckin’ – Making Smokey and the Bandit
Snowman, What’s Your 20? The Smokey and the Bandit CB Tutorial
The 2016 Zack Snyder film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in the “Ultimate Edition” has been remastered and approved by the director and will be receiving a new4K UHD Blu-ray release on March 23rd via Warner Archive, according to numerous retailers now. I had been reporting this as a RUMOR thread over on Twitter for a day or so and it’s becoming apparent that I was right. Still, this should be only considered a rumor until the title gets an official announcement from the studio [Warner], Warner Archive, or via Zack Snyder. The remastered version of this film will include the 183-minute “Ultimate Edition” with some color corrections and most importantly the correct 1.43:1 IMAX aspect ratio on those scenes and the shifts to and from the 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
That said, it should come with the very same HDR10 and Dolby Atmos found on the previous 4K UHD Blu-ray release of the film, but nothing as of now has been officially confirmed. You can find the newly restored version of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition” on 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon as well as at retailers Deep Discount and Target, and Walmart. The release will come with just a 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc and a digital code (copy) of the film included. There’s no word if bonus materials will be included with this release of the film or not. Considering that it doesn’t appear to include the Blu-ray, it would mean they would have to all be housed on the 4K disc. So, stay tuned regarding that when this hopefully gets a full official announcement and/or confirmation soon.
UPDATE #1: Well, I think we can consider it official now, folks, just lacking a press release, as the 4K UHD Blu-ray is now listed over on WBShop.com (as Warner Archive) as shown below.
UPDATE #2: It’s official. The “Batman v Superman” official Twitter account just shared a video and announced the release date that we all had been seeing and I was telling you from the start. This video is very much work checking out as it will show you how the aspect ratio shift from 2.35:1 to real IMAX 1.43:1 will work. This also confirms some color correction as well. See the tweet here (or embedded below).
Get ready to experience #BatmanvSuperman in a whole new way. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition available to own on Digital and stream on @hbomax 3/18. Available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 3/23. pic.twitter.com/sse4LlZVPX
— Batman v Superman (@BatmanvSuperman) March 4, 2021
EDITORIAL NOTE: This will mark the very FIRST4K UHD Blu-ray releasefromWarner Archive if this turns out to be true. It’s pretty obvious that it is, so let’s now consider that Warner’s line of home video releases will include 4K titles in the future via the Warner Archives. I’ll be the first to say welcome to the 4K physical release scene, Warner Archive. And, until further information about this release comes along: “That’s All, Folks!!”
“The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 1st via Warner. Specifically, the trilogy is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray in the form of a standard release on the format, a 4K UHD Blu-ray Giftset (pictured below), plus as a 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook exclusive to retailer Best Buy (also pictured, further below). The box set will include the films “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings” (2001), “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002), and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003) — all directed by Peter Jackson. The three films starred Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, Sala Baker, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, John Bach, Brad Dourif, Marton Csokas, and Bernard Hill.
UPDATE #7: Alright. I have now received the official announcementdirectly from my contact at the studio (Warner) and I have the PRESS RELEASE which you will find at the very, very bottom of this already lengthy post. I’ll try to be condensing this and putting as much based on the final word of this announcement in the coming hours. So, without further ado! Alright, the tech specs for both trilogies (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) will both include 4K presentations in the HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range, along with Dolby Atmos sound. In fact, here’s a short bit (from the press release) regarding that.
“The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will feature Dolby VisionTM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will also feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.”
Next! The films as I can tell, from the hi-res images that Warner has provided me, will be like this in terms of the 4K UHD Blu-ray Discs included. And, yes, ONLY 4K discs will be included in these sets with no Blu-ray counterparts. The Lord of the Rings films will get 3 discs for each film in its trilogy, consisting of the first disc for each being the Theatrical version and the second & third discs being used for the Extended Cut split into two parts. Then, for The Hobbit films, it will be 2 discs for each film in that trilogy. It will consist of the first disc (for each) being used for that film’s Theatrical version and the second disc (for each) will be used for the Extended version (of that film). I know that’s a bit much to all take in at once. But, prepare for more.
Okay, so, it’s become apparent that there will not be any bonus materials included on these releases, likely because they didn’t have the Blu-ray counterparts for a purpose. That’s because they [Warner] actually plan to do a 2021 release of these films bundled together in what is being called the Six-film “Middle-Earth (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)” 4K UHD Blu-ray set. It will contain some specially created new extras and the original Blu-ray bonus materials on newly pressed remastered versions of the film included. The info regarding this can be found quoted below (from the press release).
“In addition, it was also announced that a 4K UHD “Middle-earth” Ultimate Collectors’ Edition featuring the theatrical and extended versions of all six films, along with new bonus content, previously released Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy, and remastered Blu-ray discs of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will be released in the summer of 2021. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy featuring remastered Blu-ray discs of the theatrical and extended versions of the 3 films will also be released in the fourth quarter 2021, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”
Deep breath. Now more on that, via the press release headline.
“Six-film “Middle-earth” Ultimate Collectors’ Edition with new Bonus Content to be released in 4K UHD in Summer 2021
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Remastered Blu-ray™ to be released in 4K UHD in fourth Quarter 2021 to celebrate 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
I know. I know. Okay, so moving on with what all I just learned from this official announcement. Some stuff I had previously reported, well all of it really, but namely this can still be used and I’ll leave it as-is.
According to the actor Sean Aston (in an announcement video seen below), it is known that “Peter Jacksonoversaw the remastering” of all six of these films for the 4K releases, and they have all reportedly received a 4K DI (digital intermediate) new master for each. Meaning, it’s true 4K and was mastered in it for all of the films.
Now, finally, regarding the official info. It appears that no bonus materials will be included with these 2020 releases of the films. I’m trying to get a complete confirmation on that directly from Warner, but it sure seems that to be the case. Sorry to any fans this may upset, but this has been a hard year — I’m sure — to get physical media produced and projects finished like new extras, and so forth.
You can now find the standard 4K UHD Blu-ray version of the trilogy available for preorder over at Amazon. There will also be the aforementioned 4K UHD Blu-ray Giftset version of the trilogy, which is NOT exclusive to any retailer. It’s not only listed on Amazon but now is even listed over at retailer Best Buy!! And, there will be the 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook which is exclusive to Best Buy. That’s now back available for preorder and showing as in stock again. Below you can find the full glimpses at both the Giftset and the SteelBook versions of the 4K sets. Reminder, only one of these is an exclusive — despite all the confusion from earlier yesterday!!
The 1988 John Carpenter film “They Live”might be getting a 4K UHD Blu-rayrelease stateside soon via Scream Factory (Shout! Factory), according to an early retailer listing. No release date is given but I’m thinking perhaps sometime this year like November or December? Fair warning, this is a RUMOR. So, take this with a grain of salt, but it seems maybe, just maybe, according to a retailer listing that this might be happening. The film is showing up listed over at retailer Target right now as “THEY LIVE COLLECTOR’S EDITION (4K UHD/BLU-RAY)“ as you can see HERE (in case they remove the listing). It lists SHOUT FACTORY as the Movie Studio and Horror as the genre, as you’ll see there. Shout! Factory’s horror line of home video titles is Scream Factory, which has previously released this film on Blu-ray. So, this would be pretty logical, right?
Let’s be realistic here. This could have actually just leaked out a bit early? I’m only speculating here, folks. If it’s true, this could be huge news because the film itself has already been released on the 4K UHD Blu-ray format overseas in the UK back in 2018and again in 2019 via Studiocanal, as well as in France. In fact, Studiocanal actually did 4Krestorations of fourJohn Carpenter films — all of which that Scream Factory currently distributes stateside. Let’s hope this turns out to be true and that more John Carpenter films are heading stateside to the 4K UHD Blu-ray format. Who knows, though? This could be nothing but I, as a huge fan of the director and this film, felt it was worth sharing with the horror community and 4K fans.
The original 1995 Japanese animated (anime) film “Ghost in the Shell“ is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on September 8th, via Lionsgate, according to multiple retail sources. The film was directed by Mamoru Oshii and based on the manga (of the same title). This is believed to be both the English 5.1 surround mix and original Japanese 2.0 Stereo mix, in terms of sound. No official word yet on the tech specs or bonus materials, but stay tuned for when it gets a press release, final artwork, and such. In the meantime, speaking of which, it’s worth noting that this lacks that confirmation and still should be considered somewhat a RUMOR for the time being. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray listed for preorder over at retailer Target. The 4K UHD Blu-ray release is also listed, but not yet as a functional preorder, over at retailer HD Movie Source — where it shows the same expected release date (9/8).
UPDATE: It’s still appearing that this will be coming out to 4K UHD Blu-ray as originally slated, as it now has a pre order listing over at Amazon — again, carrying that September 8th release date. There is still no specific cover artwork it seems, but I’m seeing this one on a few places — although it does not appear to be final. Stay tuned…
It appears that the 1988 film “Beetlejuice” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on September 1st, via Warner, according to an early retailer listing. Since the release has yet to be confirmed (officially announced), I’m considering this a rumor. The film, directed by Tim Burton, starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and Michael Keaton. The film’s tech specs and bonus materials have yet to be detailed but stay tuned for an update on that.
As I had initially reported, there is also a preorder listing for an Amazon Exclusive Giftset on 4K UHD Blu-ray (pictured further above). That set includes a lot of physical extras which you can see, like special packaging, book, poster, chalk, and an embroidered patch. I’ll have more info on this release as it develops.
UPDATE #1: So, Amazon seems to have noticed my news and other stories reporting the release date, that they clearly had listed of September 1st. As a result, they’ve now removed the release date. This has happened before with titles in the past. They will not cancel anyone’s preorders already placed and the listing shall remain up — unless anything were to happen such as a delay in the release itself. It seems Amazon just leaked the date, folks.
UPDATE #2: The standard 4K UHD Blu-ray of the film is now listed for preorder over at retailer Best Buy with the cover art (pictured above).
UPDATE #3: Retailer Best Buy has now put up a preorder listing for an exclusive4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook release (pictured below) of the film set for a September 1strelease date. The studio [Warner] still has yet to officially announce this title, but stay tuned for any further updates. And, yes, that’s three places listing the film with artwork and in different versions, even. It’s safe to honestly say this is turning into more than a rumor.
Rumor time and it’s for a legendary film too. It seems the 1960 Stanley Kubrick directed film “Spartacus“ starring Kirk Douglas is finally coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on July 21st, via Universal, according to now multiple retailer sources. *UPDATED* The film, celebrating its 60th anniversary, co-starred Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Peter Ustinov, John Gavin, and Tony Curtis. The tech specs and bonus materials for the release have not yet been detailed, but stay tuned for further details once this title gets officially announced by the studio.
As of today, you can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at retailer Target. I’ll be adding links to the preorder via other retailers as they are listed.
MAJOR UPDATED #2: You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook which will be exclusive to retailer Best Buy now available for preorder with the same 7/21 release date listed (pictured below).
MAJOR UPDATE #1: You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at online retailer Amazon. From the back of the package art (over there) we’ve learned that the tech specs for the release include 4K video in the 2.20:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of High Dynamic Range and DTS:X sound. This is the “Extended” / “Restored Version” with 12 additional minutes and a 197-minute runtime. The release will come to 4K on a BD-66 disc. This will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will come with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart as well as a digital code (copy) of the film included. The bonus materials set to be included on the release (according to the back package art) are listed below.
“I Am Spartacus: A Conversation with Kirk Douglas”
“Restoring Spartacus”
Deleted Scenes
Archival Interviews
Behind-the-Senes Footage
Vintage Newsreels
Theatrical Trailer
Image Gallery
Lastly, it’s worth noting that a Swedish 4K UHD Blu-ray of this film has already been announced, which ironically is listed to be coming out just a day before it does here in the United States. That would mean this release date, 7/21, which does indeed fall on a traditional Tuesday, stateside should be correct.
It seems we might be getting an idea of when to expect the rumored release of the 1985 Richard Donner film “The Goonies” on 4K UHD Blu-ray, via Warner. The release date previously said/reported to be coming in June, is now showing as September 1st over at retailer Best Buy for their Exclusive4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook release (pictured below). Meanwhile, the preorder listings are up for the standard 4K UHD Blu-ray (featuring the artwork above) over at retailers Target and Walmart. Stay tuned for further updates regarding this release as things become a bit more detailed and official. The last only other detail I have right now is that the 4K release will come in the form of a “combo pack” meaning that it will receive its Blu-ray Disc counterpart as well as a digital code (copy) of the film.
The 2020 film adaptation of “Sonic the Hedgehog” will be getting an exclusiveSteelBook for the 4K UHD Blu-ray release and the final cover art (as seen above) seems to have been added over at retailer Best Buy. The preorder page previously had a placeholder image that was rather humorous, as seen HERE, and now we get that art. This SteelBook will, it appears, include a mini comic book featuring the original Sonic the Hedgehog (again, as seen above).
It’s as good as time as any to say that I believe that the film should likely be getting released on standard 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray sometime around if not specifically on May 19th. At this point though, take that as a RUMOR, as I’m going on basic retailer placement for it amongst other upcoming home video releases. There’s no info yet regarding the tech specs or bonus materials for the 4K or Blu-ray releases but it is known, from the artwork (pictured below) that they’ll come in the form of “combo pack” – meaning that the 4K will get its Blu-ray counterpart, the Blu-ray will get its DVD counterpart, and each will include a digital code (copy) of the film. Finally, you can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc releases listed for preorder over at Amazon. Stay tuned for when this title gets an official announcement.
Amazon Commissions Earned
