Star Wars BLU-RAYS in the works!

http://thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents



From "The Digital Bits" editor, Bill Hunt.

This is a rare Saturday post with some important breaking news: Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet has reportedly confirmed, during a panel today at the C2E2 comic convention in Chicago, that the company is now working on a Blu-ray Disc box set of all six Star Wars films loaded with extras, for release "in the not too distant future." We're awaiting any kind of official statement from Lucasfilm - one MAY appear on Star Wars.com in the coming days. Nonetheless, MANY people who were in the panel began Tweeting reports of the news almost the moment the words left Sansweet's mouth. IGN has also reported the news with an actual quote from Sansweet: "We have been at work for a couple of years working on - I won't call it the Ultimate Set because we keep finding stuff - but, a very full set of all six movies on Blu-ray with lots of extra material. We're finding all kinds of scenes from dailies that have never been seen before. Beyond all of those things that you know about... there are some real treasures." There is no other official information at this time, but we'll post additional details when and if they come in. HOWEVER...

Consider this Rumor Mill-worthy, but our own industry sources have actually been checking in with us in recent weeks on this very subject. Our latest information is that Lucasfilm tentatively plans the official Blu-ray release to happen in October 2011. Now, we've been hearing reports like this on and off for years, and until now little has come of it. So we've been waiting to say something here on The Bits until we had a hint of more official confirmation. But now that Sansweet has begun talking about the release, we feel more comfortable reporting on the word from our sources. Plans could obviously change and again, even though Sansweet has hinted that it's coming, none of this constitutes an official announcement. But if current plans remain unchanged, our sources say you'll be enjoying The Force in 1080p next October.

Again, we'll post additional updates as they come in. Stay tuned...





Let's hope for original versions.

Maybe I can find a Prequel Lover to split this with.

any way I can buy the 3 good movies and leave the 3 ****ty ones, whoops someone else had the same idea

I'll believe it when I see it...

Steve Sansweet. Uh huh, I remember you. You're that guy who said that the unaltered versions were some of the best looking transfers you've ever seen, but they weren't worth the effort making them anamorphic. Oh, do show us that clip of Han shooting first again and again to emphasize you're totally fake respect towards all that's good in this movie world.

yes can't wait

Oh good I can finally swtich!

Just got a BluRay player, and this still illicits a "yawn".

Meh...took long enough. Ive had the entire saga on HD since last year thanks to Spike and DVR.

Thank you Spike for delivering, when Lucas couldn't....or should I say "wouldn't".

I wouldn't call Oct 2011 "soon". And unless it includes original versions, sorry, not gettin' my money.

2011??

They've been working the last 2 years and they still need another 18 months?!?!?!!?

Unless they're adding an extra 2hours of footage across all 6 flicks, 3.5 years for blu ray's is flat out ridiculous....

JPagaduan said:

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Thank you Spike for delivering, when Lucas couldn't....or should I say "wouldn't".

Actually you should still thank LFL, it's not like the frame by frame remastered HD versions just appeared out of thin air for broadcast on the HD channels...

Hedjii72 said:

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Let's hope for original versions.

Is it mean for me to know I'm gonna be laughing when it's the SE's ?

I guess hope is something you can't take away from anyone.


(For the record, I love the SE's)

im joining the "no originals, no sale" bandwagon. this set has been a long time coming. it better be complete

micdavis said:

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I wouldn't call Oct 2011 "soon". And unless it includes original versions, sorry, not gettin' my money.

Yeah, I gotta ditto Mic on this one. The only one I really want is Star Wars without any special edition stuff. I'm getting pickier as I get old and crotchety... Just don't have the time or money to blow on yet another version that doesn't have the one thing I want and that Lucas doesn't want to give me.

I don't get how a huge crew of people putting this together could take this freakin' long to do? October... okay. 2011 I think is a bit ridiculous. Most fully produced Blu-Rays take months to accomplish and get to market. These better be the DEFINITIVE FINAL versions they release.

Above all though... I'll believe it when I see the official news direct from the source. I'm not really excited over this news and won't be until I see the official press release.

It takes time to replace all the sets,props and actors with CGI versions you know.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just can't stop laughing. I know it's wrong, but it's sooooo funny to me.

I'll bet a million dollars that when this is released it's gonna be the SE's. Those are the SW movies as far as Lucus in concerned.

Is there a chance the original cuts will be available as a special feature ? Sure, but I doubt it.

No one wants the Blu-ray if it's only the SE's ? Silly to me, but whatever makes you happy. For all the things he changed, there is still a lot of the films that is exactly the same, and it will be available in all it's Blu-ray goodness.

For all the people wanting to watch their zapruder-quality bootleg copies of the originals, I'll be watching it on Blu-ray. It's not perfect, but it's better then nothing.

(yeah yeah, I know, 'Nothing is better compared to the SE's'. Take that one all the way to the bank).

It'll be redone super-duper-obnoxious SEs... and then we will have to listen to bellyaching from the "original SE" fans. Heh.

I want the ORIGINAL MOVIES. I won't buy them until I get what I saw in the theater. Pathetic that they can't do something so obvious. I hope they include them, but I give it around a 15% chance of happening.

If someone could demonstrate that it'd make buckets of dough, Lucas would bite. Otherwise, forget it. He's probably busy inserting Gungans and Battle Droids into the OT.

There is ZERO percent chance this or any future release will include the originals.

Even after he dies, Lucas has made sure of it.

The DVDs you have is it. Live with it.

My bootlegs are terrific. Not at all "zapruder-quality".

I'm wondering if they'll redo Jabba for the third time. Lol!

Man some people are so stubborn they'd rather watch the Originals on a PSP instead of a Crystal Clear Blu-Ray on a giant-screen TV.

I embrace changes as long as they are decent.

I agree. Oct '11 is hardly in the "near future", but it beats '12. Bring it, bring it, bring it NOW!

And just to chime in obnoxiously, I enjoyed the SEs minus the whole "Greedo shoots first" thing. I didn't hate it, I just thought the effect was silly looking. It didn't cause me any heartburn and I hardly felt that it changed the dynamic of Han's character in anyway. And for the record, I've been a die-hard fan since the 1977. Saw them all in the theaters opening weekend.

I want these movies in Blu Ray ASAP!