from
www.thedigitalbits.com:
Hey, what do you know?! Lucasfilm FINALLY went ahead and did it! Just as we'd been hearing from our sources in the last few weeks,
The Star Wars Trilogy was officially announced this morning for release on DVD on
09/21/2004. And as we've been saying in
The Rumor Mill since last September, it's going to be a 4-disc set of all 3 films - one per disc - plus a 4th disc of all new bonus material, which will include an newly-produced documentary on the making of the films.
That's the good news. The bad news is that the press release was pretty short on details - things like specific disc specs (other than that the films will be THX-certified, will have Dolby Digital 5.1 EX audio, and will only be available as a set). There's no list of the supplemental materials, no cover art and (most importantly) no official word on which version of the films will be released on the discs - the original theatrical versions, the 90s special editions or the ultimate "archive" editions. But we'll have more on that in a minute. Here's the exact text of the press release so you can all read
The Star Wars Trilogy on DVD
February 10, 2004The most requested films for the DVD format will finally become a reality this September as Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox present the eagerly-awaited
Star Wars Trilogy for the ultimate home entertainment format. The four-disc collection will be released on September 21 in the U.S. and Canada, with international release dates following closely.
"We know how long fans have waited for this release and how much they have been looking forward to it, so everyone has been working overtime to make sure that the
Star Wars Trilogy on DVD is an awesome experience," said Jim Ward, Vice President of Marketing and Distribution for Lucasfilm Ltd. and the DVD collection's Executive Producer.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi will be available in a four-disc set that includes a bonus disc filled with all-new special features -- including the most comprehensive feature-length documentary ever produced about the Star Wars saga and never-before-seen footage from the making of all three films. Each of the three films in the
Star Wars Trilogy has been digitally restored and re-mastered by THX for superior sound and picture quality.
"First and foremost, the DVDs will deliver the very best possible sound and picture and take advantage of everything the medium can offer. On top of that, we are creating added-value material that gets inside the creation of the
Star Wars films in a fresh and fun way," Ward said. "We want watching this DVD collection to be as memorable as seeing the movies for the first time."
The films of the
Star Wars Trilogy will be available exclusively as a collection and will feature Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX. All three films are closed-captioned and subtitled in English, French and Spanish in the U.S. Internationally, sound and subtitling specifications will vary by territory.
Keep checking starwars.com over the coming months for more specific details about the content of this must-own DVD set.
