Disney buys Lucasfilm

[Serrano]

 

 

[ManifestedISO]

This was both encouraging and depressing, but very informative.

 

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/could-disney-finally-give-us-the-remastered-unedited-star-wars-we-want/

 

 

 

 

However—and this is a pretty big however—without someone empowered to actually go to the vaults and assess the state of the negatives, we can’t know for sure what does and doesn’t exist. It is possible—unlikely, but possible—that the original bits that were cut for the special edition really were tossed into a fire or something, and the new special edition-conformed negatives may really be all that exists after the restorations.

 

Even if that’s the case—and, again, that case appears unlikely—a fully restored HD original trilogy isn’t at all out of the question. Enough original sources are available besides the singular "original negative" to perform a full digital reconstruction in 4k or 8k resolution.

 

[Tale]

There's speculation that Fox still holds rights relevant to a rerelease of the OT. And that may interfere with Disney doing a despecialized release.

 

A shame if true, that's about the only way I could consider buying a new copy and watching it.

[Blarghagh]

Wait a minute, I was under the impression there already was a remaster. I marathoned them at a friend's place about six months back and the copies he had had no dewbacks, no greedo shooting first, no jabba in new hope, no musical number in jabba's palace and no hayden christensen at the end. Color me confused.

[ManifestedISO]

 

The theatrical releases of the films were last made available to the public as companion features on the DVD special edition releases in 2006. The sources for the DVD transfers were digital videotapes, which, as SaveStarWars.com explains, were created in 1993 via telecine from an interpositive struck from the original negatives back in 1985. The same telecine was later given the THX treatment and used as the source for the 1995 Laserdisc release of the trilogy, which up until the DVD release in 2006 was considered the definitive reference version of Star Wars on a home video format.

 

[Tale]

Wait a minute, I was under the impression there already was a remaster. I marathoned them at a friend's place about six months back and the copies he had had no dewbacks, no greedo shooting first, no jabba in new hope, no musical number in jabba's palace and no hayden christensen at the end. Color me confused.

There's a couple possibilities, the DVD non-anamorphic DVD releases from a few years back or one of the various fanmade despecialized editions floating around.

[Calax]

... You all make me wish I had a vcr and my old vhs tapes from the 96 pre-special edition releases.

[Hiro Protagonist]

 

Wait a minute, I was under the impression there already was a remaster. I marathoned them at a friend's place about six months back and the copies he had had no dewbacks, no greedo shooting first, no jabba in new hope, no musical number in jabba's palace and no hayden christensen at the end. Color me confused.

There's a couple possibilities, the DVD non-anamorphic DVD releases from a few years back or one of the various fanmade despecialized editions floating around.

 

 

Tale is correct. Some time ago, I bought the 2-disc dvd set of the original trilogy. 6 dvd set in all. There was the special edition on one disc and the original theatrical released on the second disc. The disappointing thing to this set was although the original movies were widescreen, they weren't 16x9 enhanced. But at least I have them on dvd.

 

I have no doubt the original negatives exist and they could restore and do an original theatrical release version on Blu-ray. Hopefully, Lucas doesn't have as much influence as he used to.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Hiro Protagonist

[Valsuelm]

 

 

Wait a minute, I was under the impression there already was a remaster. I marathoned them at a friend's place about six months back and the copies he had had no dewbacks, no greedo shooting first, no jabba in new hope, no musical number in jabba's palace and no hayden christensen at the end. Color me confused.

There's a couple possibilities, the DVD non-anamorphic DVD releases from a few years back or one of the various fanmade despecialized editions floating around.

 

 

Tale is correct. Some time ago, I bought the 2-disc dvd set of the original trilogy. 6 dvd set in all. There was the special edition on one disc and the original theatrical released on the second disc. The disappointing thing to this set was although the original movies were widescreen, they weren't 16x9 enhanced. But at least I have them on dvd.

 

I have no doubt the original negatives exist and they could restore and do an original theatrical release version on Blu-ray. Hopefully, Lucas doesn't have as much influence as he used to.

 

I'd wager a lot that if the originals were released in Blu-Ray quality that they'd outsell all of the special 'enhanced' editions. Lucas doesn't want to admit he done f****d up when he messed with the original trilogy I don't think. Will Disney release them? Considering the giant treasure trove of films and cartoons they were already sitting on before they acquired Lucasfilm and don't release I think it's very doubtful, but we can hope.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Valsuelm

[Calax]

 

 

 

Wait a minute, I was under the impression there already was a remaster. I marathoned them at a friend's place about six months back and the copies he had had no dewbacks, no greedo shooting first, no jabba in new hope, no musical number in jabba's palace and no hayden christensen at the end. Color me confused.

There's a couple possibilities, the DVD non-anamorphic DVD releases from a few years back or one of the various fanmade despecialized editions floating around.

 

 

Tale is correct. Some time ago, I bought the 2-disc dvd set of the original trilogy. 6 dvd set in all. There was the special edition on one disc and the original theatrical released on the second disc. The disappointing thing to this set was although the original movies were widescreen, they weren't 16x9 enhanced. But at least I have them on dvd.

 

I have no doubt the original negatives exist and they could restore and do an original theatrical release version on Blu-ray. Hopefully, Lucas doesn't have as much influence as he used to.

 

I'd wager a lot that if the originals were released in Blu-Ray quality that they'd outsell all of the special 'enhanced' editions. Lucas doesn't want to admit he done f****d up when he messed with the original trilogy I don't think. Will Disney release them? Considering the giant treasure trove of films and cartoons they were already sitting on before they acquired Lucasfilm and don't release I think it's very doubtful, but we can hope.

 

Eh, they will but it'll be for a limited time only before putting them back in the "vault". Because disney is a pile of jerks.

[ManifestedISO]

20th Century Fox owns distribution for Ep. IV in perpetuity, which means forever, as was expounded upon at length in the Ars article above. Empire and Jedi rights will go to Disney in 2020. George Lucas has nothing to do with it anymore. The only way we get a blu-ray theatrical release is if Disney pays Fox to do it, or Fox does it themselves.

[Valsuelm]

There will be something seriously not right and very unStarWarsy when the 20th Century Fox fanfare doesn't precede the opening roll of Star Wars episode VII.

 

[Nepenthe]

 

 

 

Wait a minute, I was under the impression there already was a remaster. I marathoned them at a friend's place about six months back and the copies he had had no dewbacks, no greedo shooting first, no jabba in new hope, no musical number in jabba's palace and no hayden christensen at the end. Color me confused.

There's a couple possibilities, the DVD non-anamorphic DVD releases from a few years back or one of the various fanmade despecialized editions floating around.

 

 

Tale is correct. Some time ago, I bought the 2-disc dvd set of the original trilogy. 6 dvd set in all. There was the special edition on one disc and the original theatrical released on the second disc. The disappointing thing to this set was although the original movies were widescreen, they weren't 16x9 enhanced. But at least I have them on dvd.

 

I have no doubt the original negatives exist and they could restore and do an original theatrical release version on Blu-ray. Hopefully, Lucas doesn't have as much influence as he used to.

 

I'd wager a lot that if the originals were released in Blu-Ray quality that they'd outsell all of the special 'enhanced' editions. Lucas doesn't want to admit he done f****d up when he messed with the original trilogy I don't think. Will Disney release them? Considering the giant treasure trove of films and cartoons they were already sitting on before they acquired Lucasfilm and don't release I think it's very doubtful, but we can hope.

 

 

One of the major reasons Disney has been slow releasing the movies is that they've been using the ex-Lowry team (that did the Bonds, for example) for the restorations. And, well, as they don't really have a lot of options to double-dip those movies, also not saturating the market.

 

 

20th Century Fox owns distribution for Ep. IV in perpetuity, which means forever, as was expounded upon at length in the Ars article above. Empire and Jedi rights will go to Disney in 2020. George Lucas has nothing to do with it anymore. The only way we get a blu-ray theatrical release is if Disney pays Fox to do it, or Fox does it themselves.

 

If it were as simple as that, I'm sure Fox would've already released the unborked versions. More likely there's a deeper collaboration between the two required, and it might get the Marvel properties involved, as well...