Possible new release of the Alien movies in 2003?

[SidcupMartin]

Over on HTF they ran a live chat with Peter Staddon of 20th Century Fox - Check the transcript out here. There's a lot of interesting stuff in there but the following caught my eye...

[GregW] Sorry if asked before any chance of the ALIEN SE in 2003 and great job on THE FRENCH CONNECTION set. Thanks for the chat tonight.

[peterstaddon] I can't really go into details yet but 2003 will be a huge year for the alien films on DVD. Can't say any more yet

Fingers crossed for something special

[AnonomusBob15]

Put a little more thinking into it, and now I kind of hope they don't rerelease them.......

[SidcupMartin]

Here's the thing - he mentioned a couple of Fox titles were being released but not by Fox but they would be very special... got me thinking - Criterion?!? Doubtful but it'd be cool.

[SeanL]

I don't think Fox would release something as high profile as Alien to Criterion. But stranger things have happened.

[C Roberts]

Dear Fox,

Thank you for re-releasing yet another DVD set instead of more new stuff. However, I am quite happy with my current version and don't intend to re-purchase. I look forward to buying other DVDs by Fox, but only if I think I'll be happy with that version. Otherwise I'll wait for one of the re-releases.

Sincerely,

DVD Consumer #12423

[pilauh]

and so it goes,

a re-release... again. What will it be, we have already everything that exists about that movie on the anniversary edition : very nice transfert, nice audio, director's commentary, the famous deleted scene with Ripley discovering Ash, Scott at work, Giger at work,...

What's been hidden to us that's worth a new purchase ?

tests of the eggs ?
tests of the cat ?
tests of the Sigourney's panty (umm, let me think about it...)

well, we'll see...

[SidcupMartin]

Originally posted by pilauh

tests of the Sigourney's panty (umm, let me think about it...)

well, we'll see...

[Sid]

I think the audio on Alien and aliens could be better. Hopefully these will be like the Die Hard 5 star set. DTS hope hope

[Riedenschneider]

I'd rather have a Five Star Edition of Flight of the Phoenix

[SidcupMartin]

Originally posted by Riedenschneider
I'd rather have a Five Star Edition of Flight of the Phoenix

Man, I have been waiting for that one for soooooo long now

[Blackbelt Jones]

Hi Guys,

According to Hollywood Bitchslap's release schedule (http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/hbs.cgi?feature=315), Fox is indeed releasing "Alien: Five-Star Edition" in 2003. The date is TBD. The current Alien and Aliens are OOP.

Cheers,

BBJ

[Riedenschneider]

Originally posted by Blackbelt Jones
Hi Guys,

According to Hollywood Bitchslap's release schedule (http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/hbs.cgi?feature=315), Fox is indeed releasing "Alien: Five-Star Edition" in 2003. The date is TBD. The current Alien and Aliens are OOP.

Cheers,

BBJ

Peter Staddon of 20th Century Fox says "We have stopped developing 5 star as a brand",
so this is a special special edition...

[Nyarlathotep]

Well, he said "the alien films", so hopefully there will be better editions of Alien3 and Alien Resurrection, both of which I enjoy immensely (although I know I'm in the minority there ). How about a DC of Alien3?

[Deez108]

You know, I've never seen any of these films. New sets would be a great excuse to check them out.

[WraithGTS]

I heard they completely bastardized David Fincher's original cut of Alien 3.

He had a completely different vision than what ended up on the screen. Aparently the studio took away all his creative license.

I hard stuff like . . . the entire movie had absolutely NO SCORING. Fincher wanted to portray the cold silence of the prison in space.

It would be most interesting to see what he really had in mind.

[disclover]

I don't own the current Alien DVD's. Here is what I'd like to see on any new versions:

Alien--Sounds like the previous DVD was very good. Would be nice to see the same features plus the Alien Legacy documentary that was a limited release on DVD the first time around.

Aliens--More special features would be nice, and seamless branching to watch both theatrical and Director's cuts.

Alien 3--Fincher's Director's Cut plus theatrical version.

Resurrection--They can do anything they want with it; nothing will save this movie.

[LBPound23]

Originally posted by pilauh
and so it goes,

a re-release... again. What will it be, we have already everything that exists about that movie on the anniversary edition : very nice transfert, nice audio, director's commentary, the famous deleted scene with Ripley discovering Ash, Scott at work, Giger at work,...

What's been hidden to us that's worth a new purchase ?

The obvious answer is an in-depth documentary. While I'd be pleased with the Special Edition from '99, I haven't bought yet, and I'm certainly looking forward to an even more Special Edition, hopefully 2-discs. I'll probably buy the first sequel blind too.

[orf]

the Alien DVD is topnotch, and I really can't see much to improve, especially in the video/sound region. I'd like to see more of a documentary and maybe a DTS soundtrack, but that's about all. Though I own the SE of Alien, I'll definately double-dip. It's one of my favorite movies.

[John Yaya]

I gotta admit I'm a little baffled by this...I have noticed that the Alien films have all but vanished in the stores....

I have a hard time believing that they can truely improve upon the 20th anniversary DVD of Alien...outside of a unnecessary fancy digipak packaging. (already having a very cool menu screen, great commentary by Ridley Scott, 2 isolated music scores, trailers, deleted scenes, storyboards, production photos, artwork & merchandising images)

Aliens had the extended cut among other great extras...no commentary by Cameron (no surprise there)

In-depth documentaries for these two films? sounds ok...but wasn't that the disc that you got if you bought the Alien box set?

The latter two films I could take or leave...they're not dreadful but neither are in the same league as Alien or Aliens. Alien 3 had all sorts of problems...something like 5 different screenplays were written...The film's finished look was interesting but the finished story just plain stunk

I'd prefer if Fox Video dug up other unreleased films in their vaults and dusted them off, spend a little money and give them a polished DVD release instead of just dumping them out onto the shelves.

[Sid]

I cant believe I forgot this. But Aliens is in severe need of remastering. Now before everybody calls me a bitch and tells me to quit complaining, let me explain it.

I had the very fortunate experience of seeing Aliens on the big screen....on March 30th 2002 at the Act 1&2 in Berkeley, Ca. The print was an original 1986 release print. The coloring on the DVD is flat out wrong, and disrespectful to the film. there are fleshtones in the movie, not everybody is an albino. I dunno how to be more specific, but it needs a definate remastering.

[wahlers]

I already have the Legacy box and 5th Disc, but wouldn't mind getting:

Alien as a 2-Disc with the Legacy documentary on it, and maybe a cast commentary added

Aliens 2-Disc with that recent Alien Saga documentary that aired on TV and a cast commentary

Alien 3 (ideally a Director's Cut, but since Fincher has stated that he doesn't want to touch this movie again, I'd settle for some cast commentary and deleted scenes)

Alien Resurrection with cast commentary (explaining what they were thinking, exactly)

[Riddick]

These MotherFuckers better release these sets like this, 2 disc versions of each film with all the extras ala The Ultimate Die Hard set and with a nice box to put'em in too!!

And that should have been done the first time around :p

[smurdleman2000]

after all Fincher has done for Fox (Fight Club), Fox should just go up to Fincher and say "Here's two million dollars. Redo and reshoot whatever you need. You've got four months." It's not gonna happen, but a man can certainly dream.

At the very least have a seamless branching version with the deleted scenes put back in, so we can at least get some idea of what Fincher wanted.

[jazz]

good thing i didn't lay down the moolah for the boxset at walmart.

i really hope they come through this year...

[jazz]

Alien Resurrection with cast commentary (explaining what they were thinking, exactly)

[AnonomusBob15]

The current discs are fine. If they released the Alien Legacy as a stand alone disc, I would probably just end up buying that, since I don't watch these much as they are.

[wahlers]

The problem with the deleted footage from Alien3 is that a lot of that footage doesn't even apply to the movie as it is.

The alien was originally going to be born from a mutated oxen that was used to tow the EEV from the wreck site, the oxen falls over on the face-hugger and kills it, but not before it's impregnated. I have stills from this footage from a really old Wizard magazine. The oxen was then going to be strung up in the meat locker and burst out instead of the scene with the dog.

In the sequence with the tunnels catching fire, there was supposed to be a scene where they purposely set the tunnels on fire to get the alien to get trapped inside that storage room, and it works, but the crazy guy (Golic) lets the alien out because he thinks it's going to be his friend and help him. Instead it just snaps his head off and runs away.

There was a lot more that was filmed, and then they would change the script and refilm new sequences.

There was some interview with Fincher online recently about Panic Room (but I can't find it) where he was specifically asked if he would ever consider coming back and doing a new cut of the film. He replied in a polite, but honestly, pissed off sounding response that, basically FOX screwed him over so bad, and he took such a bad rap for the movie, that he will never touch it ever again.

That really sucks, because, the treatment that they were shooting first, seemed pretty cool (just like the actual shooting script for Batman Forever was actually quite good, and then they chopped things up, and reordered scenes (after the sound FX and music were already done) and basically screwed it up too).