I’m going to be straight with you: I only the barest idea of what a ‘4K print’ meant, and had to look it up. (“Ultra HD” blah blah blah definitioncakes.) Honestly, I’m not even sure I care now; I’m just not that kind of geek. But rumors have been swirling that new scans of the Star Wars films are in the works, and today Chris Argyropoulos of Lucasfilm PR tweeted the above picture of Skywalker Sound folks working some mojo on Return of the Jedi.
I suppose it’s feasible this is some sort of standard demo they do, but it’s fueled the rumors that a new release of the films may be imminent. A digital release would be good; the fact that the films aren’t on Netflix and similar services could hinder more than help as we get closer and closer to the new films. All I know is, if that’s what a Lucasfilm PR guy is hinting at, we’ll probably hear something soon.
Of course, he’s denied it’s anything like that, but c’mon, Chris. You know this fandom. ;)
Last pic not 4 any new/special release. Just good old fashioned interviews with out-of-towners. Always fun having 1st timers @ the Ranch! :)
— Chris Argyropoulos (@ThatChrisA) July 29, 2014
The really cool part of 4K/UltraHD is that it’s resolution (3840×2160) is very close to what 35mm film would be if it had a screen resolution; 35mm is right around 4K:
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/24-digital-hi-end-projectors-3-000-usd-msrp/180206-resolution-film-35mm-vs-hdtv.html
Barring another theatrical release, a 4K rerelease would literally be as close to really seeing Star Wars as it was presented. The prequels will have to be upscaled though, as they were filmed in 1080p.
Actually, we can’t see Star Wars as it was presented until they give us the unaltered versions of the Trilogy. The Special Edition shouldn’t even be considered the same movie
Possibly a blu-ray of the original theatrical cuts?
Maybe. Don’t count on it, though.
Argyropoulos has already shot it down: “Last pic not 4 any new/special release. Just good old fashioned interviews with out-of-towners. Always fun having 1st timers @ the Ranch! :)”
Not sure why they would shoot the screen like that, but who knows what’s going on there.
(Link) Will add, but Chris has got to be savvy enough to know EXACTLY what people were going to jump to at that pic. But thus my thought that it’s some sort of demo or such.
Darn shame. Still, 4K is awfully young for LFL to drop Star Wars on it; they didn’t do the OT DVDs and the BR set until both technologies were pretty widespread.
There’s also the sticky issue that while LFL is owned by Disney, Fox doesn’t lose distribution rights to V, VI, and I-III until 2019, iirc, and owns IV in perpetuity unless Disney buys it.
Yeah, but everyone benefits if they release it digitally – I’m sure Fox wants them out there just as much as Disney does, though they’ll probably earn more from a physical release. (And anything Disney has to pay Fox, they’ll earn back in merchandising and free publicity.) They’ve already repackaged the Blu-rays once.