Tag: digital release

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Han does not shoot first in the Star Wars digital release

han-cantina

No, Han does not shoot first on the digital version of A New Hope. The word from Australia, where it’s already Friday and the digital releases are live, is that the Greedo scene is exactly the same as the one on the Blu-ray. And, to be fair, anything else would have been a big shock, given that ‘Han shot first’ would have been spun into a Lucasfilm talking point by now if it had been the case.

Devin Faraci at Badass Digest, with whom today’s report originated, admitted that he was wrong, but does maintain that there is a high definition version of the pre-Special Edition scene in play somewhere… So don’t expect the rumors of restored ‘original’ prints to die down any time soon.

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Star Wars movies are coming to Digital HD Friday


Lucasfilm broke the news we were expecting with a commercial during tonight’s big college basketball game: All six of the existing films will be available “globally” in Digital HD this Friday, April 10.

Vendors being name-dropped in the media include iTunes, Google Play, VUDU, Amazon, Xbox Video, and the Playstation Store.

Yes, the original trilogy will be the most recent Blu-ray editions, because if they ever do release pre-SE versions, they will not play coy about it.

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More signs of a Star Wars digital release… For next week?

vudu-bundle

On April Fool’s Day, Yakface was sent a photo of a poster at Walmart teasing an April 10 release of the Star Wars movies in digital on the store’s Vudu service. We weren’t sure if it was a joke or not, but April 1 has come and go and now a Star Wars bundle is listed on Vudu.com. It not only includes the six movies so far, but also a number of extras.

With ‘commemorative’ action figure sets (still sans Leia) already on sale, we have little reason to believe this isn’t going to happen – and I doubt Vudu will be the only player in the mix. They just happened to be the ones who’ve let the cat (or, well, the date) out of the bag. Expect to see similar bundles on Netflix, iTunes, Disney’s own services and more.

April 10 is next Friday, so I’d expect a formal announcement Thursday at the very latest… And why would they want to make a big splash to get Star Wars in people’s minds the weekend before Celebration, I wonder?

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Rumors: New Hasbro releases point to a digital saga release in the spring; When will The Force Awakens toys hit?

HasbroJedi News is all over toys today. They say there are Hasbro box sets of prequel and original trilogy stuff due out “to support the digital releases of the films.” That rumor has been floating around for a while now – last time it was fall 2014 – but if there’s any truth to the toy stuff, it’s a lot more evidence than anything else we’ve had lately. Capitalizing on May 4th makes plenty of sense.

Of course said box sets are completely lacking Padme and Leia figures, because that’s just how things are, right ladies?

But onto The Force Awakens – Episode VII LEGO stuff apparently has a street date of September 4th, and there will be a Millennium Falcon and an X-wing among them.

UPDATE: Making Star Wars has a source who backs up the release date, and adds something new: Kylo Ren will be on all the packaging.

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Lucasfilm working on higher-res versions of the saga?

@ThatChrisA: Sky Soundin' it today

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. ;)

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Rumor: All six Star Wars films to be available digitally in the fall?

ANH: Vader's entranceJedi News has heard from a “very reliable” source that the whole film saga will be released digitally this upcoming November, along with other rare and “unseen” footage.

No details if this will be streaming via Netflix or any other specific services. Previous rumors have pegged a “digital library launch” for about that time.

While Disney does have a distribution deal with Netflix, it won’t kick in until 2016, and may not apply to the older films, which Fox still has distribution rights to.

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The Clone Wars – including ‘The Lost Missions’ – are coming to Netflix on March 7

Clone Wars - Netflix

Well Clone Wars fans, your wait is over: StarWars.com announced this morning that The Clone Wars will be streaming on Netflix as of March 7, including the debut of “the sixth and final season.” It’s the first time any official Star Wars content will be available on the service.

“The Lost Missions” are 13 episodes, and for the previous seasons they’ll be have “several director’s cut episodes never seen on TV” as well as the debut movie. The episode description does line up with the arcs we’ve heard about out of Germany:

In these eagerly anticipated episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, some of the deepest mysteries of the conflict between the light and the dark sides of the Force are revealed. An intrepid clone trooper discovers a shocking secret, Anakin Skywalker’s closest relationship is tested to its limits, and what Master Yoda discovers while investigating the disappearance of a Jedi could forever change the balance of power in the galaxy. Fans will not only be able to watch the thrilling finale, they’ll be able to see more of Star Wars: The Clone Wars than ever before as Netflix will also stream the director’s cut of seasons one to five.

Netflix posted a clip featuring Yoda and Qui-Gon:

If you don’t have Netflix streaming, Jeremy Conrad at Furious Fanboys has five options you can look into.

In the meantime, fans can psych themselves up by listening to some of the show’s music on composer Kevin Kiner’s site.

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Branding image hints at Star Wars digital library, Darth Vader TV specials

Star Wars logoJedi News has snagged an image from the European Brand Licensing Show that reveals a few things about Lucasfilm and Disney’s marketing plans going forward.

First off, in spring/summer 2014, there’s ‘Classic LEGO Games Mobile” release, which speaks for itself, and “Darth Vader Themed TV Specials.” With Rebels is named separately and no LEGO, what form could these take? This is, quite literally, the first we’ve heard.

In autumn/winter 2014, there’s mention of a “Digital Library Launch.” Given the context here, I don’t believe this is anything to do with the books – which are already available digitally anyway – but to the release of the films themselves in a digital format (Apple TV, perhaps?) And I really doubt they’ll come alone – this could be a venue for The Clone Wars, other cartoons (Ewoks, Droids, Clone Wars 2D) and various specials from over the years – From Star Wars to Jedi, maybe, or even the Holiday Special. And even if it’s only the movies themselves, a digital release is long overdue.

And finally, there’s a reiteration of spring/summer 2015 for Episode VII. Shocking.

UPDATE: And here’s the rumor part of the equation from Jedi Master SQL.