WB Announcements from chat at HTF
 

thedigitalbits.com will probably have a full transcript later today, but here are some tidbits from the chat:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=230219

More John Garfield films are on their way, but not this year. Gable and Tracy boxsets on tab for 2006.

An uncut "Storm Warning" with Ronald Reagan on tabs for 2006. The 1976 version of "A Star is Born" coming later this year.

Warner still looking for elements for "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "Journey into Fear".

Some unannounced Allied Artists films are on the way.

The Thin Man boxset will have all six films plus a bonus disc.

RKO Tarzan films are on the radar without any dates.

A Pre-code boxset coming in 2006.

Another Warner Gangster boxset set for 2006. Also, some more theme boxsets.

The Ben Hur boxset will have a new transfer from newly restored 65mm elements. Also, the 1925 version of Ben Hur will be in the boxset along with new content.

"Kitty Foyle" is coming out in 2006. The 1931 and 1940 versions of "Waterloo Bridge" are in their release plans.

"The Outsiders" Extended Version is coming out this year. They are talking about releasing an anamorphic presentation of "Arthur".

In the next 12 months, 2 disc releases for the following:[list]
Dog Day Afternoon
Network
All the President's Men

"Night Moves" and "Scarecrow" are on the release schedule.

They have special plans for "Performance".

Batman films on the way.

A "The Green Mile" SE in the works.

Yakuza scheduled for next year.

More Lon Chaney under consideration, but no firm date.

"Flamingo Road" with Joan Crawford in the works.

"Quick Change" coming out later this year.

Astaire/Rogers musicals coming out in two stages. Five films involved with each release, one in 2005 and another in 2006. They will be sold separately and in a boxset.

Regarding that missing ling of dialogue in "Bringing Up Baby" from Katharine Hepburn. Warner stated it was due to damage to the original negative and not censorship.

All nine Val Lewton films will be out later this year with special features and commentary.

The Naked Spur on tap for 2006 and also, "Petulia".

LA Confidential SE in the works.

Releasing all 48 Bowery Boys films in 2006. More than one boxset.

The film "Cruising" under consideration.

They have a date for "King Kong" but won't tell us.

Looney Tunes Volume 3 before Christmas.

Warner stated that the Batman television issue doesn't involved them, but Fox and DC Comics. In short, they're out of it.

Warner is looking at re-releasing the Superman films, but issues remain to be resolved.

SE of "2001" in 2006 along with other Kubrick SE.

No plans for Mortal Storm, The D.I. or SE of Cool Hand Luke.

A SE release of "The Wizard of OZ" this year.

Next year, a 2 disc SE of "Street Car Named Desire".

Baby Doll and Sweet Bird of Youth coming in 2006.

Home from the Hill and The Sundowners in the future.

No Billy Wilder films scheduled except "Spirit of St. Louis" in 2006. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other Wilder titles that Warner owns that haven't been released yet.

A SE of "The Devils" in the works.

Night of the Iguana sceduled for next year.

No plans for Electric Dreams

Quo Vadis needs requires restoration work.

Northwest Passage under consideration for a future release.

The Peckinpah boxset now scheduled for 2006.

WHV doesn't know anything about why the Comedy Classic boxset is not available in Canada.

Jean Harlow boxset in 2006

Million Dollar Baby dvd announcement coming soon.

Point Blank will have two featurettes, but unfortunately, the LionPower featurette won't be one due to music clearance issues. Also, there is two commentaries from Boorman and Soderbergh.

Julius Caesar and Mutiny on the Bounty with Brando and Ryan's Daughter on schedule for 2005/2006.

Anna Karenina part of the Garbo's 100 year birthday boxset this Fall.

Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young coming, but no date.

2 disc Maltese Falcon SE in 2006

25th Anniversary Poltergeist SE planned.

Warner just confirmed that Mighty Joe Young and The Nun's Story will be out before Christmas.

No more Bogart films this year. Four major Bogart films are being restored from the original camera negative for release in 2006.

Esther Williams Signature boxset coming in the future.

More Hammer films on the way.

Looney Tunes will be one release per year due to labor intensive issues.

Popeye cartoon issues are still being worked out.

No further update on the Tom and Jerry edited cartoon issues.

Also, here is more TV on DVD info from tvshowsondvd.com

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3183

A short time ago tonight the great folks at The Home Theater Forum finished holding a live online chat with several executives at Warner Home Video. Tomorrow you can look for the full transcript of the chat to be posted by our friends at The Digital Bits website. We thank HTF owners Ron Epstein and Parker Clack for hosting the 3-hour chat, which - as usual - resulted in LOTS of news about TV-DVD titles. Here we have a quick rundown of the titles that were discussed tonight, and we put each item into a "bucket" that generally describes Warner's response:

2005 Releases:
Friends S10 ("before the end of the year...loaded with goodies")
Smallville S4 ("this Fall")
Nip/Tuck S2 ("out by Fall")
Dallas S3 ("this Summer")
Lois & Clark S1 ("June; contains special features including new Teri Hatcher interviews; expect more Lois & Clark in 2006")
Looney Tunes V3 ("coming before Xmas"; "will (continue to) be one per year for the forseeable future")

Working on Release Plans:
George Lopez Show
Chico and the Man

Potential Titles for Release:
Welcome Back Kotter
Drew Carey Show
Knot's Landing
The Flash
Witchblade
"LOTS of great DC Comic-related product in your future!"
Growing Pains
Falcon's Crest

Will Be Considered:
Enos
Superboy
Family Matters
Step By Step

Music Rights Preclude Release:
Cold Case

No plans yet for:
Murphy Brown S2
Veronica Mars
Perfect Strangers
Brimstone
Third Watch
Opposite Sex
Run of the House
Bucky O'Hare
Fish Police
Xiaolin Showdown
Everwood S2
Jack & Bobby
Mama's Family
Hogan Family
Flamingo Road
Freddy's Nightmares
Just The Ten Of Us
Midnight Caller
New Scooby-Doo Movies remaining episodes
Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
Shazam! set
Time Trax

No rights for:
Get Smart (David's note: funny, Paramount says they don't own it, either; a separate source tells me Paramount's rights ended at the end of 2004, and the rights reverted to Warner)
Batman 60's ("The Batman TV issue is between DC Comics and Fox. It doesn't involve Warner Home Video")
Saturday Night Live (David's note: Broadway Video owns this, and Lions Gate distributes releases)
Doctor Who 1996 TV Movie ("We only distribute the BBC product, so we have no idea what their marketing plans are for Doctor Who")

Asked/No Answer Given or No Info Available:
Brisco County Jr.
Alice
Max Headroom
Birds of Prey
Justice League box sets
Batman Beyond box sets
Head of the Class
Superman ("1980's animated Ruby Spears")
Fantastic Four 60's
Tom & Jerry shorts corrected and unedited
Popeye (Fleischer)

And the strangest question/answer combo of the night comes from John Pannozzi's question, and Warner's rather terse answer to it. Which part of John's question did the answer pertain to? YOU DECIDE!:

{JohnPannozzi} Any plans for Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Freakazoid, Road Rovers, the Quick Draw McGaw Show, the Son of Kong, Mighty Joe Young 1949, John K. and Spumco's Yogi and Jetsons shorts, seasons 2 and 3 of the Jetsons, Flintstones on the Rocks, Ralph Bakshi's Hey, Good Lookin' and/or the unsold pilot of 'Gizmo and the Gremlins' on DVD? I also want to see Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs on DVD. END.

{WarnerHomeVideo} YES. Done


Huh...we hope the "Yes" pertains to Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, and Pinky & The Brain! (among others). Thanks again to the HTF folks for hosting the chat, and especially to the Warner Brothers participants for being there to answer our questions (including my mega-long one!). Stay tuned for updates on all of these titles as time goes on, and don't forget to read the full transcript tomorrow at The Digital Bits.

WOW!!! Great news!!

Loving the Batman, Kubrick and Superman box sets coming.

Quick Change and possibly Cruising!!

Dying for Streetcar Named Desire, Network, Dog Day Afternoon, Wizard of Oz and All the President's Men 2-Disc!!!!

Also, I'll be picking me up Green Mile and L.A. Confidential SE's.

Warner has quickly gotten their act together and becoming one of the best studios regarding DVDs.

Saxon

Best news of the week...I mean month...hell, best news all year!!!

A big :up: to The Outsiders, Enos and a possible release of a Superman box set!

This is pretty much good news all around. Even the double-dips (which usually make me cringe) seem like great choices. I might as well just hand over my credit card to WHV now...

25th Anniversary Poltergeist planned.

:banana: :banana: :banana:

I'm happy for all those that got some good news but damn, nothing interesting for me in this chat at all. Batman and Superman are great but it was nothing definite and nothing we didn't already know. The rest of the titles don't interest me at all. :(

They could have said "Val Lewton Collection", walked away and I would have been happy. Add The Devils, Quick Change & Night Moves and you've got a happy camper. Baby Doll is also unexpected good news while reissues of All The President's Men, Dog Day Afternoon and most especially, Network are all welcome.

:( no news about the original Mission Impossible series? :(

What Hammer titles do Warner still have the rights to?

I thought MGM had:

Hands of the Ripper
Twins of Evil
Ten Seconds to Hell
Vampire Circus

And Universal has:

Curse Of The Werewolf
Brides Of Dracula
The Phantom Of The Opera
Captain Clegg [A.K.A.: Night Creatures]
Paranoiac
Kiss of the Vampire (was released in R1, but is OOP)
Evil Of Frankenstein
Nightmare


But I thought Warner Bros had put out all their titles already?

- A SE of "The Devils" in the works.

Hooray!!!!!

<li> Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young coming, but no date.

<li> A SE release of "The Wizard of OZ" this year.

<li> Warner is looking at re-releasing the Superman films, but issues remain to be resolved.

<li> All nine Val Lewton films will be out later this year with special features and commentary.

<li> The film "Cruising" under consideration.

<li> They have a date for "King Kong" but won't tell us.

<li> They have special plans for "Performance".

<li> A Pre-code boxset coming in 2006.

<li> Another Warner Gangster boxset set for 2006. Also, some more theme boxsets.

<li> The Ben Hur boxset will have a new transfer from newly restored 65mm elements. Also, the 1925 version of Ben Hur will be in the boxset along with new content.

:thumbsup:

:banana: :banana: :banana:

This is the only one I'm really excited about as well. No news on Blade Runner, it seems, though I didn't really expect any.

the full transcript is up:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=230295

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Jeez. What about the 5,483 titles he didn't cram into that question... -ohbfrank-

Man, I was really hoping for some good news regarding Brisco County, Jr from this chat. I believe it is sitting at #3 over on the Unreleased Titles list at TVShowsonDVD.com.

good stuff guys

No kidding. What exactly did the "YES. Done" pertain to?

Not much out of that chat for me. Potergeist and Looney Tunes is about all I'm interested in.

:up:

I'll gladly double-dip on these 2 titles

I was hoping for concrete news on Ambersons. Oh well, I have to hold on to my VHS copy for a little while longer.

:mad:

I've been waiting for an SE of this for a long time. :banana:

I'm dissapointed that we didn't get anything concrete about the edited cartoons for the Tom and Jerry collection.

Looking forward to the Looney Tunes, Batman movies and the possibility of Welcome Back Kotter season set.

The only bad news for me...

&