Abrams MI:III DVDs to Make Hollywood History
Friday, August 11, 2006
Paramount has chosen Star Trek XI producer JJ Abrams' debut film to make a bit of Hollywood history. According to the industry trades, Mission Impossible III (which Abrams directed and co-wrote) is to be the first film to be simultaneously released on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray as well as regular DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment honcho Meagan Burrowshas high praise for Abrams' film: " 'M:I-3' set a new standard for action films and is setting a new standard for the home entertainment experience."
JJ Abrams: the Six Hundred Million Dollar Man
According to the LA Times, the DVDs are expected to bring in $200 Million for Paramount (on top of the $400 million for the theatrical sales). $600 mil aint so bad for your first time JJ! (and more than any Trek film). If it weren't for Abrams well received work on MI3, it is likely that Trek XI wouldnt exist. It is MI3 that convinced Paramount that they wanted JJ for his recently signed 5 year deal; with Star Trek XI as his next project. Although Paramount may have expected a bit more out of MI3, Abrams' deal makes clear that he isnt taking any heat. The same can't be said for producer Paula Wagner and producer/star Tom Cruise whose joint deal with Paramount is currently being renegotiated (and as the LA Times report says, the numbers are going down and not up).
More Trek Connections
It seems that since both shows were being shot on the Paramount lot in the 60s these franchises were destined to be linked. The story goes that Trek people would steal stuff from the MI crew during the budget strapped 3rd season of the Original Series. In addition to JJ Abrams, both big screen versions also share the same writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Abrams himself saw the connection when asked (before the Trek deal was known) if he would like to work on Trek: "I would happily be involved in any project that Leonard Nimoy was at one point involved in" he told CFQ magzine. Any Trek fan who wants to see how well JJ Abrams and his team can take on an established franchise should definitely check out MI3. The Trek XI Report will do a full review of MI3 and what it may tell us about the Abrams team's approach to Trek at a later date.
MI:3 DVD Details
two-disc Special Collector's Edition will include the following special features:
- Four documentaries: "The Making of the Mission," "Mission Action: Inside the Action Unit," "Visualizing the Mission" and "Scoring the Mission."
- An "enhanced commentary" with Abrams and star Tom Cruise (talking in a corner of the screen while the movie plays).
- regular commentary with Cruise and Abrams [DVD version only]
- a "Moviefone Unscripted" segment with Abrams and Cruise taking questions from fans [DVD version only]
- a tribute montage [DVD version only]
Prices vary: the DVD collector’s edition will be $24.99, while the HD-DVD and Blu-ray versions will be $29.99. A single-disc DVD (with only the regular commentary, one documentary and deleted scenes) will sell for $19.99. All 3 versions of the collector's edition and the regular DVD will be available October 30th.
Trek's Future On Hi Def
We can only hope that the eventual Star Trek XI DVDs will be as packed with goodies (all 10 previous Trek films have got the 'special edition' treatment). So far Paramount has not made their Trek plans for Blu-ray and/or HD-DVD known. However, Digital Bits has reported that Paramount are working on hi def versions of Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Enterprise as well as all 10 films to be released as The Ultimate Star Trek Movie Collection.
More info on the MI:3 DVDs at the The Hollywood Reporter and Home Media Retailing
posted by Tony P @ 9:08 PM,
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