Also, several Bits readers have messaged or emailed in the last 24 hours to let us know that Frant Gwo’s The Wandering Earth II (2023)—which we mentioned yesterday was coming to 4K in France (but without English subs)—is also coming to 4K and Blu-ray in the UK (with original Mandarin language audio and English subs) on 12/11 from CineAsia. And the 4K release comes in the same Steelbook packaging. You can find that available for pre-order on Amazon UK here. And thanks to the many readers who let us know about it!
Finally today, we must take a moment to acknowledge the passing of Friends actor Matthew Perry, Apollo 16 astronaut Ken Mattingly, and Murder, She Wrote co-creator Peter S. Fischer.
I have to admit, the Perry news really kind of hit home here for me. Back before hardly anyone knew what Friends even was, my wife Sarah and I had the good fortune to see one of the very first episodes being filmed. And we had so much fun that we went back three more times. Then the show became so popular it was impossible to get tickets. Now, working in the business for as long as I have, TV tapings have never had much appeal to me. When you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, and the sausage-making process is not nearly as glamorous or interesting as most people think. But these tapings? We were laughing so hard we were in tears, and so was the entire studio audience... and the other cast members, and most of the crew. That cast and that show were special. And it came along at a time when our own group of friends was at exactly that same stage in our lives, just out of school and trying to find our way into a career and all the trappings of adult life. So I treasure those memories. Perry was a comic genius and I can only thank him for letting us all see it. Rest in peace, Matt.
Ken Mattingly, of course, was a NASA astronaut who was originally slated to be on the crew of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, but was swapped out for Jack Swigert at the last minute (due to his exposure to the measles). Then he played a key role on the ground in Houston in helping to bring the Apollo 13 astronauts home safely following an explosion on board their spacecraft en route to the Moon. Ken went on to serve as the Command Module Pilot of Apollo 16, and he eventually commanded two Space Shuttle missions. And of course, Gary Sinise played him in Ron Howard’s Apollo 13. NPR has more on his life and career here.
And in addition to co-creating Murder, She Wrote (and writing the series’ pilot episode), Peter S. Fischer was a writer and/or producer for Columbo, Baretta, Marcus Welby, M.D., and many other classics TV series of the 1970s and 80s. He also wrote many novels in The Hollywood Murder Mysteries series and a number of feature screenplays too. You can read more about him here via The Hollywood Reporter.
All three will surely be missed.
That’s all for today. See you back here on Monday with more. Stay tuned...
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