Full disclosure… this is something that I’ve actually known was coming for several months, but I’ve held my tongue about it for reasons that will become obvious in a minute.
But Anderson himself has recently confirmed the existence of this project in a new interview connected to his latest film, The Phoenician Scheme, with a magazine called Little White Lies.
Specifically, what he’s said is: “I’ve always tried to treat them [meaning his films] as a body of work to some degree, and even now we’re doing a thing with the Criterion Collection, they’re releasing my first ten movies as a box set. I want these movies to all sit together as a set.”
Of course, the films in question are:
- Bottle Rocket (1996)
- Rushmore (1998)
- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
- The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
- Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
- The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
- Isle of Dogs (2018)
- The French Dispatch (2021)
And I can indeed confirm now, per our studio sources, that this box set will include newly remastered 4K Ultra HD versions of each of these films.
Now... here’s why I’ve had to hold my tongue about this release: Other than the first film, Bottle Rocket, all of these are Disney-controlled titles. Suffice it to say, I had no desire to jeopardize this release by leaking details too early!
All but two of those films—Isle of Dogs and The French Dispatch—are already part of the Criterion Collection on Blu-ray. So those two films will obviously join the Collection now as well on both formats.
Given that Anderson has started talking about this, I would expect some kind of official acknowledgement from Criterion sooner rather than later. The company has already announced their August slate, so the earliest this is likely to street is September. Stay tuned for further details!
In other news today, HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment have officially set The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season for Blu-ray, DVD, 4K Ultra HD, and 4K Steelbook release on 9/23. Look for the 4K disc to include both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.
Warner has also just officially announced the 7/8 Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025). Again, look for the 4K disc to include Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.
Retail sources have just leaked that Paramount’s previous Mission: Impossible films are going to be re-issued on 4K Ultra HD on 8/5, which suggests that The Final Reckoning will street on disc around that time as well.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set David F. Sandberg’s Until Dawn (2025) for release on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on 7/8.
Universal has set Madagascar (2005) for 4K Ultra HD release on 7/22, and they have Serenity (2005) coming that same day as a 20th Anniversary 4K Steelbook release.
Our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics have revealed that they’re working on a new 4K UHD edition of Michael Winner’s The Mechanic (1972) starring Charles Bronson. They also have Alexander Hall’s Exclusive (1937) coming on Blu-ray on 7/15, followed by Woody Allen’s Scoop (2006) on 8/26. And Henri Verneuli’s Vultures (1984) is coming soon on Blu-ray as well.
And finally today, Imprint Films has just revealed that their next batch of Imprint Television Blu-ray titles is going to include Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: The Complete Series (1967-68) and Stingray: The Complete Series (1964)! The street date for those is still TBA.
That’s all for now. Back with more tomorrow!
Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)