UPDATED: Warner Home Video has officially announced Watchmen for DVD and Blu-ray for July 21 as well as the release of 300 (The Complete Experience) on Blu-ray on the same day. The Watchmen director’s cut has been rated R by the MPAA and according to IMDB, will run approximately 28 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. Click one of the following links for a look at each title:
- Watchmen (Single disc theatrical edition)
- Watchmen (2-Disc Special Edition Director’s Cut)
- Watchmen (Director’s Cut) Blu-ray
- 300 (The Complete Experience) Blu-ray
The original article with these updates added where necessary follows.
I already alerted you back in April the Watchmen Director’s Cut DVD and Blu-ray had received an R-rating like its theatrical counterpart for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language. Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter revealed Warner was teaming with Facebook for a BD-Live interactive feature with the Blu-ray version that will allow “community screenings” of the film to be linked with your Facebook community. Another Blu-ray feature mentioned was referred to as “Warner Bros. Maximum Movie Mode,” which will allow split-screen viewing of “Watchmen” to focus on elements in director Zack Snyder’s on-camera commentary.
Well, today we have the above box art as well as some special feature details:
1-Disc DVD: No extras, theatrical cut of the film in separate widescreen and full screen editions.
2-Disc DVD:
- Watchmen: Director’s Cut
- The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics
- Watchmen: Video Journals (over 30 min)
- Music Video: My Chemical Romance Desolation Row
- Digital Copy – Theatrical Version
Blu-ray:
- Watchmen: Director’s Cut
- Warner Bros. Maximum Movie Mode
- Watchmen: Focus Points (over 30 minutes)
- BD Live
- The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics
- Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes
- Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World
- Music Video: My Chemical Romance Desolation Row
- Digital Copy – Theatrical version
The street date has been confirmed for July 28, making for a release either just after the annual Comi-Con convention in San Diego.
It appears the Watchmen version that integrates The Tales of the Black Freighter into the feature film is yet to come. In my MPAA ratings announcement on April 29 I received word of a rating for Ultimate Watchmen, which is what I am assuming will be the version with the animated Black Freighter instances included.
And, on top of all this there is word a 300: The Complete Experience Blu-ray will be released on July 21 with all new features. The following details tell the story:
The Complete 300: A Comprehensive Immersion – This NEW interactive picture-in-picture experience provides 3 unique perspectives to explore while you watch the film:
- Creating a Legend – Frank Miller and Zack Snyder Interpret a Classic Tale – Holding true to Frank Miller’s love of history and the importance of bringing a pure adaptation to screen in this tale-based account.
- Bringing the Legend to Life – Building a World From a Comic – Blending the most talented and creative minds together to bring Frank Miller’s art to life in cinematic form.
- The History Behind the Myth – The Real Story of The Hot Gates – A rich and historical perspective on the Spartans and this legendary landmark.
Plus these additional special features:
- BD-Live: Media Centre; Live Community Screening; My WB Commentary
- Bluescreen Picture-In-Picture – Join Director Zack Snyder on a personal and fascinating commentary as he compares the Bluescreen composite to the feature
- Audio Commentary by Director Zack Snyder, Writer Kurt Johnstad and Director of Photography Larry Fong.
- The 300- Fact or Fiction? – Historians, authors and filmmakers reveal how much of the movie is based on fact. (RT: 24:12) {HD}
- Who Were The Spartans: The Warriors of 300 – The customs and ways of life of the Spartan used by the actors and filmmakers to build their characters. (RT: 6:00) (HD}
- Preparing for Battle: The Original Test Footage – See how Frank Miller’s images were used in an video montage that evolved into the fight scene test and ultimately convinced the studio to make the movie. (RT: 6:10) {HD}
- Frank Miller Tapes – We’ll show how the outspoken Miller continued to push his limits to realize his epic graphic novel, 300, in the world of theatrical film. (RT: 13:00) {HD}
- Making of 300 – A look at how the movie was made. (RT: 5:40)
- Making 300 in Images – Rapid fire stills from the first day of production to the last. (RT 3:00)
- Webisodes – Behind the scenes peeks on the set of 300. (RT: 20:00) Production Design; Wardrobe; Stunt Work; Lena Headey; Adapting The Graphic Novel; Gerard Butler; Rodrigo Santoro; Training The Actors; Culture of The Sparta City/State; A Glimpse from the Set – Making 300 the Movie; Scene Studies from 300; Fantastic Characters of 300.
- Additional Footage – Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Zack Snyder (RT: 5:31) {HD}
- 40-Page collectible book packaging includes a comprehensive walk-through of the new cutting-edge Blu-ray features, behind the scenes and production photos AND never-before-seen sketches from creator Frank Miller.
For more on any of these titles click a link:
