Finally: The Fly (1986) and The Fly II (1989) Special Editions are coming in Fall of 2005!

That sounds right. I got mine from Script City.

Has anyone heard any rumors/updates regarding this release???

We're nearing 2004...surely some news will be coming soon!

great news. Are Goldblum and Davis still on speaking terms after their divorce?
I sure would like a commentary by them.

Fly 2, in my opinion, is pretty bad.

In case anyone missed it, here are the relevant bits from Monday's chat with Peter Staddon...

Jacob said he'd ask about the Fly SE, but it would seem he was beaten to it!


Hi Peter! Easy question... Can you confirm if or when we might
be getting the following Special Editions in 2004: The Fly:SE (1986),
Predator:SE, True Lies:SE, and Romancing the Stone:SE?

Predator SE - yes just in time for Alien Vs Predator,
The Fly should make it into 2004 but no promises. True Lies is dependent
on getting a number of very busy people together to work on it. I
don't know if a sitting Governor has done a commentary track before,
and Jim Cameron has a truly crazy schedule. I'd love to bring it
out in 2004 but I'm not too hopeful.


Hi Peter. Thanks for coming tonight. Great news about the
special edition of Cronenberg's "The Fly". Any plans on revisiting Fort
Apache The Bronx, Home Alone, Commando, or History Of The World with new
anamorphic transfers? And what about the status of High Anxiety and
Eating Raoul? Thanks for your time.

Where to start? The Fly should be out in late 2004.
History of the World and High Anxiety are ready to go pending the
resolution of some issues at the studio, Fort Apache isn't being worked
on. Home Alone could be an SE sometime down the road but we aren't working
on it at this point. Commando and Eating Raoul are not being worked on
either at this stage.

How is the Fly Double feature disc? Is it worth picking up on the cheap?

The Fly/Fly II double feature disc (as well as the Fly/Return of the Fly disc) has great transfers for the films, and solid sound (I don't know how the SE could improve on the audio/video quality!). Each disc has trailers for the Fly films, as well as other double feature discs.

For a no-frills release, the double feature disc has placated me in place of the (upcoming) SE. I recommend it as a cheapie placeholder, or if you want The Fly II on DVD.

Well, now that it seems the Fly SE is confirmed, what actually appears on the SE is the next concern. Some thoughts on what we can hope for...

Audio commentary by Cronenberg, Chris Walas, etc. Maybe even the cast.

The infamous deleted scenes (as well as a series of other, shorter outtakes, like Veronica's "What are you going to do, read it (Brundle's computer) Naked Lunch?" dialogue).

Although the monkey-cat and other deleted scenes are likely still intact, the lesser-known insect-leg amputation coda to the monkey-cat scene is also a concern. Y'see word has it DP Mark Irwin had to quit the film unexpectedly for personal reasons, with a week to go. He had to leave the set while the a shot of the leg amputation was being readied, and an assistant cameraman had to take over. The resulting shot was underlit and almost unreadable.

The big question is, does the footage still exist, and can it be restored for the DVD (and the sequence completed)?

Documentaries on the making of the film, deleted scenes, etc. would be great (Suggest "The Life and Times of Brundlefly" as a title).

Special attention (documentaries, extensive photo galleries) should be devoted to the Oscar-winning makeup-creature effects. Early/rare makeup test photos/footage would be great. Each makeup stage/effect should be discussed/shown in detail, from concept to creation. The creation of the Telepods should also be a concern.

Trailers/tv spots.



Any other suggestions?

When do y'all think we'll be getting some info on this release? Mid-year?

The question must be raised, with the "new" Fly remake supposedly coming at the end of the year, will the SE be merely a quicky attempt to promote the new film? I like my SEs with the works, and I hope this case is no different.

Now, we just need to have the release actually announced. Soon, I hope.

looks like the new remake will be released next year.. still in the writing stage.

JACOB

Huh. Haven't heard anything about it since the initial announcement.


Anyway, some thoughts on what deleted footage could make it onto the Fly 1986 SE DVD:

Various extended dialogue and bits that appear in the script, and which may or may not have been filmed.


An alternate main title sequence, with various flashes of green light flying around and eventually morphing into the main title (The Fly II's credit sequence bortrowed the flashes, and they can be seen in The Fly's theatrical trailer as well).


A scene with Brundle and Ronnie climbing the stairs as he takes her to his lab for the first time, contrasting with the later scene when he sprints up the stairs with Tawny (Probably filmed).

A scene of Stathis watching Brundle and Ronnie leave to get cheeseburgers, then asking his secretary to dig up everything she can on Brundle (Possibly filmed).

Extended "steak teleportation" scene, where Veronica asks if Brundle will teach the computer to understand the flesh by reading it "Naked Lunch" (Filmed).

Extended conversation between Stathis and Ronnie about the Particle magazine mockup with Seth on the cover (Filmed, one deleted line from Stathis--"I want to know what's going on!" appears in the film's trailer).

A scene where we actually see Brundle turning on the computer and preparing to teleport himself (Filmed, as evidenced by a still from the sequence appearing in the press kit). In the final cut, a stock insert shot of the computer screen ("Initiate teleportation sequence")was used to quicken the scene's pace.

Brief dialogue between Brundle and Ronnie after he finishes his superhuman exercise.

A scene immediately following the superhuman exercise sequence where Ronnie videotapes Brundle and asks him what it felt like to be teleported (Filmed. An edited version of this scene appears in the form of the first videotape Martin watches in The Fly II).

Extended dialogue between Brundle and Tawny in the bar, where she makes it clear the winner of the armwrestling mathc between Marky and the other man wins sexual favors from her (Possibly filmed).

Extended dialogue in the scene where Ronnie visits Brundle a month after he throws her out. In the final cut, she asks why he called her, and he responds by puking on a donut. In the deleted dialogue, he asks her to continue videotaping him, because the world will probably be interested in what went wrong with his teleportation project (Probably filmed).

The infamous monkey-cat scene. Brundle teleports the surviving baboon and a cat together in an attempt to find a cure and beats the resulting creature to death (Filmed).

The insect leg amputation. Seconds after the monkey-cat incident, Brundle goes onto the roof of his lab, and feels a pain in his side. He slides down the wall and lands on a steel awning. A small insect leg bursts out of his side, which he amputated with his teeth (Filmed, but apparently abandoned because the crucial amputation shot was underlit and almost unreadable onscreen. It is unknown how complete the editing of the sequence was before it was cut).

Additional dialogue in Brundle's "insect politics" speech.

A scene where Stathis introduces Ronnie to Dr. Cheevers at the abortion clinic (Possibly filmed).

A shot of Brundle, after having attacked Stathis, picking up Stathis' severed foot, extending a proboscis from his mouth, and sucking up fluid (Filmed).

An insert shot of the computer screen as Brundlefly and the Telepod are being merged together. The split-screen compares Brundlefly's bodily components with the Telepod's. (Filmed).

Two versions of the deleted epilogue may have been filmed. In one, Ronnie is in bed with Stathis and is pregnant with his child, having aborted Brundle's. She then dreams of Brundle's butterfly-winged baby hatching from a cocoon and flying away (stop-motion animated dream). Possibly filmed.

In the version that Geena Davis confrimed was filmed, Ronnie is in bed alone, and has the butterfly-baby dream. We then see that she is very pregnant, and is clearly going through with having Brundle's baby (Filmed).


Hopefully, we'll see at least *some* of these rare treasures...

Just thinking about special features and such...

An isolated music score track would be nifty, as Howard Shore's soundtrack has been OOP for some time (but I bought a copy a few years ago).

I have to wonder about the score, too. Some scenes (in particular, the finale where Brundlefly is merged with the Telepod and Veronica kills him) use tracked music from other scenes' cues. It's entirely possible that Howard Shore wrote and recorded music for such scenes, and if it exists, it would be great to hear, especially now that he's hit the big time with LOTR.

Comparisons of Charles Pogue's original script with Cronenberg's would be neat, too.

never knew that it was Howard Shore who scored the Fly.

Awesome and chilling indeed

Yeah, Shore has scored pretty much all of Cronenberg's films.

much in the same way that Spielberg works with John Williams then

Here's a special project I've been working on, as posted at a Cronenberg newsgroup:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...g.google. com

I've done complete "Annotated Flies" for The Fly (1958), Return of the Fly, and The Fly (1986), which can be viewed at the link above. Haven't gotten around to The Fly II or Curse of the Fly.

Enjoy!

I really enjoyed reading that Greg, but now I REALLY want this SE to come out!

Thanks. I still need to work on The Annotated Fly II. Although that film is less than beloved, there's still a lot of interesting stuff to notice.

this is not good news, if true! a special thanks to dvdtalk.com for the interview with cronenberg.

JACOB

http://dvdtalk.com/cineschlock/cronenberg/index.html

You've had a pretty good run recently with DVDs. Especially, the Criterion release of Naked Lunch and now this appropriate ode to Rabid. Please, please, please tell me The Fly is next.
Fox once phoned wanting me to do a commentary for The Fly. I said, "Sure, as long as I get to oversee the transfer." It's never looked right except in theaters. Once it hit TV and so on, it was always too bright. They said, "No, we won't do that." [Laughs.] And I said, "Then I'm not doing the commentary." There won't be a good DVD until Fox, or whoever they delegate it to, is willing to let me oversee that transfer, which as you might expect is an important thing for the fans and for me since, as I say, it's never been seen in homes the way it's supposed to look -- ever.

I've heard that there are rumors of a Halloween special edition or whatever. I don't know why Fox wouldn't do it. I mean the amount of money involved is very minimal these days. These transfers can be done in Toronto and they can be done in Los Angeles. Mark Irwin, who shot The Fly, lives in L.A., so I just can't understand their attitude. They just didn't want to bother. So, I would say, unless you see an edition of The Fly that has a commentary by me and says "Director Approved," or something like that, then it's just not going to be a good one

Very lame indeed! Fox should let Cronenberg fix the damn transfer. I don't see what the bloody problem is, and both Cronenberg and this gem of a film deserve better.

Well that's terribly disappointing. Guess I'll have to try to rent it. If the transfer isn't going to be any more accurate than the one already out, then I'll just keep that one for now. This film (my favorite Cronenberg flick) certainly deserves better. Unfortunate to say the least.

let's hope that this is just a delaying tactic.

One of his best I would say

I'm one of the minority who actually liked The Fly 2 (having watched it years ago on VHS, together with Night of the Living Dead, and Godard's films...) which then started my craving for horror movies...

Revisiting it on DVD years later, and after watching heaps of other movies, I don't think too highly of The Fly 2, but it is still entertaining on some level (like other enjoyable trashy movies). What irks me watching The Fly 2 is that the replacement actor for Geena Davis having the Fly baby does not look like Geena Davis...

True, but Fox probably does not want to shell out for a new transfer for a DVD of a film that is probably not exactly going to sell like crazy. Alledgedy "Predator" is not getting a new transfer either for the SE, and apparenly the current one is not all that great. It will be frustrating if Fox won't do a new transfer for "The Fly" put puts a Full Screen version.

......n-no!!!!!


This can't be true. It's a nightmare.

All the years of struggle to see this thing made, only to hear this?


If this is true...

I can't believe it.


Very well, then. Heed my words.

Despite all the work and effort I (and many others) have done in order to see this release come to pass, I am willing to boycot whatever "Special Edition" Fox releases in support of one approved by and made with the contributions of David Cronenberg.

It's a simple as that.

What the bean counters don't realize, is that by doing a new HD transfer, they will sell more titles as well as have this in the can for HD!

Cronenberg says that Fox "once" asked him to provide commentary. It's possible that he's referring to the aborted SE that was in the works a few years ago. I hope. If not...

Interesting but disapointing news. I wonder just how different the proper version of The Fly looks. Hopefully they'll get this sorted out.

I am likewise disappointed, but in case there are non-fans reading, or fans who haven't dipped yet: let's not forget that the existing double feature discs (of ALL the Fly-related flicks) are a damn good deal, extremely cheap for very workmanlike transfers. Certainly not at the level that Cronenberg's The Fly (or the original for that matter) deserves, but good and cheap enough to have it as is, IMO no excuse to go hungry in this case. It sounds like we'll be waiting quite some time for something much better.

He is.

[Editing to add:]

If there's an SE in the works for release this year, as of last week, David Cronenberg said he is unaware of it.