The official BLADE RUNNER SE thread. (Check out page 8 and #790.) - Page 4

I wish it were that easy, but it's got nothing to do with time or desire. Believe me, if the project's legal issues were resolved this morning, I would bow out of most of the DVDs I have lined up for the next year and focus my energy and resources on the BR:SE immediately.

Thanks for the update Charlie and congratulations on a job well done

sigh. My favorite movie seems lost, forever!

Thanks for the updates though.

So whats the Blade Runner documentary?

Yep, I looked at it first, and all it says is "Basically, there is no new news. I'm updating this page today with everything I can tell you. There will not be another update until there is something seriously significant to announce. The BR:SE DVD set is currently in legal limbo. There is nothing more I can say."

What they're neglecting to mention is that many people thought the set had been completed but was held up in legal problems. A couple months ago Zinema started talking after months of silence, and revealed that they had located a good deal of materials (as he'd said before), but that actual work was stopped by the legal problems before hardly anything had actually been done (which had never been said before).

Those few words, really only a couple sentences, were nonetheless a *bombshell* of info, because it took the Blade Runner Special Edition out of the "coming soon as we get the legal snafu settled" to what we now know, which is that the project would have to start essentially from day one if they ever get the legal problems settled.

That revelation started a wave of shall we say illicit ideas on the blade runner newsgroup, and made people like myself realize that they may as well pick up the version in the stores now, because we don't know if anything will change in our lifetimes.

So I stand by what I said. They're an excellent site but they don't have that bit of latest news.

But the news is there if you read past the first paragraph.

It says in the description of What is the BR:SE, 'According to Charlie, "Some significant work was initiated, some fantastic material discovered, but on the whole, very little was actually finished before legal issues forced a halt to production."'

Before that update, there were a couple of references to the amount of work left to do and one still remains:

Under the DVD Vision (01 OCT 2002) report, it says "there is still a lot of other work to do (currently on hold)." So that particular news has actually been published there for over a year now. Hence why it is not "new news". (Charlie actually said on the a.f.b-r newsgroup in November last year, "And not to make matters worse, but the perception that it's "largely finished" is completely false. Hopefully things will get worked out in the (very) near future because there's a lot of work left to do." Sorry you didn't pick the news up before, but as you can see, it has been out there for a long time now.)

And at the bottom of the page is a brief bio of Charlie which says, "Numerous extremely successful projects later (including work on non-Scott films), and Charlie is in great demand. Charlie did start work on the Blade Runner Special 20th Anniversary Edition DVD, but had to stop. He is now planning a future as a film director, so will unfortunately not be able to complete work on the BR:SE DVD set (when it is finally authorised). Such a shame as besides being an excellent producer, Charlie is also a big Blade Runner fan."

Seems to pretty much cover it really. What you've said is certainly reported there.

Chris PC


Well to quote that same BRmovie BR:SE news page:
"In 2001, UK's Channel 4 did a documentary presented by Mark Kermode called "On the Edge of Blade Runner", on the making of Blade Runner. Many of the people involved in the film were interviewed (though not Harrison Ford). As this is an excellent documentary, made with support from Charlie and Scott Free, it is a good candidate for being put on the DVD, but of course there are contractual agreements that need to be made when using third party programming. Note: On 8th November 2002, Mark Kermode confirmed that this documentary would be on the BR:SE DVD. Further note: they are supportive of the BR:SE release and not involved in the "legal difficulties"."

I taped it when it was on (I'm in the UK) and can confirm it is most interesting and well done. It is certainly something you would expect to get on a complete BR DVD set. Should that ever happen ....

This is a sad and tragic thread. How did it come to this ?

On the doc, I was actually very disappointed with it (and Kermode's docs are usually excellent). Anybody who's read FUTURE NOIR will find nothing new here though more casual BR fans may not be so critical. Harrison Ford's absence and the lack of any bts footage also leaves it some way short of definitive.

Most disappointing, however, is the deleted Deckard visits Holden scene. I waited twenty years to see this scene (talk about a burden of expectation!) and the fact is that it's rubbish - badly acted and unnecessary.
To make matters worse, the doc only shows the scene being played on a monitor in an edit suite. A baffling decision.

Okay, admittedly, I'm too much of a BR geek to be truly objective but - fwiw - the doc's not going to blow anyone's mind.

BTW - I still think my request for an interim version of the DVD is a good idea, but there's been a poor response to my petition in the Studio Feedback forum. Apathy will get us nowhere, folks. Twenty responses won't change a thing - a thousand might.

That is because there isn't any.


Very decent documentary. 52 minutes long. A bit light, if you've read Future Noir.

Well I have come to a point were I wish that Warner would just release a new remaster with dts maybe. I really want to see this film again, but I really do not wish to buy the old release since it looks crap! ( saw it on rental...) maybe I should just rent it!!
But after I have seen how good Alien(Quad)looks, I dream of how good Blade Runner could look!
But will this SE ever come out? I first heard of it on a website called www.dvd.com ( Do you remember dvdexpress.com? ) and on dvdfile in 1997!!!

Yes! I agree with Anthony. We could have a state of the art remaster of BLADE RUNNER bare bones in the shops by September if not sooner. That would hold us until the LIKELY Twenty-FIFTH Anniversary Specail Edition comes out-IF we are lucky...
The current release is looking a bit dodgy IMHO, as it has been out since Spring of 1997-about 7+ years of Digital technology and experience have come to pass since then...

Warner chat in February I believe...good time to bring this up, though I hear it may just be dead in the water.

if enough of us pester them it just might make warner work a little harder on getting this project moving again. Strength in numbers.

I read somewhere on one of the DVD web sites some definite clue on BR's current fate. We know that Warner Bros. holds only theatrical, video, and television rights to the "Director's Cut" to the film, and that's it.

We can only conclude here that the remaining rights are in limbo, and that has what has, in part, kept a BR SE on hold.

I could be wrong about this, but somehow Studio Canal still has some rights to the original versions of BR since they now hold the Embassy library (Embassy was a "silent partner" on the original BR release--I could be wrong here, but Charlie, or anyone correct me if I am).

Good news about the Warner Bros. chat.

Might I just remind you that there is a petition for an interim version of BR over on the Studio Feedback forum.
If you haven't already, please add your name to the list.
It'd be great to present them with a few hundred names and we might get a remastered Director's Cut with a commentary.

Unfortunately, right now there are very few names.

Come on,guys, we can get this done ! I don't know about you, but my DVD collection will never be near complete without it.

I cant't find it...but I put in a couple of words in this thread; http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...29#post1988130

Studio Canal titles are distributed through Warner Bros in Europe, so they should be no problem on this side of the Atlantic, and I'm sure that they could come to some arrangement for a US release. Although, in the U.S., Studio Canal distribute though MGM, don't they?

From reading about the history of this film's distribution and video rights, I get the feeling that it's a bit of a mess and would take a lot of time and money to get straightened out.

As I have said, I would quite happy with a razor sharp, bare-bones remaster of the DC with 5.1, of course. In fact, that may be Warner's only option - at present, anyway.

In another thread somewhere on this fine message board it was revealed who the holdup was, it was a billionaire who helped fund the film who hates the film. Oddly though, his opinion did not matter when the 1992 Directors Cut was released. For some reason they beleive his opinion matters now. They may be wrong. But in any case search the forum for the complete details including his public mailing address to send letters of encouragement.

Here it is, quoted from the thread that quoted the New York Times article:


And here's more info:

The edited bit was simply his age.

Also, the man is infamous for not commenting to the public; he's even fired his own employees for speaking to the press. So I am hoping that even though the Times said that "Mr. Perenchio gave no sign that he would let them be released", that his silence in fact meant absolutely nothing. He's just a guy who does not like to communicate. For all we know there's no holdup at all, just a fear that there could be. Again, it didn't stop the Director's Cut in 1992 so why would it now?

Although not pristine it hardley qualifies as "crap."

For those in the Los Angeles area, a rental of "On the Edge of Blade Runner", the 52 min. documentary is available. I will say it again, very light stuff compared to the definitive source of information "Future Noir" by Paul Sammon.

So we're STILL without a Bladerunner special edition because some selfish scrooge wants to be a prick and has been blocking WB from making it all this time? Dammit! That really pisses me off. What makes him so damn powerful all of a sudden? They've been releasing this on video for the last 20 years, and he didn't stop them from doing the 1992 Director's Cut.

I'm sure that the $3.1 billion doesn't hurt.

Can Charlie (or someone with first-hand knowledge) confirm or deny the Perenchio story? That's pretty bizarre.

He was already a billionaire at the time of the 1992 Director's Cut, so it still doesn't make sense...

Hm, here's the obvious speculation then.

Perenchio gets a percentage of any release of the film, and that percentage (I am guessing) is negotiable with each home video release (since home video didn't really exist much at the time of the film's creation).

At the time of the 1992 Director's Cut, he agreed and signed to a percentage that was a-ok with everyone, maybe even something low. Maybe he didn't even get personally involved in it at the time, given his age and all. But then something happened with the 1992 release that embarassed him: Maybe the 1992 Director's Cut sold a whole lot better than Perenchio ever expected. Perenchio realized he could have made a lot more on it than he thought. But he didn't. And that failure to forsee how well liked Blade Runner is may well have humiliated him, if he places a high value on money.

So when 2003 rolls around and it comes time for him to make the agreement as to what percentage he'd get from a Special Edition, he sticks it to them, knowing how well a Special Edition of Blade Runner would do. He demands a percentage so high that the studio balks. Maybe he even demands that no re-release of the 1992 Director's Cut can be done without a new contract.

In this theory, the sentence that reads "Mr. Perenchio gave no sign that he would let them be released" would then in fact read "Mr. Perenchio gave no sign that he and the studio would reach an agreement on a reasonable percentage."

I guess that's the obvious theory that anyone would read in to it. Maybe the truth is something else entirely. The only way to know would be for him to issue a press statement explaining his position, and why he beleives his position has merit.

But I wanted to voice this theory because it entertains the possibility that Mr. Perenchio has come to realize that he had a blind spot when it came to recognizing that Blade Runner is a greatly loved film, a film for the ages. He might not personally enjoy the film, but he may now be well aware that it is a huge deal in the film fan community.

If that is so, there's no point in asking him to reconsider on the merits of being a patron of the arts, someone who respects film. He might already realize that it is a modern day Citizen Kane or Metropolis. He may simply want to squeeze what he feels is rightly his out of the deal.

Ok guys I have been holding off on buying the older edition in hopes of the new SE. So if you want to see this one released all I have to do is buy the old copy and you will see a sudden release date on the new SE. It never fails for me.

Oh yea I have never seen this film. Looking forward to it.

Now I might just take you up on that offer - and if the SE release date is announced within the next 2 months, I'll personally reimburse you the cost of your original purchase, with a £1000 bonus for your troubles.

Can't say fairer than that can I? (Although, I suspect that my money will be pretty safe )

I do have the old DC on dvd, it's not too bad, I don't regret buying it, but I really would like to see a remaster.