Posted Wed Mar 26, 2008 at 06:00 AM PDT by Peter Bracke
Holy high-def, Batman! Fox has announced an early July Blu-ray bow for the 1966 camp classic 'Batman: The Movie.'
Starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the caped crusaders, this big-screen spin-off from the '60s TV series 'Batman' features the dynamic duo battling a quartet of evildoers, and was directed by legendary TV helmer Leslie H. Martinson. Fox will debut the Blu-ray on July 1.
Tech specs for 'Batman: The Movie' feature remastered 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video, with DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround (English and French Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono dubs are also included, along with English, French and Spanish subtitle options). In addition, the Blu-ray will include the film's complete isolated score, available also in DTS-MA 5.1 Surround.
Supplements on the BD-50 dual-layer release are quite extensive, boasting two audio commentaries (with actors Adam West and Burt Ward, and a second track with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr.), a 2001 "35th Anniversary Piece" featuring interviews with West and Ward, "The Batmobile Revealed" featurette, "The Batmobile Interactive Tour" 360-degree navigational tour, a "Holy Pop-Up Trivia Track, Batman!" subtitle fact track, no less than six still galleries ("From the Vaults of Adam West," "Interactive Pressbook," "Posters," "Production Stills," "Behind the Scenes," "Premiere"), and both the original and re-release theatrical trailers.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray will be a suite of three newly-produced featurettes: "Batman: A Dynamic Legacy," "Caped Crusaders: A Heroes Tribute" and "Gotham City's Most Wanted."
Finally, Fox has also announced a collectible Blu-ray version of 'Batman: The Movie" (limited to 5,000 copies) that contains a 1/18th scale replica of the Batmobile from Hot Wheels. (Disc contents are identical to the standard version.)
Suggested retail for the standard Blu-ray version has been set at $39.98, and $59.98 for the 'Limited Edition' collectible set.
You'll find specs for both editions of 'Batman: The Movie' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under July 1.
We've also set up a dedicated thread for Fox's latest in our Forums area -- click the following link to discuss the 'Batman: The Movie' Blu-ray release.
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