Back in February, we got the first tease from Paramount. The studio confirmed that yes, an Indiana Jones Blu-ray box set was indeed coming. But when? And what exactly will be included?
Trying to decipher this puzzle was like its own action-adventure. (Thankfully, there are no snakes involved.) However, the studio is slowly starting to fill in some of the blanks, just announcing new info about the long-awaited Blu-ray box.
The most important new tidbit is that we now have an actual release date. Paramount just announced that the Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures will be coming to Blu-ray on September 18, 2012.
To date, the only Indy film to receive a Blu-ray release has been 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That film will be included in this new, remastered set, as well as a restored version of the classic that kicked off the whole franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Paramount says that the box will also include the franchise's third and fourth installments, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The sound received the same meticulous treatment, using Burtt's original master mix, which had been archived and unused since 1981. New stereo surrounds were created using the original music tracks and original effects recorded in stereo, but used previously only in mono. Also, the sub bass was redone up to modern specs.
While additional details on special features and the actual number of discs that the box will hold still remain a mystery, Paramount says that all four films will feature an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, accompanied by a collection of documentaries, interviews, featurettes and new bonus features.
Indiana Jones (played by Harrison Ford) made his film debut in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, a joint effort by mega-director Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas. To date, the franchise has won a combined seven Academy Awards and raked in almost $2 billion at the box office.
Amazon is currently taking pre-orders on the Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures box set, with its pre-order price guarantee in effect. The MSRP on the collection has been set at $99.99.
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