Cowboys & Aliens Gets 4K Release From Kino Lorber

As a long-time fan of comic book adaptations and westerns, I can hardly contain my excitement over Kino Lorber‘s upcoming 4K UHD release of “Cowboys & Aliens.” Having followed this fascinating project from its inception to the big screen, it feels like a dream come true to see it return with an all-new 4K remaster.


As a devoted cinephile, I’m thrilled to share that Kino Lorber, a niche home video label dedicated to distributing remastered and scarcely found films, has unveiled its plans for the week. They will be releasing the sci-fi western masterpiece, “Cowboys & Aliens,” directed by Jon Favreau of “Iron Man” fame, on a 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) disc. This movie, featuring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in lead roles, was adapted from the graphic novel written by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and Platinum Studios. The creative team behind this project was a stellar lineup, including Fred Van Lente and Denis Calero who actually illustrated it. The 4K UHD disc will be part of a comprehensive combo pack, which will additionally include a standard Blu-ray.

The film “Cowboys & Aliens” presented an intriguing scenario: boasting a compelling concept and a visionary director eager to bring it to life, the project was marketed to film studios even before its completion. In an attempt to enhance its appeal, Platinum Dynamic strategically reduced the price of the graphic novel and employed some questionable sales tactics to land it on the bestseller list, thereby making it more enticing for Hollywood executives.

Initially, Universal secured the rights in 1997, but the graphic novel wasn’t actually produced at that time; it was just an idea with some preliminary sketches. As the film project entered a development limbo, Rosenberg enlisted a creative team to bring the graphic novel into existence. The graphic novel was finally published in 2006, which was almost a decade after its initial conception and five years before the movie’s release.

In addition to Ford and Craig, the cast of Cowboys & Aliens also included Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Noah Ringer, Paul Dano, Ana de la Reguera, and Clancy Brown. The movie was produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Rosenberg – all of whom have worked on Star Trek. Steven Spielberg and Favreau served as executive producers for the film.

In this follower’s perspective, I’m thrilled to share that the Kino Lorber edition I’ve got my hands on boasts a fresh 4K remastering of the film’s original theater version, accompanied by Favreau’s insightful director’s commentary. Additionally, an extended cut and a wealth of bonus features from the initial home release are included (apparently, they’re exclusive to the Blu-ray version). Here’s a rundown of those extras: [link]

• Extended Cut (135 Minutes) – HD Master Version

Cowboys & Aliens will arrive on 4K from Kino Lorber on July 3rd.

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2024-10-28 18:09