The Star Wars movies have been reissued time and time again in various forms. They've been on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray, but now that the bounds of physical media are breaking down, it's likely that the saga could now be headed to digital platforms. Film Divider came across an Italian TV spot for Disney's digital service that includes games, apps, and yes, movies. And to showcase the movies, they used clips from Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and A New Hope. With the upcoming release of Star Wars: Episode VII and Disney now owning Lucasfilm, there's a hope among fans that they'll get Blu-rays of the original editions of the original trilogy. It would be nice to see this ad as a hint that these HD original editions are coming, but we're still a ways off.
Hit the jump for more and to see the ad.
First, it's very important to know that 20th Century Fox owns A New Hope. There's no way to make a big, new, box set featuring non-special edition cuts without their participation. There's plenty of money on the line, and some deal will probably be worked out eventually, but when it is, there will be some massive announcement, not a couple clips on an Italian ad promoting Disney's digital site.
But releasing these movies on digital is still a big deal. People are giving up physical media and getting their digital movies on iTunes, Amazon, etc. They want to watch Star Wars on a tablet or smartphone. Disney wants to compete with UltraViolet, and so they're pushing their online digital copy service, Disney Movies Anywhere. If Star Wars shows up on a digital platform, that's where it will be.
However, the case remains that there's still legal wrangling when it comes to A New Hope, and while I'd love it if the original trilogy got an HD, original edition release, I'm not expecting it to happen tomorrow.
Here's the ad [via Film Divider]:
And here's their translation of the narration:
Enter Disney’s magical world, with the brand new site disney.it. All your favourite Disney characters await you, including the most engaging TV series and plenty of exclusive videos and content. Amazing apps and games and a online community to share your passions. All of this, simply from any PC, tablets or smartphones. Carry the Disney’s magic always on you.
