If you're a Twilight fan, you might want to circle March 2nd on your calendars.  That's because Summit is releasing an extended cut of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 on home video that weekend which includes eight minutes of new and extended scenes added back in by director Bill Condon.   He said in the press release:

“As Twilight series devotees know, there was a lot of ground to cover in adapting Breaking Dawn to the screen.  Between the wedding, the honeymoon, the birth, and everything in between, naturally there were things that didn’t make it into our final cut.  But I wanted to make sure that for all the Twihards out there, there was a chance to see some of these cut scenes – several of which are fan favorites from the book.”

Hit the jump for the cover art, full press release, and a trailer for the extended edition.

For more on what was cut out of the film, here's my interview with Condon from the press junket.

Here is the chance to discover even more of the blockbuster film when The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Extended Edition, featuring eight minutes of never-before-seen footage, debuts only on Blu-ray Disc (plus Digital Copy and UV), DVD (plus Digital Copy and UV) and Digital Download on Saturday March 2nd from Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE company.   Now with eight minutes of new and extended scenes added back into the film by Director Bill Condon, along with his optional audio commentary, fans can delve deeper into the epic series they adore. Experience the timeless romance and drama in a whole new way when The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Extended Edition, featuring the original theatrical version and the all-new extended edition with optional audio commentary from the director, arrives on Blu-ray Disc and DVD for the suggested retail price of $29.99 and $22.98, respectively.

“As Twilight series devotees know, there was a lot of ground to cover in adapting Breaking Dawn to the screen,” said Condon.  “Between the wedding, the honeymoon, the birth, and everything in between, naturally there were things that didn’t make it into our final cut.  But I wanted to make sure that for all the Twihards out there, there was a chance to see some of these cut scenes – several of which are fan favorites from the book.”

The Twilight Saga has held its spot as the top-selling home entertainment franchise since 2008 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 took in $281.3 million in domestic box office sales after its release on November 18, 2011.  The worldwide phenomenon continues to ignite a huge following of passionate and loyal fans that have driven the success of the Saga from the beginning.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Extended Edition now featuring additional footage, presents the marriage, honeymoon and the birth of a child that brings unforeseen and shocking developments for Bella and Edward and those they love, including new complications with werewolf Jacob Black.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Street Date: March 2nd, 2013

Year of Production: 2011

Title Copyright: © 2012 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Type: Special Edition

Rating: Not Rated

Genre: Drama; Romance

Blu-ray Closed Captioned: English SDH

DVD Closed Captioned: English

Subtitles: English and Spanish

Blu-ray Format: 1080P High Definition 16x9 Widescreen (2.40:1)

DVD Format: 16x9 Widescreen (2.40:1)

Feature Running Time: 124 minutes

Blu-ray Audio Status: English 7.1 DTS HD-MA, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late Night Listening and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio

DVD Audio Status: English 5.1 Dolby Digital EX, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late Night Listening and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital