The latest news from Gary Ugarek adds a whole lot of Zombie cred to his name. Not only has he made movies about Zombies, he then got involved with trying to put out a new HD DVD disc long after the format was already laid to rest, and then had that disc project itself require resurrection.
The new word on Deadlands 2 is that Anthem Pictures (the distributor) has been hard at work on offering the original product (bonus materials and all) through HD DVD-R discs, all made in-house instead of chasing down replication houses that failed them last time.
As usual, we have the story straight from Gary:
WNWR Films announced today that the long overdue HD DVD project for Gary Ugarek’s Deadlands 2: Trapped has finally picked up steam once again.
Originally canceled in February 2010 due to lack of proper manufacturing facilities, Deadlands 2: Trapped distributor Anthem Pictures took on a new approach… Offering the film and the contents via HD-DVD R. 100% made in house at Anthem the HD DVD project will have everything promised back when it was first launched in August 2009.
“We launched this project in late summer 2009 with hopes of a release in October of 2009, but we hit roadblock after roadblock. When it was time to call it off I suggested to Anthem that they burn off the HD DVD R’s in house to at least get a few versions to market. What turned out to be maybe a few HD DVD R’s is now numbering in the 100’s. Many customers who received refunds when the project ended are now jumping up to snag one of the limited edition HD DVD R discs. This has flooded Anthem to the point they had to invest in more HD DVD Burners to complete the orders.” — Gary Ugarek
In the end the total number of HD DVD’s for Deadlands 2 is unknown, what is known is that those who have been waiting patiently for the last 6 months will now finally receive something for their wait.
The DEADLANDS 2: TRAPPED HD DVD comes with a nice amount of features not available on the DVD or forth coming Blu-Ray
Special features include:
Extended Version of the film – Conatins additional footage not on the DVD release
Work Print Version* (HD DVD Exclusive)
5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio for each versionHD DVD Exclusive Features:
No Money and a Camera (a 2 part documentary about making low budget horror films, from the directors of Deadlands 2, Ninjas Vs. Zombies and Women’s Studies)
A Discussion about Zombie Films – a 20 minute excerpt from Charles House III’s documentary about the Living Dead
Audio Commentary tracks for both versions of the film, brand new Commentaries recorded especially for the HD DVD.
Fan Audio Commentary track for Work Print Versions of the film.
Are you (back) in? As I post this, there is no product listing for this HD DVD title at Anthem’s site. We’ll have to see if it goes back up, but at least Anthem is doing right by their customers by delivering on a promise made to them months ago.
UPDATE: According to a recent press release from Gary, he and Anthem have parted ways. The HD DVD disc project is being fulfilled by Anthem, and and no more orders are being processed. You can follow up on any new developments about the DVD and this title on Facebook or at the film’s official site.
- Anthem DVD online store
- Facebook group for Deadlands
- Playing With Dead Things – the official movie site