Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill To Celebrate 20th Anniversary With 4K Remaster
With "Kill Bill," Quentin Tarantino cemented a reputation as one of the most exciting directors of his time. Released in 2003, it followed up on the miraculous "Pulp Fiction" and the compelling "Jackie Brown," telling the story of a woman known only as The Bride (Uma Thurman) who goes on a killing spree after being put in a coma by the father of her unborn child. Now, 20 years after its initial release, Deadline reports "Kill Bill" is getting a 4K remaster courtesy of Lionsgate Entertainment.
Though "Kill Bill" was initially released through Miramax Films, that company sold the rights to it, along with a handful of other Tarantino films, when the Weinstein Company went bankrupt in the wake of founder Harvey Weinstein's #MeToo downfall. Lionsgate announced today that it has the distribution rights for both "Kill Bill" movies and clearly hopes to capitalize on that investment with reissues such as the upcoming 4K "Kill Bill" remaster.
The remastered, 20th-anniversary edition of "Kill Bill" will be released late this year.
See the Bride's revenge rampage with even more pixels!
Lionsgate's announcement that "Kill Bill" will be re-released in 4K comes as the film's director, Quentin Tarantino, is at work on what he claims will be his final movie after an illustrious career that spanned over three decades. Titled "The Movie Critic," it will tell the story of (who else?) a movie critic who writes reviews for a pornography magazine. Meanwhile, the director has handed distribution for several of his films to Lionsgate.
Lionsgate announced during an earnings call today that it has partnered with Tarantino to acquire distribution rights for "Kill Bill Volumes I and II" and "Jackie Brown." Jim Packer, Lionsgate's head of worldwide television and digital distribution, told investors, "It was a coup for us to get the three Quentin Tarantino movies. We have eight, which gives our library a unique situation in Hollywood, and we want to take advantage of that.
With Lionsgate now in possession of distribution for the bulk of Tarantino's catalog, including fan favorites like "Reservoir Dogs" and "Inglourious Basterds," the studio seems like a prime choice to partner with him for "The Movie Critic," which does not yet have a studio to produce on the film. The other option would likely be Sony Pictures, which produced the director's Oscar-winning "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."