Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be the first 4K Blu-ray release from Disney, according to the film’s director James Gunn. Gunn made the announcement on Wednesday in a Facebook post that confirmed the format while interspersing some excited words in caps lock:
“Yes, it’s true, & I am UNBELIEVABLY EXCITED to announce that, after a couple of years of me begging and pleading, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be coming to home video in 4K UltraHD. It will be the FIRST Disney release to be released that way,” Gunn said.
Gunn’s excitement is both palpable and absolutely understandable.
Disney is well-known as an innovator in the video format space (being one of the first animated studios to pioneer Technicolor technology in the 1930s) and being the first film from the storied studio in 4K is quite an achievement.
Gunn’s post confirms reports that we heard earlier this year that the director was in talks with Disney to secure a UHD release of the film.
'4K, the future is'
There is one niggling issue about Gunn’s Facebook post. While the director is clearly hyped about “LIGHT and COLOR [sic]”, he never explicitly mentions whether the film will support High Dynamic Range (HDR).
We had heard earlier that Disney was interested in Dolby Vision – a particular type of HDR that supports higher standards than the generic HDR10 – but heard that Disney would hold out until Dolby Vision picked up more steam.
While HDR wasn’t specifically mentioned, Gunn confirmed that the Blu-ray disc would support 3D – a surprisingly well-liked feature that has yet to die off despite serious criticism of the format and lack of support on most 2017 TVs.
Does that mean Star Wars Episode VIII – The Last Jedi could fulfill its destiny as the first Star Wars film on 4K Blu-ray when it comes out in 2018? Cloudy the future is, but the 4K Ultra-HD force is definitely strong with that one.
- Need a 4K Blu-ray player for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 when it comes out later this year? Check out our list of the best 4K UHD Blu-ray players.
