Shout! Factory and New Horizons Picture Corporation have entered into an extensive multiyear alliance to release films from the library of legendary producer-director Roger Corman, comprising over 50 film properties. The first titles to be released on Blu-ray will be '
Piranha' and '
Rock 'N' Roll High School'.
“Roger holds an incredibly rich legacy in Hollywood. His cinematic works, spanning decades, continue to influence filmmakers worldwide. Many of his iconic films have been unavailable or long out-of-print in the home entertainment marketplace. There's a lot of consumer interest in these films,” state Shout! Factory's founding partners. “We're thrilled and honored with this opportunity to work with Roger and New Horizons to bring his cinematic treasures back to their original luster and share them with movie fans.”
“We're delighted to collaborate with Shout! Factory to make New Horizons' historic library of films available for home entertainment,” said Corman. “We look forward to working closely with the entire Shout team for great DVD and Blu-ray releases ahead.”
Shout! Factory and New Horizons Pictures are working closely to remaster a number of great Corman titles that have been long out of print, some never-before-available on DVD and Blu-ray. Moreover, Shout! Factory is currently producing a wide range of bonus content for special editions and double features for the launch of Shout! Factory's Roger Corman's Cult Classics home entertainment series.
The first titles to be made available on Blu-ray from Roger Corman's Cult Classics presented by Shout! Factory are '
Piranha: Special Edition' (see blu-ray.com,
December 31, 2009) and the 1979 classic '
Rock 'N' Roll High School'. Other Corman classics slated for 2010 release include 'Death Race 2000', 'Warlords of the 21st Century', 'Deathsport', 'Forbidden World' and 'Galaxy of Terror', although not all of them may be released in high definition.
The saga of independent filmmaker-producer Roger Corman ranks as one of the most amazing motion picture success stories. Having produced more than 350 films and directed 50 others, his influence on American film goes far beyond his own energetic, creative low-budget movies. He is arguably one of Hollywood's most gifted and masterful filmmakers.
Noted for his keen ability to spot young talent, Corman's most lasting legacy will undoubtedly be the legion of producers, directors, writers and actors he has fostered, among them: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Peter Fonda, Jonathan Demme, Gale Anne Hurd, Diane Ladd, Tommy Lee Jones, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Talia Shire, Charles Bronson, Joe Dante, Peter Bogdanovich and Sally Kirkland.