Warner Bros., STUDIOCANAL, and American Zoetrope have announced that Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 adaption of S.E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders is officially getting a 4K restoration!
Both the original film and the 2005 release of The Outsiders: The Complete Novel, will get a remaster. The Complete Novel includes music and scenes that weren’t part of the theatrical release of the film to make it more in tune with the book. Warner Bros. will handle distribution in the US and Canada, with theatrical dates set to begin September 26. To get your hands on a digital copy, those will be made available on November 9.
If that wasn’t enough, on November 16, HBO Max will release The Outsiders: The Complete Novel onto its platform. If you live outside of the US or Canada, don’t fret! STUDIOCANAL will release both versions on DVD, Blu-ray, Digital, and the 4K UHD Collector’s Edition on November 8.
In a statement, Coppola discussed the reasoning behind the remaster.
“‘The Outsiders: The Complete Novel’ came about after meeting students over the years who repeatedly asked me why certain scenes from S.E. Hinton’s wonderful book were missing from the theatrical version. These questions reminded about my inspiration for the film—in 1980, a contingent of 12- to 14-year-old students wrote and asked me to make it. I listened to those young fans back then, and I continue to listen to young people now and believe in their opinions, so this complete film version of the novel is for them.”
The following special features will be available in the four-disc 4K UHD Collector’s Edition:
- NEW Restoration Interview with Cinematographer Stephen Burum, Zoetrope Head of Archives and Restorations James Mockoski and Colourist Gregg Garvin
- NEW Deleted Scenes
- NEW Francis Ford Coppola Introduction
- NEW Francis Ford Coppola Anatomy of a Scene
- NEW Old House New Home featurette
- Audio Commentary with Francis Ford Coppola
- Audio Commentary with Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Patrick Swayze.
- Staying Gold: A look Back at “The Outsiders”
- S.E. Hinton on Location in Tulsa
- The Casting of “The Outsiders”
- NBC’s News Today from 1983 “The Outsiders Started by School Petition”
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
Released in 1983, The Outsiders already had an established following from S.E. Hinton’s novel, which came in 1967. The Outsiders stars Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, and Diane Lane.
Taking place in 1960s Oklahoma, viewers are introduced to two rival teen gangs: The Greasers and the Socials, “Socs” for short. The lives of both gangs are changed forever when on one fateful night they clash, leaving Ponyboy (Howell), and his friend Johnny (Macchio) to go into hiding to avoid arrest with the help of Dallas (Dillon). Eventually, everyone must face the consequences of their own actions and that’s exactly what happens to the Greasers.
