Gladiator (UK BD) in September

Universal Pictures International Entertainment have announced the UK Blu-ray Disc release of Gladiator on 7th September 2009. Ridley Scott’s award-winning epic stars Russell Crowe as Maximus, a Roman general who is betrayed and his family murdered by a corrupt prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge.

The press release confirms an international rollout of the title around the world in September and October. Paramount Home Entertainment will be releasing the same Blu-ray disc in US and Canada on 1st September 2009.

Arriving on 2 dual-layer discs with both the theatrical and extended versions of the film and 11 hours of extra features, details are outlined below…

Tech Specs

• 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen
• English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
• French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Spanish 5.1 DTS Surround
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Latin American Spanish

Disc One

• Theatrical Version (155mins)
  • AUDIO COMMENTARY by Director Ridley Scott, Cinematographer John Mathieson & Editor Pietro Scalia
  • DELETED SCENES –with optional commentary
• Extended Version (171mins)
  • INTRODUCTION BY RIDLEY SCOTT
  • AUDIO COMMENTARY by Director Ridley Scott & Actor Russell Crowe
• U-Control features on both Theatrical and Extended versions
  • THE SCROLLS OF KNOWLEDGE - The original ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? trivia track newly enhanced allowing viewers to access a series of new behind-the-scenes featurettes exploring key scenes throughout the film
  • VISIONS FROM ELYSIUM: TOPIC MARKER- A U-Control feature that allows Disc One Viewers to tag moments of interest throughout the entire film, allowing them to create “shopping lists” of topics to learn more about from the features on Disc Two

Disc Two

• VISIONS FROM ELYSIUM: TOPIC PORTAL – A U-Control feature that automatically accesses further content from tagged moments of interest that have been marked by viewers from Disc One
• STRENGTH AND HONOR: CREATING THE WORLD OF GLADIATOR (200 mins.) - The definitive documentary on the origin, production and impact of this Oscar-winning Best Picture
  • Tale of the Scribes: Story Development
  • The Tools of War: Weapons
  • Attire of the Realm: Costume Design
  • The Heat of Battle: Production Journals Germania / Zucchabar / Rome
  • Shadows and Dust: Resurrecting Proximo
  • The Glory of Rome: Visual Effects
  • Echoes in Eternity: Release and Impact
• STRENGTH AND HONOR will now include all-new Picture-In-Picture content accessed via U-Control (156mins)
• AURELIAN ARCHIVES
  • THE MAKING OF GLADIATOR (25 mins.)
  • GLADIATOR GAMES : THE ROMAN BLOODSPORT (50mins.)
  • HANS ZIMMER: SCORING GLADIATOR (21 mins.)
  • MAXIMUS UNCUT:Between the Takes with Russell Crowe (8mins.)
  • MY GLADIATOR JOURNAL by SPENCER TREAT CLARK (Text/Photos) - The personal diary of the young actor who played Lucius, providing a unique and amusing perspective on the creation of an epic film
  • VFX EXPLORATIONS: GERMANIA & ROME (24 mins.)
• IMAGE & DESIGN
  • Production Design Featurette and Galleries (10 mins.)
  • Storyboard Demonstration (14 mins.)
  • Multi-Angle Storyboard Comparisons and Galleries (15 mins. x 2 angles)
  • Ridleygram Galleries
  • Costume Design Galleries
  • Photo Galleries
• ABANDONED SEQUENCES & DELETED SCENES
  • Alternate Opening Titles and Featurette (9 mins.)
  • Blood Vision (with optional commentary) (3 mins.)
  • Rhino Fight (with optional commentary) (5 mins.)
  • Choose Your Weapon (1 min.)
  • Treasure Chest (7mins)
• TRAILERS (2) & TV SPOTS (20) (13 mins.)

Amazon and Play are both offering a Limited Edition Steelbook set.