Last week, Warner Bros announced that it has struck a new, “unrestored” 70mm print of 2001: A Space Odyssey from the original camera negative: “This is a true photochemical film recreation. There are no digital tricks, remastered effects, or revisionist edits,” the studio writes in a press release. The print will make its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it will be introduced by director Christopher Nolan, a stalwart champion of 70mm who released Dunkirk in the format last summer.
Nolan says of the restoration, “One of my earliest memories of cinema is seeing Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, in 70mm, at the Leicester Square Theatre in London with my father. The opportunity to be involved in recreating that experience for a new generation, and of introducing our new unrestored 70mm print of Kubrick’s masterpiece in all its analogue glory at the Cannes Film Festival is an honor and a privilege.”
That screening is set to take place on May 12 in France, with 2001: A Space Odyssey debuting in select U.S. theaters on May 18. The Music Box, which owns its own 70mm print of the film, will be playing it for 11 days straight. A home video release is also being planned for later this year. Check your local arthouse theater listings (or whichever theater in your area got a refurbished projector from Warner Bros. for The Hateful Eight’s 70mm roadshow) for more.
