'Across the Universe' Announced For Blu-ray

The Beatles will make their high-def disc debut this February when Julie Taymor's phantasmagoric rock opera 'Across the Universe' hits Blu-ray.

An ambitious pastiche of over a dozen Beatles songs and Taymor's wildly imaginative visual style, 'Across the Universe' became an instant cult film upon its theatrical release earlier this fall, although its final domestic box office tally of barely $25 million proved a disappointment for Sony. The studio undoubtedly hopes to attract a wider audience when it debuts the film on Blu-ray disc February 5, 2008, day-and-date with the standard DVD.

Sony has yet to unveil any tech specs or supplement details for the Blu-ray version of 'Across the Universe.' However, the two-disc standard-def DVD will boast extensive extras, including audio commentary with Taymor and bonus performances, so we can only hope that some if not all of those features will find their way to the high-def version. Stay tuned.

Suggested retail for the Blu-ray will list at $38.95.

You'll find the latest disc details for 'Across the Universe' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under February 5, 2008.

We've also set up a dedicated thread for the Beatles' high-def debut in our Forums area -- click the following links to discuss the 'Across the Universe' Blu-ray release.