'Alien' Getting 40th-Anniversary 4K Blu-ray Release

In 1979, Alien helped set the standard of otherworldly terror, creating a legacy which is felt among movies, TV shows, and video games to this day. The original film is coming to 4K Ultra HD on April 23rd, along with a limited edition steelbook landing exclusively at Best Buy.

In the film that birthed the wildly successful Alien franchise, the crew of the deep space tug Nostromo awaken from stasis during a voyage home to Earth when their ship's computer detects what is believed to be an alien distress signal coming from the desolate nearby moon, LV-426. While investigating, one of the crew, Kane (John Hurt), is attacked by an alien creature that latches to his face and he is rushed back to the Nostromo to receive medical treatment. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), the ship's warrant officer, advises against Kane's return due to quarantine regulations - but her orders are ignored by Ash (Ian Holm), bringing the Nostromo under threat from a mysterious, extraterrestrial apex predator with violent and lethal survival instincts.

The disc's special features are as follows:

• 1979 Theatrical Version
• 2003 Director's Cut
• 2003 Audio Commentary by Ridley Scott and the Cast & Crew
• 1999 Audio Commentary by Ridley Scott (1979 Theatrical Version Only)
• Final Theatrical Isolated Score – Dolby Digital 5.1 (1979 Theatrical Version Only)
• Composer's Original Isolated Score – Dolby Digital 5.1 (1979 Theatrical Version Only)
• Deleted Scenes

Fans of the franchise will surely be excited by this upcoming release, due in large part to the fact that there are no confirmed plans for the series in the future. The last two films in the franchise, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, failed to connect with audiences as strongly as early installments in the series, which is enough disappointment to put the future of Alien in jeopardy. Complicating matters further is 20th Century Fox's upcoming acquisition by Disney, with the R-rated sci-fi series likely being put on the backburner.

The feature film future might be unclear, though various reports have hinted that multiple Alien TV series are being developed, which could allow the series to offer audiences more diverse adventures in the saga.

Grab a copy of Alien on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on April 23rd.

Will you be adding this film to your collection? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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