All-Star Superman Getting 4K Release Following James Gunn's Superman: Legacy Announcement

By Russ Burlingame

All-Star Superman, the fan-favorite animated movie based on the acclaimed miniseries by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, is getting a 4K Ultra HD release for the first time this spring. The announcement comes on the heels of James Gunn's recent DC Universe slate, which characterized All-Star Superman as a major inspiration for Superman: Legacy, the hero's 2025 big-screen reboot, which Gunn is writing and may direct. All-Star Superman remains one of the best-loved DC Universe animated originals, and one of the last projects from the late comics and animation icon Dwayne McDuffie.

The 4K Ultra HD release will also feature two new featurettes -- "The Art of All-Star Superman" and "An All-Star Salute to the Silver Age Superman" -- as well as all of the original bonus content from the DVD and Blu-ray released in 2011. As with the original, it features a cover that's evocative of Frank Quitely's lush and distinctive covers for the original comics.

Here's how Warner Bros. Home Entertainment describes the package:

Grant Morrison's beloved, Eisner Award-winning vision of Superman's heroic final days on Earth is brought to exquisite, animated life in All-Star Superman. The film begins as the Man of Steel rescues an ill-fated mission to the Sun (sabotaged by Lex Luthor) but, in the process, is oversaturated by radiation – which accelerates his cell degeneration. Sensing even he will be unable to cheat death, Superman ventures into new realms – finally revealing his secret to Lois, confronting Lex Luthor's perspective of humanity, and attempting to ensure Earth's safety before his own impending end with one final, selfless act.

Twelve years after its initial release, All-Star Superman holds a "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was the 10th in the ongoing series of DC Universe Movies and DC Animated Movies that now number more than 50 films across 17 years.

The star-studded voice cast is headed by James Denton (Good Witch, Desperate Housewives), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men, Good Girls) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without A Trace) as Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. Other noteworthy cast members are seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner (Up, Elf, The Mary Tyler Moore Show) as Perry White, Golden Globe winner Frances Conroy (American Horror Story, Joker, Six Feet Under) as Ma Kent, Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Minds, Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise) as Jimmy Olsen and Linda Cardellini (Avengers: Endgame, Dead to Me, ER) as Nasty.

Rounding out the impressive cast are Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy), Steve Blum (Star Wars: Rebels, Cowboy Bebop, Naruto), Catherine Cavadini (Elvis, Soul, The Powerpuff Girls), Finola Hughes (General Hospital, Staying Alive), Alexis Denisof (Guardians of the Galaxy, Angel), Obba Babatunde (S.W.A.T., That Thing You Do!), John DiMaggio (Futurama, Interview with the Vampire), Chris Cox (Family Guy), Robin Atkin Downes (The Strain, Batman: The Long Halloween), Kevin Michael Richardson (Mortal Kombat, The Simpsons), Fred Tatasciore (Star Trek: Lower Decks, American Dad!) and Michael Gough (Overwatch, Batman: Arkham Origins).

All-Star Superman is executive produced by animation guru Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) and directed by Sam Liu (Batman: The Killing Joke, The Death and Return of Superman) from a script by acclaimed animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited).

All-Star Superman will be available to purchase April 18, 2023 on 4K Ultra HD both online and in-store at major retailers.

Here's a rundown of the two new featurettes:

The Art of the All-star Adaptation (New Featurette) – Go behind the scenes and inside the process of screenwriting, character designing and scoring the animated adaptation of the quintessential Superman comic series, All-Star Superman. This fascinating featurette includes insight from executive producer Bruce Timm, director Sam Liu, character designer Dusty Abell and composer Christopher Drake.

An All-Star Salute to the Silver Age Superman (New Featurette) – Explore DC's historical inspirations in Grant Morrison's love letter to the wildly fantastic Silver Age of Superman in comics. 

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