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‘Donnie Darko’ is Getting a 4K Release This Christmas!

Brad Miska ·

Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit?

One of my all time favorite cult movies is Richard Kelly’s 2001 indie Donnie Darko, which featured a young Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled teenager plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit (James Duval) that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident.

Starring a young Daveigh Chase, Gyllenhaal’s sister, Maggie, Patrick Swayze and even Seth Rogen, Drew Barrymore (who produced the film) and Jena Malone, Donnie Darko also boasts an all-time great soundtrack featuring “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS, “Head Over Heels” by Tears for Fears, “Under the Milky Way” by The Church, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division, “The Killing Moon” by Echo & the Bunnymen and “Notorious” by Duran Duran.

The film had a plethora of releases years ago, including a Director’s Cut theatrical re-release, but we need more. It’s time to revisit a classic. IN 4K.

Kelly revealed on Twitter (see below) that he’s currently utilizing the original negative to create a 4K transfer, with Arrow Films scheduled to drop it this holiday season! Arrow has been on fire lately, especially in the J-horror arena, and could have plenty more surprises up their sleeves.

Update: This release is slated for the UK only, apparently, although Arrow has been releasing stuff in the U.S. as well. Extras posted to the site include:

  • Brand new 4K restorations of both the Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut from the original camera negatives produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release, supervised and approved by director Richard Kelly and cinematographer Steven Poster
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of both cuts
  • Original 5.1 audio (DTS-HD on the Blu-ray)
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Audio commentary by writer-director Richard Kelly and actor Jake Gyllenhaal on the Theatrical Cut
  • Audio commentary by Kelly, producer Sean McKittrick and actors Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Beth Grant, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, Katharine Ross and James Duval on the Theatrical Cut
  • Audio commentary by Kelly and filmmaker Kevin Smith on the Director’s Cut
  • Brand-new interviews with cast and crew, including Richard Kelly and XXX
  • The Goodbye Place, Kelly’s 1996 short film, which anticipates some of the themes and ideas of his feature films
  • The Donnie Darko Production Diary, an archival documentary charting the film’s production with optional commentary by cinematographer Steven Poster
  • Twenty deleted and alternate scenes with optional commentary by Kelly
  • Archive interviews with Kelly, actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, James Duval, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holmes Osborne, Noah Wyle and Katharine Ross, producers Sean McKittrick, Nancy Juvonen, Hunt Lowry and Casey La Scala, and cinematographer Steven Poster
  • Three archive featurettes: They Made Me Do It, They Made Me Do It Too and #1 Fan: A Darkomentary
  • Storyboard comparisons
  • B-roll footage
  • Cunning Visions infomercials
  • Music video: Mad World by Gary Jules
  • Galleries
  • Trailers
  • TV spots
  • Exclusive collector’s book containing new writing by Nathan Rabin, Anton Bitel and Jamie Graham, an in-depth interview with Richard Kelly, introduction by Jake Gyllenhaal and contemporary coverage, illustrated with original stills and promotional materials
  • Limited edition packaging featuring new artwork by Candice Tripp

Hopefully there’s a way to watch it Under the Milky Way…