From IGN: July 10, 2006 - With DVD sales of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe doing fantastically well, Disney may be planning to release an extended director's cut of the movie on disc later this year. According to a report at UltimateDisney.com, the studio is considering a special four-disc boxed set that would include scenes and footage cut from the picture's theatrical release.

A few days ago, that was still just a rumor, but there is now official confirmation available at the website of this year's Comic-Con, the popular comic and genre film convention. Apparently, Disney is already preparing to build hype for the director's cut; they'll be showing scenes from the extended film cut at the popular Comic-Con in San Diego later this month. The website's event listing page shares some details:

"Academy Award-winning producer Mark Johnson … will preview never-before-seen footage from the upcoming four-disc limited-edition Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe DVD. You'll see all-new scenes from the director's cut of the film and hear some exciting details about this new release."

"Disney's presentation will be held on Saturday the 22nd from 3:45 to 4:45. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will also be featured, and exclusive collectibles from both films will be made available to attendees."

Moviegoers who saw Walt Disney Pictures' "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" over the weekend also discovered an unexpected bit of treasure. Buried beneath the usual movie trailers, just as "Dead Man's Chest" started, Disney unveiled a new, computer-animated logo that the Burbank-based studio spent a year designing...The execs tapped Disney producer Baker Bloodworth and director Mike Gabriel, both Oscar nominated in 2004 for the animated short film "Lorenzo." Gabriel devised three different treatments, created animatic storyboards, showed Aviv and Cook the frames and re-worked the designs until everyone was on board. Academy Award-winning studio Weta Digital in New Zealand was chosen to animate the story and add visual effects. "We chose to go to the world's best (visual effects) studio, where they specialize in live action/real-life simulation," Aviv said. [More]

We are very pleased to announce a chat with Jeffrey Steefel, executive producer of the Lord of the Rings Online game. Join us in #TheHallofFire Monday, July 10th at 5:30pm to find out more about this exciting game! [More]

A ton of interesting new films are out on DVD this week. Take an early look on our 'DVD Tuesday' feature...every Monday! Check out Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School, National Geographic: Blackbeard - Terror at Sea, Negadon - The Monster From Mars and The HD DVD version of Pitch Black. [More]

From comingsoon.net: BANG Showbiz senior editor Simon Thompson tells ComingSoon.net that he talked to Anna Popplewell at the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in London earlier this week and she gave a quick update on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, in which she reprises her role as Susan Pevensie. "I am usually the last to know about these things but I know the producers are scouting for locations at the moment," Popplewell said. [More]

Jeffrey Steefel joined Turbine, Inc in early 2004 and is currently the Executive Producer in charge of the upcoming MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. LOTRO will be the first and only online persistent world based directly on the literary works of J.R.R Tolkien and will host a world-wide community of fans and gamers.

Jeffrey has been a professional in the Entertainment and Technology industries for almost 20 years, serving as Executive, Director, Head of Production, Principal Designer and Business Strategist for multiple new-media, entertainment and technology organizations ranging from young start-ups to media and technology giant, Sony. [More]

The Box Office triumphs of movies like The Lord of the Rings, King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia have helped New Zealand develop an international reputation for filmmaking. But it seems these highly bankable blockbusters, and a host of more modest but critically acclaimed films, came at a price. Kiwi actors and technicians have been paid less than the Australians working on the same productions, and that pay disparity has angered union members on both sides of the Tasman, as New Zealand Correspondent Peter Lewis reports. [More]

It is a very slow holiday weekend in North America, with Canada Day & the Fourth of July only days apart. The studios are reluctant to release anything this time of year, let alone anything that may potentially be a big seller. This week we are thrown two box office bombs in the form of Johnny Depp's 'The Libertine' and former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan's 'The Matador'. [More]

LOS ANGELES: Continuing a slow but steady decline that began last year, consumer home video spending slipped 3.7 per cent in the first half of the year, to $US10.9 billion, according to preliminary estimates from Home Media Retailing's market research department. Video purchases are down 3.6 per cent, to $US7 billion, while rentals fell 3.9 per cent to $US3.9 billion. Studio executives aren't surprised, saying that the now-mature DVD business has become increasingly product-driven. More than 80 per cent of US households now have at least one DVD player, and the last wave of consumers to ditch the VCR isn't buying nearly as rabidly as the early adopters. This pattern is reflected in the fact that overall sales of new releases are down about 7 per cent from first-half 2005. [More]

NEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins Children's Books announced today the "Narnia ... Beyond the Wardrobe" Educator Sweepstakes. Beginning June 21, 2006 and running through January 31, 2007, the contest offers the chance for a unique behind-the-scenes look at the making of the next blockbuster film in the Narnia franchise, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, coming to theaters in Summer 2008. This contest is open to all educational professionals ages 18 and over. [More]

“The Magic of Narnia,” courtesy of the McWane Science Center of Birmingham, will arrive in the Camellia City this Friday, June 23. The event kicks off at 3 p.m. at the Greenville-Butler County Public Library. Children ages three through fifth grade and their parents/grandparents are welcome to attend. “The McWane Center always puts on great programs. They always have an educational twist and are a lot of fun. It's a real ‘attention-getter' with the kids,” GBCPL Librarian Burke McFerrin said. “This is something children in Birmingham get to enjoy since it is right around the corner from them. It's a real treat to have it here in Greenville.” [More]