Cloverfield Rumors - DVDs

There are a lot of Cloverfield rumors floating around the lazysphere lately, and while I don't normally like to promote pure speculation, and in some cases wishful thinking, there are some things that maybe we can clarify.

Cloverfield DVDs
There are actually several rumors floating around regarding the Cloverfield DVD release - specifically regarding the release dates, formats, and extras.

I've heard two supposed release dates for Cloverfield - April 15^th or the 22^nd, although there has been no official word. Logically, that time frame seems about right, since I Am Legend opened about a month before Cloverfield, and its release date will be on March 18^th. VideoETA is estimating April, but won't announce an official date until the 18^th.

FWIW, Cloverfield won't even been released in Japan until April 5^th. Looking again at I Am Legend, Japan was its second highest foreign box office, pulling in over $40 million. I think the 'American Godzilla' might do well enough in Japan to not want a DVD release a week or two later.

There are a few wrenches of the monkey variety that could also cause a delayed release. First, Paramount was until recently in the HD-DVD camp, and while they have recently canceled all new HD-DVD releases (including Sweeney Todd and There Will Be Blood), they are not expected to release any Blu-Ray movies until the Summer. I don't know whether it makes more sense to:

• Release the movie without Blu-ray, then release a 'complete' Blu-ray version later
• Release the movie with a stripped down Blu-ray version now, then re-release an enhanced version later (known as 'double-dipping')
  
• Delay the release date until both formats are ready to go

Another wrinkle in the Cloverfield raisin is the question of the bonus extras, specifically what would have been included on the HD-DVD version, and now may or may not make their way on to a rushed Blu-ray release. The tagruato.blogspot.com fan site posted an 'anonymous' letter that claims the extras may in fact get scrapped. This 'news' is already getting some play on bigger sites, so if anything, lets hope this 'leak' prevents that from happening.

UPDATE: I just received an email from Paramount promoting their final two HD-DVD releases, and the standard-DVD only release of Sweeny Todd. So, it look like we will probably get a standard DVD release for Cloverfield next month, then hopefully an HD sometime in the summer.