As with last month's VAN HELSING: LONDON ASSIGNMENT, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: DARK FURY (Universal Home Video, $14.98), provides an animated prequel to the accompanying live-action feature. DARK FURY, directed by anime sensation Peter Chung (THE ANIMATRIX and MTV's AEON FLUX), and produced by Universal Home Ent. Prods., streets June 15, 2005. The AEON FLUX-style anime picks up where PITCH BLACK left off and introduces the bounty hunter that later appears in THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK feature. Vin Diesel provides voice over work for the 35-minute DARK FURY, which is based on a story by RIDDICK director David Twohy, contains minimal 3D animation. Extras include interviews with Chung, Twohy and Diesel. Chung additionally discusses working with the animation team at Korea-based Sunwoo Ent., which also animated LONDON ASSIGNMENT. Roughs and complete animatics round out the package.
In addition, Universal has released an unrated director's cut of PITCH BLACK ($26.98), the ALIEN-inspired sci-fi thriller featuring Diesel's breakout performance. Co-written and directed by David Twohy, the unrated version contains three minutes of gorier footage. The DVD includes a making of doc, as well as commentary by Twohy, Diesel, actor Cole Hauser, producer Tom Engelman and vfx supervisor Peter Chiang.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
