While attempts have been made to try and bring Doctor Who to the big screen, the TV franchise hasn’t had the luck since the height of 1960s “Dalekmania” saw Peter Cushing thrust into the role of Dr. Who for two adaptations of iconic Dalek stories. Now, those movies are back for a snazzy new re-release — and a chance at the box office again.
Studiocanal has announced that it’s releasing two new 4K remasters of Dr. Who and the Daleks and its follow up Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., the 1965/1966 cinematic adaptations of two Doctor Who serials starring William Hartnell’s Doctor, “The Daleks” and “The Dalek Invasion of Earth.” Starring Peter Cushing as the titular hero — here not a rogue extra-terrestrial Time Lord, but instead an eccentric human inventor who happened to build his own Police Box time machine — the two movies offer a peculiar, yet charmingly retro alternative look at the earliest days of Doctor Who, in garishly wonderful technicolor compared to the TV show’s black-and-white origins.
It’s not just the weirdness of a Doctor Who story you already know told at a sideways glance — aside from Cushing’s Dr. Who, the second film also guest stars a future familiar Who face: a young Bernard Cribbins, playing Policeman Tom Campbell decades before he’d appear in Doctor Who as Donna Noble’s loveable grandfather, Wilfred Mott! Lovely.
Both movies will receive lavish Blu-ray releases in June and July, complete with extras like retro-styled art posters, a collector’s book, and stills from each film. Between the release of each film on Blu-ray, however, both will return to cinemas in the UK on July 10th as a special double bill, giving fans the chance to see Doctor Who (sorry, Dr. Who) on the big screen as it was always intended.
Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. release on UHD Bluray on June 20 and July 18, respectively.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.