Edgar Wright criticizes unauthorized AI-upscaled 'Spaced' Blu-ray release

Director Edgar Wright has expressed disappointment regarding an upcoming, unauthorized AI-upscaled Blu-ray remaster of the British sitcom "Spaced."

Reactions from creators

On the social media platform X, Wright described the news of the upcoming release, titled "Spaced: The Complete Series," as "disheartening." In response to a fan regarding his involvement in the project, Wright wrote, "Finding out about this on [X] for the first time is disheartening. I had been pushing to do a Blu-Ray of Spaced for years, so to find out that someone just went ahead without our involvement is a bummer." He further stated the remaster is "not authorized by anyone involved in making the show."

Actor Simon Pegg, who co-created the series and starred in it, also expressed that he was unaware of the release. In a statement sent to Variety, Pegg said, "I was completely unaware. We had no say in it. Jess, Edgar and I were heavily involved in all previous releases. I would have rejected the cover art for a start."

Wright noted that the series is a Channel 4 show and added, "We were all very involved in the previous editions, but not this one. Don’t know. Finding out."

Details of the remaster

According to the official description for the release, the collection has been upgraded to a "brand new 4K master using a combination of traditional and proprietary tools in a multi-step process of non-commercial and algorithmic corrections that are additionally enhanced frame by frame by a manual operator — guaranteeing the most state-of-the-art upconversion possible."

The Blu-ray is scheduled for release in February 2027 by All3Media, a company that merged with Banijay Entertainment earlier this year.

Background on 'Spaced'

"Spaced" is a comedy TV series that aired on the U.K.'s Channel 4 from 1999 through 2001. The show ran for two seasons and consists of 14 episodes, all of which were directed by Wright. The series was created by Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes.

The plot follows two outsiders, Tim Bisley (played by Pegg) and Daisy Steiner (played by Hynes), who pose as a professional couple to secure an affordable apartment. The ensemble cast also included Nick Frost as Mike Watt, Julia Deakin as Marsha Klein, and Mark Heap as Brian Topp.

Following the success of the show, Wright, Pegg, and Frost collaborated on the "Cornetto Trilogy," which includes "Shaun of the Dead" (2004), "Hot Fuzz" (2007), and "The World's End" (2013).

"Spaced" has received various accolades and high ratings, including:

• A 100% Tomatometer score and a 96% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Nominations for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy in 2000 and 2002.
• A nomination for the International Emmy Award in 2001 for Popular Arts.
• Jessica Hynes won British Comedy Awards in 1999 for Best Female Comedy Newcomer and in 2001 for Best TV Comedy Actress.

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Sources

• yahoo.com: Edgar Wright Reacts to Unauthorized AI Remaster of His Beloved Sci-Fi Show: ‘Disheartening’
• thewrap.com: Edgar Wright Calls AI-Upscaled 'Spaced' Blu-Ray 'Disheartening'
• variety.com: Edgar Wright Says AI Remaster of Spaced Was 'Not Authorized' by Him

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.