Edgar Wright has slammed an upcoming Blu-Ray re-release of “Spaced,” the cult comedy series that ran on British TV from 1999-2001 and would make heroes of himself plus its stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Jessica Hynes, largely because he had no idea about it. Finding out about this for the first time is… disheartening,” wrote the director on X in response to a fan asking about his involvement in “Spaced: The Complete Series”. Not authorized by anyone involved in making the show.” Disappointing online fans further, the new release, while maybe a first (and coming just a few months after false rumors emerged online about a “Spaced” reboot), claims to have been upscaled using AI.
As per the description: “This global first Blu-Ray 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.” Created by Pegg and Hynes, still beloved by many and regularly cited as one of the U.K.’s best comedies, “Spaced” aired on Channel 4 and was a surreal, slacker sitcom famed for its quick-fire editing and pop-culture hallucinations. The plot loosely followed two 20-something Londoners (Pegg and Hynes) pretending to be a couple so they could rent a cheap room in a shared house also occupied by a frustrated and eccentric painter, an army fanatic and a chainsmoking landlady. Wright directed all 14 episodes.
The show’s fanbase grew internationally as Wright, Pegg and Frost continued their collaboration into film with “Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz” and “The World’s End.” A 2008 DVD release featured special guests including Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Bill Hader, Diablo Cody, Matt Stone and Patton Oswalt. Asked by another fan on X how he didn’t know about the new remastered edition, Wright replied: “It’s a Channel 4 show. We were all very involved in the previous editions, but not this one.
Finding out.” The new 4K Blu-Ray release is due out in February 2027 and comes from All3Media, now part of Banijay Entertainment following the completion of the merger earlier this year. Variety has reached out for comment.
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