A new 4K remaster of classic British comedy series Spaced is on the way, but it seems like someone wished for it on a monkey's paw, as it's been upscaled using "algorithmic corrections" and none of the show's original creators are involved, including Edgar Wright.
Responding to a fan on X, Wright confirmed that the 4K release of Spaced, which is currently up for pre-order on Amazon UK, was news to him and fellow Spaced alumni, like Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. "Finding out about this for the first time is... disheartening," Wright posted on X. "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. Not authorized by anyone involved in making the show. Finding out what happened as we speak…"
To make matters worse, the Amazon listing confirms that the show, which ran from 1999-2001 and was shot on standard definition DigiBeta cameras, was upscaled to 4K using a proprietary AI algorithm. British label All3 Media is behind the release.
"This global first Blu-Ray collection," reads the Amazon listing, "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." That's a whole lot of words not to say AI…
Spaced was one of the early great DVD boxsets, featuring hours of special features involving Cornetto trilogy pals Wright, Pegg, Frost and many famous fans (Diablo Cody, Kevin Smith and Matt Stone all contribute to the commentary tracks), but for reasons currently unclear, this new edition won't feature any new contributions from those who made it.
"It’s a Channel 4 show," Wright pointed out when asked how this could happen without his knowledge. "We were all very involved in the previous editions, but not this one."
The 4K remaster of Spaced releases on February 27, 2027 in the UK, though whether you'll want to pick it up is another question. As for Wright, we don't know what the Baby Driver and Last Night in Soho director is working on next, though his partner in crime Simon Pegg did confirm earlier this year that he and Wright are working on a new film together, telling Something About Rocks, "Edgar and I are, at the moment, meeting up weekly either in person or on Zoom, just to talk about ideas. We’ve got a lot of potential avenues to walk down."
Spaced can currently be streamed on Channel 4 in the UK. For more, dive into our list of upcoming TV shows or upcoming movies.
