One of the grittiest, and dare I say best, police dramas ever to grace our television sets will soon be receiving a 4K face-lift setting in motion a Blu-ray release and updated streaming. The Shield, which ran for seven seasons on FX, followed Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his Strike Team as they used a variety of morally questionable methods to keep the streets clean and their pockets full. Series creator Shawn Ryan took to Twitter today to announce that Sony and Fox will be moving forward with a "spectacular" 4K conversion of the series.
1. Thrilled to announce that after months of talking/tests that Sony and Fox are moving forward with a 4K conversion of The Shield.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
2. I was dubious going in since the gritty, grainy look of the show is so essential to its impact. But the tests really won me over.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
3. Since we filmed on 16mm film and not digitally, Shield is an ideal candidate for this. Plus we always filmed for widescreen safe.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
4. This will be a big project and will take some time. Current plan is to have all complete by 15th Anniversary of pilot – March, 2017.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
5. I will personally oversee and approve the work on each episode and make sure that the quality is what it needs to be.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
6. The tests showed that in 4K the gritty look could be maintained while updating it for a 2015 audience. It really looks spectacular.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
7. This conversion will allow for the release of Blu-Ray DVDs as well as comply with most streaming sites that will soon be all 4K.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
8. I pushed hard for this and want to thank everyone at Sony and Fox, especially Steve Mosko for making this happen.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
9. I've always viewed The Shield as a legacy show and even when we were making it I obsessed with how it would be viewed in 10-15 years.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
10. This 4K conversion of The Shield will allow it to live on in the digital age and I couldn't be more excited.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
11. Thanks to all Shield fans who clamored for this. Your voices were a big reason why Sony/Fox decided to move forward with this.
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) August 28, 2015
Of course I finally purchased the complete series last Christmas (d'oh!) but it's gratifying to know that Shawn Ryan will be overseeing this new conversion and making sure that the series doesn't lose its gritty edge. If you've never checked out The Shield before, I highly recommend doing so, but I suppose you may want to hold off on buying the series until 2017. Our own Chris Bumbray covered The Shield for an installment of Binge Watchin', you can check that out right here!
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