Watchmen director’s cut to be released in theaters and San Diego Comic-Con interactive BD Live event |

Warner Bros. is set to release for Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of Watchmen on July 17th, 2009, at four movie theaters in the U.S., including locations in Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York City, according to Variety. The director made the announcement Wednesday during an event at the studio to promote the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Watchmen: The Director’s Cut and 300: The Complete Experience on July 21st.

Snyder’s cut contains 25 added minutes of footage. The theatrical run takes place during the week before Comic-Con, where Snyder will host a July 25th BD Live Screening of Watchmen. Owners of the Blu-ray version will be able to use the BD Live feature to watch the movie and discussion at Comic-Con simultaneously.

Here’s more info on the impending Special Comprehensive DVD and BD releases of 300 and Watchmen.

The Complete 300: A Comprehensive Immersion

This new interactive picture-in-picture experience provides 3 unique perspectives to explore while you watch the film, including:

Creating A Legend: Frank Miller and Zack Snyder Interpret a Classic Tale – Holding true to Frank Miller’s love of history and the importance of bringing a pure adaptation to screen in this tale-based account.
Bringing The Legend To Life: Building a World From a Comic – Blending the most talented and creative minds together to bring Frank Miller’s art to life in cinematic form.
The History Behind The Myth: The Real Story of The Hot Gates – A rich and historical perspective on the Spartans and this legendary landmark.

Plus A Special Features Army:

40-Page collectible book packaging includes a comprehensive walk-through of the new cutting-edge Blu-ray features, behind the scenes and production photos AND never-before-seen sketches from creator Frank Miller.
Warner Bros. BD-LIVE – Media Center; Live Community Screening; My WB Commentary.
Bluescreen Picture-In-Picture – Join Director Zack Snyder on a personal and fascinating commentary as he compares the Bluescreen composite to the feature.
Audio Commentary by Director Zack Snyder, Writer Kurt Johnstad and Director of Photography Larry Fong.
The 300- Fact or Fiction? – Historians, authors and filmmakers reveal how much of the movie is based on fact. (RT: 24:12) {HD}
Who Were The Spartans: The Warriors of 300 – The customs and ways of life of the Spartan used by the actors and filmmakers to build their characters. (RT: 6:00) {HD}
Preparing for Battle: The Original Test Footage – See how Frank Miller’s images were used in an video montage that evolved into the fight scene test and ultimately convinced the studio to make the movie. (RT: 6:10) {HD}
Frank Miller Tapes – We’ll show how the outspoken Miller continued to push his limits to realize his epic graphic novel, 300, in the world of theatrical film. (RT: 13:00) {HD}
Making of 300 – A look at how the movie was made. (RT: 5:40)
Making 300 in Images – Rapid fire stills from the first day of production to the last. (RT 3:00)
Webisodes – Behind the scenes peeks on the set of 300. (RT: 20:00) – Production Design; Wardrobe; Stunt Work; Lena Headey; Adapting The Graphic Novel; Gerard Butler; Rodrigo Santoro; Training The Actors; Culture of The Sparta City/State; A Glimpse from the Set – Making 300 the Movie; Scene Studies from 300; Fantastic Characters of 300.
Additional Footage – Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Zack Snyder (RT: 5:31) {HD}

Director: Zack Snyder
Actors: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Rodrigo Santoro

Watchmen: The Director’s Cut DVD and BD features include:

The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics
Watchmen: Video Journals (over 30 min)
Music Video: My Chemical Romance Desolation Row
Digital Copy – Theatrical Version

Director: Zach Synder
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Mathew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Laurie Juspeczyk, Adrian Veidt, Dan Dreiberg