Nine Inch Nails - 12:50pm

Jesus Christ is coming to DVD, and boy, is it gonna be bloody. Who would have thought that a religious snuff filmed spoken entirely in Aramic would have grossed over $600 million worldwide? Apparently, Mel Gibson did, and his megahit The Passion of the Christ will come to DVD on August 31st just to prove it. Fox Home Entertainment will first release a bare bones, maximum-bit rate edition, in separate anamorphic widescreen and pan & scan versions, each with Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, English and Spanish subtitles and no extras. Retail will be $29.95. However, there will also be a uber-deluxe box set on the way, although Fox has not yet announced a street date, specs or pricing information. Wonder if it will come in a cross-shaped box? Stay tuned!

Monster Trucks - 12:50pm

Speaking of Jesus, the reigning God of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg, will see two of his earliest works at last hit DVD this summer. After two postponements and much mystery, Universal Studios Home Video has announced yet another street date for the director's killer truck thriller Duel, August 17th. The studio will release the flick along with another of the director's best, if little-seen, dramas, The Sugarland Express. Duel will include all the same features as previous announced (remastered 4:3 full screen transfer, three featurettes and a still gallery), while Sugarland will get the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen treatment and two new featurettes, plus trailers. Both feature Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks. Retail is $19.95 a pop.

Next up on September 7th is another oft-postponed Universal title, a new special edition of the Cher hit Mask. Remastered in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, extras include a new audio commentary with director Peter Bogdonavich, two featurettes and trialers. Retail will go for $19.95.

And just in time to tie in with the DVD release of The Passion of the Christ, on August 31st Universal will unleash the 70's musical blockbuster Jesus Christ Superstar. However, no word yet on whether this is just a reissue of the previous Universal bare bones DVD release, or a new special ediiton. In any case, retail will cost you $14.95.

Riot Grrrrls - 12:50pm

Rounding out today's news is the latest batch of announcements from HBO Home Video.

First up on September 7th is the historical drama Iron-Jawed Angels, starring Oscar winner Hilary Swank. Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1, extras include audio commentary with director Katja von Garnier and writer Sally Robinson and a making-of featurette. Retail will be $26.95.

HBO will also release a trio of gems on August 21st: Jim Brown: All American (which also includes an audio commentary with Spike Lee), and the comedy specials Chris Rock: Never Scared (with additional backstage footage) and HBO One Night Stand: Volume 1. All are presented in 4:3 full screen and Dolby 2.0 surround, and retail for $19.95 a pop.