The idea of there being secret, better, alternate cuts of movies has really taken off over the last few years thanks to DC’sJustice Leaguemovie being plagued by such a troubled production. This gave birth to the very popular hashtag,#ReleaseTheSnyderCut, and the idea that behind a Hollywood vault somewhere there was a cut that the movie’s original director Zack Snyder had intended to release that was now being kept away from fans.
Well, one director who really does not like the idea of this, or of alternate cuts in general, isThe Invisible MandirectorLeigh Whannell.
“To me, I never wanna have another cut sitting somewhere that competes with the original cut… I guess what I’m saying is, whatever circumstances created that cut, whatever horrible circumstances are totally understandable. For me personally, I would always view it as a terrible thing that there was an unseen cut of the film.
Over the years, you’ll see this thing where it’s like, ‘James Cameron rereleases the director’s cut of Aliens.’ And then he’ll introduce it. When you watch it, he comes on the screen and he says, ‘This is the way I always intended people to watch Aliens.’ And my first thought is, ‘That’s nuts!’ Don’t have one definitive version of the movie. I hate this idea that we missed out on the version he wanted us to see.”
It sounds like Whannell has a lot of sympathy for directors like Zack Snyder who have had to deal with the public having to see a version of their movie, such asJustice League, that they did not originally have in mind. In his mind, he hates the idea of having missed out on a version of the movie that the director had intended audiences to see, even suggesting that you should not have just one definitive version. At the very least you should not end up with an alternate cut that competes with, or perhaps even negates, the released cut.
The discussion then turned to the original cut of seminal sci-fiBlade Runner, which included voiceovers, much to the chagrin of director Ridley Scott.
“And that’s the situation I’m saying would be a nightmare, would be someone forcibly changing a film that I had made to such a degree that I felt the version out there was not the true version. That is a living nightmare that I don’t want to live.”
His feelings on the subject are completely understandable, and really any filmmaker with even the smallest amount of creative integrity would resent being in this situation. Sadly, that does not stop fans from crying out for these cuts, with a supposed J.J. Abrams cut ofRise of Skywalkernow being added to the hashtag list.
Hopefully, audiences at least have the pleasure of seeing the cut ofThe Invisible Manthat Whannell wants them to see.The Invisible Manmarks Leigh Whannell’s third directorial effort, with the previous two beingInsidious: Chapter 3andUpgrade, a movie which he has recently discussed his desire to return to for a sequel. Whannell’s comments on alternate cuts come to us fromReel Blend.
