Maybe if Zack Snyder’s longer cut of Batman Vs. Superman was screened in theaters, we all would have been happy?
Not only is there the upcoming Blu-Ray director’s cut of Batman Vs. Superman that is three hours long, but the original cut was actually closer to four hours long, with still another cut about three-and-a-half hours long, and then down to three hours, and finally down to 2 hours 33 minutes.
It’s learned the longers cuts of Batman Vs. Superman contained a lot more story focusing on the individual characters, which I felt was blatantly missing from the theatrical version and made the movie suffer overall.
The editor on Batman Vs. Superman as well as Man of Steel and the upcoming Justice League, David Brenner, spoke in length with Pro Video Coalition about the editing process of movies where mention was made about Dawn of Justice.
Some highlights:
“In the script there were more story lines than you see in the movie today. That was probably our biggest editorial issue in trying to get the cut down to a reasonable length.”
“For us, the trickiest section was the beginning of the film, until the point where Bruce Wayne tells Alfred the truth about what is on the ‘White Portugese’ ship… the truth about his plan.”
“Also in terms of building this beginning we had to move things around. In the script, Lex was introduced much later, but we found that in watching the movie – because he’s such an important player, it was best to set him up sooner.”
“It was a lot to juggle. So the plot lines of a couple characters had to go.”
“So what was once a nearly four hour cut with absolutely everything was ridiculous – ended up being about a three hour cut, once all these added storylines were refined with the fat was cut out.”
“I remember being a little worried. Three and a half hours, okay, that’s fine for a movie of this size, the way Zack likes to work. This was more daunting. But we cut down ‘Man of Steel’ from about 3 and half hours, I knew we’d get this done.
“[Zack Snyder’s] a super visual guy. He was a painter before he was a director, and more than anyone I’ve ever worked with he thinks in terms of pictures. He storyboards his movies himself. The whole movie from start to finish, he draws. He keeps books. ‘BvS’ had maybe three books of his drawings.”
“Right now he’s so busy in London prepping ‘Justice League,’ I’m the last guy he has time to talk to. I have questions, so I’ll wait till I go to London at the end of the week and I’ll figure it out. I think the more the work with somebody the more you understand that there’s a shorthand and it’s all going to be answered and there’s less anxiety about it.”
Hit the link above for more. It’s a good interview.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is directed by Zack Snyder starring Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Ray Fisher as Cyborg with Callan Mulvey, Holly Hunter as Senator Finch and Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves.
Synopsis:
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
