BLADE RUNNER 2049 Director Denis Villeneuve Talks About The Four Hour Cut Of His Movie

BLADE RUNNER 2049 Director Denis Villeneuve Talks About The Four Hour Cut Of His Movie

The original Blade Runner was re-edited and released a few times, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the film's sequel went through a pretty complicated editing process as well. Read on past the jump!

By jph152 - Dec 28, 2017 06:12 PM EST
Filed Under: Sci-Fi
Source: Screen Crush
Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Blade Runner 2049 generated a lot of different reactions from fans and critics, but there's one thing that everyone can agree on: it's really long.

Many have speculated that the film's 164-minute runtime is a big reason it underperformed at the box office. Even Ridley Scott, the film's producer and director of the first Blade Runner, said the movie was too long.

However, at one point the film was significantly longer. Villeneuve recently told Screen Crush that during the editing process, it even crossed his mind that the film should be split in two. He elaborates:

"The thing is, it’s true that the first cut was four hours and at one point we were like, 'Okay, do we go to the producer and release it in two?' But let’s say the idea of the movie being in two parts didn’t get out of the editing room. [Laughs] No, the best incarnation of the movie is what is in the theater. What was striking is that the four-hour cut was quite strong."

While Joe Walker, the movie's editor, had previously mentioned the idea of splitting the movie in two, Villeneuve's comments make it clear that this was only briefly considered. Villeneuve added that the final cut they decided on was "more elegant" and that four hours "was too self-indulgent." The director explains:

"And it’s a strange conversation because we’re talking about Blade Runner, so people want to know if there are other kinds of cuts. It’s [that way] in all movies, there’s always a long cut at the beginning. The first cut is always long and it’s a process and a lot of editing."

Did you think Blade Runner 2049 was too long? Would you watch a four-hour cut? Comment below!
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ConnorHawkeye
ConnorHawkeye - 12/28/2017, 7:20 PM
Shame it didnt do better at the box office, great movie tho
SpaceBeyonder
SpaceBeyonder - 12/28/2017, 7:23 PM
Did you think Blade Runner 2049 was too long?



[frick]ing boring
Antithesis
Antithesis - 12/28/2017, 7:35 PM
I'd love to see a four hour cut actually
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 12/28/2017, 7:39 PM
I’d watch it. I don’t love Blade Runner as much as I should it lacks a certain soul to it (which I actually think is intentional as it deals with the difference between real and artificial but even so it doesn’t speak as much to me as it would if the characters weren’t as muted as they are) but the movie is beautiful, the sound design is incredible, and the concept is fascinating so I’d be down for a home release I could pause if it was longer
ZombieScarblood
ZombieScarblood - 12/28/2017, 7:41 PM
Ryan Gosling beats up Dave Bautista.

GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/28/2017, 7:42 PM
MUST HAVE
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 12/28/2017, 7:47 PM
I mean, I don't think anyone who's thoroughly enjoying a film says "Man, I wish this movie was shorter."
Lunataari
Lunataari - 12/28/2017, 8:01 PM
I’m actually ashamed to say that I didn’t get a chance to see blade runner. I’ve been out of touch with my sci-philia this entire year.
MasterMix
MasterMix - 12/28/2017, 9:02 PM
The movie was so long and the pace was so slow... That being said, I loved it.
niknik
niknik - 12/28/2017, 9:20 PM
It wasn't that it was too long. It was that there was too much Ryan Gosling and not enough Harrison Ford. It took forever for Decker to be introduced, and that made it feel too slow up till that point. If they have deleted scenes to add, then let them only be scenes involving Decker. I'm all for that.
Hardfelt
Hardfelt - 12/28/2017, 10:18 PM
It's really interesting all this talk of directors cuts now becoming expected rather than a bonus. I think it's borne of the generational shift in the movie going public post Star Wars; specifically, that the specific sci-fi/comic book movie fanbase is so literate in the genre's tropes, that they can sniff Hollywood movie executive tripe a mile off. By contrast, the less literate are happy to put their brain in a jar for two hours and see Justice League or the latest Star Wars and take it at face value. Either way, the movies make money and the studios are happy; all the talk of a disgruntled Mark Hammill or a missing director does little to dull box office receipts. That said, I reckon there's a real market for lengthier and alternative cuts of movies which should be the norm when post production begins. My favourite example is LOtR, which clocks in at nearly 10 hours (I think!) and is an excellent addition to the already fantastic originals.
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 12/28/2017, 10:59 PM
Loved this movie. Glad I saw it.
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