The release of Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of Justice League on HBO Max has started discussions about alternate cuts of films that should be released next. Alternate cuts can be created for various reasons: trimming for pacing, test screening reactions, or satisfying requirements for the desired rating. There are many unreleased alternate cuts of films out there, these are some of the most notable.
Back To The Future: The Complete Eric Stoltz Marty Footage
There was another actor who portrayed Marty McFly in Back to The Future. Due to his contract for the sitcom Family Ties, Michael J. Fox could not join the production and was replaced by character actor Eric Stoltz. Stoltz shot nearly the entire film before he was replaced by Fox and the rest is history. Quick shots of Stoltz are still in the film and short clips of his performance have been released officially. It would be a fasicinating experiment to compare the entirety of his reportedly more serious approach to Fox’s.
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair: Home Media/Streaming Release
Originally planned as one four-hour film, Quentin Tarantino was forced to split Kill Bill into two films in post-production. Starting in 2011, Tarantino began exclusively screening the Whole Bloody Affair at the New Beverly Cinema. The cut not only combines both volumes but as well includes violence deleted from the first volume and an animated intermission sequence by Production I.G. Now that Tarantino is releasing different versions of his films on Netflix, it is possible the Whole Bloody Affair can be officially released there.
Fantastic Four (2015): Director’s Cut
During a turbulent production period, Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four adaptation was subjected to extensive rewrites and reshoots. In the finished film, the reshot scenes are noticeable because of Kate Mara’s glaring wig during many scenes. The deleted material consisted of more character-driven moments and homages to the comics such as the inclusion of the Fantasti-Car. It has been speculated a new cut could give the film a sense of coherence not present in the theatrical cut. The pending success of Zack Snyder’s Justice League could convince Disney to complete the cut and put it on Disney +.
Carrie (2013): White Commission Cut
This remake was meant to be a faithful adaptation of the novel, adapting its epistolary style in the form of a courtroom framing device nicknamed the White Commission. CGI allowed for the inclusion of the town destruction sequence from the novel. For undisclosed reasons, these scenes were nearly entirely removed and the film was reedited to closely resemble the 1976 film. Evidence of their existence can be seen in the film’s teaser trailer and set photos. It is unlikely to be released considering the CGI needed to finish it. However, it would be great to see the cut released to examine its faithfulness to the novel.
Dune (1984): Director’s Cut
Bizarre filmmaker David Lynch’s Dune, based on the novel by Frank Herbert was considered to be a financial and critical disaster. The film was cut down from its three hour run time to just over two hours long, removing many plot relevant scenes from the novel. This made the film incomprehensible to those who have not read the novel. It also reportedly suffered through reshoots to make the film coherent, but they proved to be unsuccessful. Most of the deleted footage has been released in the form of a television version. As Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation is releasing soon, it is time for Lynch’s entire vision to be released.
The Thing (2011): The Pilot Cut with Practical Effects
To maintain the spirit of the 1982 film, the filmmakers of this prequel used practical effects for each of the creatures over extensive CGI. Studio executives thought they looked subpar and ordered for the film to have a last minute CGI makeover. Obviously upset by this, the effects team Amalgamated Dynamics released behind the scenes footage of their practical effects for the film on YouTube. This inspired a campaign for the Pilot Cut, named after the alien pilot that was covered up by CGI in the final film. For those who enjoy practical effects and the original film, this is a version they would really like to see.
Valenti Govantes is an FIU student in his final semester who enjoys movies and graphic novels. He has a career goal to enter the advertising industry in the entertainment field. He is always open to talk for a millennia about horror and science fiction movies.