It's safe to say that the newest movie in the DC Extended Universe, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, is a behemoth even before it gets to release, just by having the two biggest DC superheroes go head-to-head. With rumors that BvS could be the most expensive movie in history, it’s clear that Warner Bros. is aiming to go big (since 'going home' isn't really an option with a shared universe in the works).
Part of the film’s growing budget comes from the extension of the film’s shooting schedule, creating even more footage as the movie moves into post-production. But in a new interview with the film’s producer, it sounds like the movie could be getting even bigger with the possibility of a director’s cut.
Speaking with Collider, producer Charles Roven teased a possible extended cut of BvS. As fans are still hungry to see any extended look at Batman and Superman's first big screen appearance, Roven hinted that an even better surprise could be coming in the end. Especially for those willing to sit through every ounce of footage captured by Zack Snyder:
"I don’t know if you’ll ever get the 4-hour version, but there may be something that’s coming along that might be slightly less long than that."
While that might not be an official confirmation of a director’s cut, Roven does seem to tease the possibility. However, the questions of whether such an extended version would be coming to theaters (like X-Men: Days of Future Past’s Rogue Cut) or relegated to the DVD or Blu-Ray release will have to wait.
On the other side of the question, the sheer amount of footage may concern fans who are already of the mind that the movie is squeezing in too many superheroes to begin with. It was always going to be a balancing act, introducing the Justice League players while doing justice to the film's own story, but Roven doesn't sound concerned:
"I don’t think that’s an issue for this film at all. I really don’t… I think that the film is called Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, so there’s a reason it’s called Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and not Dawn of Justice: Batman v Superman. So you’re gonna invest mostly in Batman v Superman and I think that you’ll find other characters in there that you hopefully will want to see more of."
With almost four hours of footage, fans might be wondering why they haven’t seen more of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight already. The fact that the film will remain in post-production likely up until its release date (give or take a few weeks), Roven did confirm that new footage is coming soon:
"Honestly, you’re going be seeing something very soon… I don’t know how you define soon but certainly before the end of the year, how about that?"
Approaching the news of a potential director’s cut with cautious optimism, a longer cut could mean a richer story and characters, like Peter Jackson offered in his Lord of The Rings extended edition. And considering the improved critical and fan reception of Snyder's own extended cut of Watchmen, a director's cut of Dawn of Justice would be a silver lining if the film isn't quite what fans expect. However, with a large cast and hours of footage to use, hopefully the final version BvS will not be overwhelmed by doing too much in one movie.
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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25th, 2016; Suicide Squad on August 5th, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23rd, 2017; Justice League on November 17th, 2017; The Flash on March 23rd, 2018; Aquaman on July 27th, 2018; Shazam on April 5th, 2019; Justice League 2 on June 14th, 2019; Cyborg on April 3rd, 2020; Green Lantern Corps on June 19th, 2020. Untitled Batman and Superman solo films will be coming at dates TBD.
Source: Collider