X-Men: Days of Future Past may have set franchise records when it launched last year, but fans were ultimately disappointed to find out that Anna Paquin's 'Rogue' was almost entirely cut from the film. Bryan Singer teased the fan-favorite character's return early on in the production, but soon caused confusion when he claimed one of Rogue's scenes had to be removed from the film. Eventually, Singer admitted that the character's entire plot line had been deemed extraneous and had to be removed.
To ease some of the tension related to the editing decision - or to turn fan unrest into a chance for more profits - it was soon announced that a director's cut featuring Rogue's scenes would be released on home video. The 'Rogue Cut,' as it has come to be called is launching this July, with Fox already releasing a short teaser to pique fan excitement. Now, the studio has announced they'll be bringing the extended edition to San Diego Comic-Con 2015 - with some lucky fans able to attend an early screening.
Fans and VIP guests will be treated to an advanced screening at the convention, with guaranteed admission for two (2) guests offered with every purchase of the Rogue Cut made at Fox's convention booth - #4229 - and The Nerd HQ/IGN Lounge. In addition, any copy purchased at SDCC will come with an exclusive lithograph celebrating the film franchise's fifteen year history.
The screening will be held on four different screens at Reading Cinema (701 5th Avenue in the Gaslamp District) on Saturday, July 11th at 8pm, marking the first time that the extended version of Days of Future Past will be revealed in full.
At this point, it's been well documented what the Rogue subplot entails. Professor Xavier and Magneto must team up for one last mission to rescue Rogue from a holding cell in sentinel territory (with her powers having been copied for the robotic mutant-hunters). It's a risky rescue, but rogue is needed to relieve a wounded Kitty Pryde, absorbing her time-phasing abilities and allowing Wolverine's mission in the past to continue.
In the theatrical cut, the scenes are avoided altogether by simply by forcing the wounded Kitty to just hold on as long as possible (and leading to one of the bigger dangling plot holes in the process). After her disappointing showing in X-Men: The Last Stand, fans of the character were looking forward to Rogue's redemption. Indeed, it sounds as though her role in the film was more in line with what was expected from the character's earlier appearances. Although she won't be returning in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, Anna Paquin remains a fan favorite, winning even more fans to her side by voicing her desire to actually play a 'badass Rogue.'
Not every fan will be lucky enough to catch the early screening, but those heading to SDCC now have one of the hottest tickets of the show to be on the lookout for. What are your hopes for the Rogue Cut? Will you be eager to see it, or do you trust the writer and director's opinions that the plot was best left out of the film?
X-Men: Days of Future Past Rogue Cut releases on Blu Ray/DVD on July 14, 2015. Bryan Singer's follow-up film X-Men: Apocalypse launches in U.S. theaters May 27, 2016.
Source: Fox Home Entertainment