In what should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, director Ridley Scott has revealed his intention to deliver “twenty minutes” of extra footage from Prometheus on the upcoming DVD and Blu-Ray release, either in the form of an extended ‘director’s’ cut or an assemblage of deleted scenes.
In a video interview with Collider (embedded below and highly recommended), Scott says of the version released to theatres that:
“This is fundamentally the director’s cut. But there will be half an hour of stuff on the menu because people are so into films—how they’re made, how they’re set up, and the rejections in it. That’s why it’s fascinating. So this will all go on to the menu.”
When asked if there will actually be a longer version of the movie available, Scott doesn’t seem to have decided quite yet:
“Maybe,” he says. “But I’m so happy with this engine, the way it is right now. I think it’s fine. I think it works. It can go in a section where, if you really want to tap in, look at the menu. To see how things are long, and it’s too long. Dramatically, I’m about putting bums on seats.
For me to separate my idea of commerce from art—I’d be a fool. You can’t do that. I wouldn’t be allowed to do the films I do. So I’m very user friendly as far as the studios are concerned. To a certain extent, I’m a businessman. I’m aware that’s what I have to do. It’s my job. To say, “Screw the audience.” You can’t do that. “Am I communicating?” is the question. Am I communicating? Because if I’m not, I need to address it.”
I always enjoy hearing Ridley talk about the business of filmmaking. He’s a realist through-and-through, which is why he never sounded bitter in interviews even during dark periods with studios, such as the Kingdom of Heaven debacle in 2005. Prometheus, of course, is a whole different animal than that film. Heaven was essentially taken out of Ridley’s hands and truncated by a good hour, but as he explains here, he had creative control over Prometheus and is happy with the theatrical version.
With that in mind, I’d be perfectly happy to buy and watch the extended Prometheus if Ridley decides it’s worth the effort, but I also don’t have my heart set on it. When Scott’s films are messed with, a la Blade Runner or Kingdom of Heaven, the seams are immediately visible, but Prometheus feels exactly like the movie Scott wanted to make, for better or for worse, and the problems I personally feel the film has won’t be fixed by any amount of extra footage.
But what do you think? Are you more likely to buy a Prometheus Blu-Ray if it has twenty minutes of deleted scenes, either accessible on their own or through a new cut?
Sound off in the comments and watch Collider’s excellent full interview below:
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