Since making his feature debut in 1994 with Shopping, Paul W.S. Anderson has directed a further twelve movies, and nobody can deny he’s experienced major success after they raked in a combined total of over $1.7 billion at the box office. However, the filmmaker has never made anything that could be described as great, and in the eyes of many folks, even good would be pushing it.
As a director, writer or producer, none of Anderson’s projects have ever secured a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with his most recent effort, Monster Hunter currently holding the highest score at a decidedly mediocre 58%, although the video game adaptation is poised to be remembered more for the furor it caused in China than the actual content of the movie.
After first cracking the mainstream a quarter of a century ago with Mortal Kombat, Anderson next stepped behind the camera for sci-fi horror Event Horizon. Despite boasting a solid cast and some impressive effects, it was a commercial dud, earning just $26 million on a $60 million budget, before strong home video sales saw the film gain a reputation as a cult classic in certain circles.
In a recent interview, the 55 year-old admitted that the version of Event Horizon that hit theaters was far from what he had originally envisioned, and also lent his support to the idea of a Director’s Cut.
“There are bits and pieces of Event Horizon that turn up every so often. A little bit on VHS here or there. I think, unfortunately, the bulk of what was taken out of the movie has been lost. I think the only way to truly recreate the lost cut of Event Horizon, which was the original cut I presented to the studio that they were so horrified by because it was pretty extreme, I think the only way to recreate that is, actually, to shoot new material. But who knows, in the world of the Snyder Cut of Justice League? Come on Paramount Pictures, all I need is a bit of money, and I can go and shoot all of that stuff with Joely Richardson, and Lawrence Fishburne, and Jason Isaacs. A little bit of de-aging, and we can just go shoot the whole thing again.”
As you surely know, Godzilla vs. Kong‘s Adam Wingard is set to executive produce a small screen reboot of Event Horizon for Amazon, and even though Anderson isn’t involved in the series, now could be the ideal time for him to return to the well and assemble a Director’s Cut seeing as the property is about to get a fresh coat of paint anyway.
