Zack Snyder Wants To 'Fix' One Of His Worst Movies
Arguably no Hollywood director is more famous for post-release revisions and director's cuts than Zack Snyder. The slow-mo master will forever be linked to his penchant for creating multiple versions of his films, leaving his legion of loyal fans with ample ammunition to shoot down criticisms of the theatrical cuts. This is most notable in the case of "Zack Snyder's Justice League," which Warner Bros. regrets releasing.
There's also the Ultimate Edition of "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." There's his ongoing Rebel Moon franchise at Netflix, which will include R-rated extended cuts set to be released after "Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver" later this year. And now, in an interview with Empire, Snyder said he'd also like to give the reparative treatment to one of his most maligned films: 2011's "Sucker Punch."
The topic came up while Snyder was answering fan questions, one of which asked what thing he'd like to change about a past film. "The only movie I would change is 'Sucker Punch,' because it never really got finished correctly," the director said. "Even the director's cut is not really the correct cut. It's really just an extended version. If I had the chance, I would fix that movie." According to Snyder, it's not just the desire and the vision that he has on hand. He also claims to have all the necessary footage and only needs someone to give him the go-ahead.
Could a new Snyder cut of Sucker Punch happen?
"Sucker Punch" is 13 years old at this point. It's a one-off movie that bombed critically and at the box office and has no related franchise. It seems like the last film one would expect to get a big, glorious re-edit. But when it comes to Zack Snyder, anything is possible.
"I have the footage already shot: they just have to let me put it together," the director told Empire. "We ask every now and then. We have to ask again. I think there has to be a window when no one's got the movie." This suggests that Snyder hopes to conduct the theoretical re-release at a time when he could secure the full rights. However, doing so would require more than the right timing. As of now, Warner Bros. still owns the rights to the film, which was produced by Legendary Pictures. Acquiring them would take both a bit of convincing and a chunk of change.
Given Snyder's current relationship with Netflix — one where he's been allowed to develop multiple versions of films simultaneously — the streamer could be a good venue for a new version of "Sucker Punch." Netflix might even be able to foot part of the bill if an agreement with Warner Bros. were brokered, but that's still very hypothetical. It also relies on Snyder telling the whole truth about "Sucker Punch" and having all the footage. Anything necessitating reshoots would be much more complicated.