The under three hour theatrical cut of Watchmen hits on March 6, the DVD with Tales of the Black Freighter and Under the Hood hits a couple weeks later (delayed from the original March 11 release, apparently) but there might be one more chance to see the film before the ultimate DVD cut comes out later this year.
According to director Zack Snyder, who spoke at a post-screening Q&A last night, “the director’s cut is three hours and 10 minutes and comes out in July,” and is “considerably more violent than this … and sexier.” More Manhattancock? Or something else? Cue fears of fans who’ve been reassured by early viewers’ insistence that the movie isn’t an action-fest. More to the point, Snyder claims that if the March theatrical release goes well, New York and LA fans might have the chance to see the director’s cut in theaters for the July DVD release.
And then there’s that (Snyder-dubbed) “Crazy Ultimate Freaky Edition” that will hit DVD in the fall. That will include more Manhattan on Mars, dialogue scenes at the newsstand and the death of Hollis Mason, in addition to Tales of the Black Freighter. (MTV, the story’s source, does not elaborate on whether the latter will be cut into the film as per the comic, or included as an appendix.)
No surprise that we’ll have so many options, as the entire endeavor is one big piece of risky business for Warner Brothers, and they’ll be happy to maximize their opportunity to make extra bucks off the film. By the time the big-ass version hits in the fall, will you all be far too tired of the story to care?