Re: The Avengers: The Motion Picture Discussion Thread
The Three-Hour Avengers
Whedon says 45 minutes were shaved from the initial cut.
March 12, 2012
by Max Nicholson
It's reasonable to think that a film headlining four thoroughly established superheroes would demand a monstrous running time to accommodate the equally large personalities of the characters. And initially, Joss Whedon's Avengers did indeed clock in at a robust three hours. But in a recent interview, the director revealed that the final cut of the film will deliver a much more reasonable running time of two hours and 15 minutes.
"I had always intended to go over two, under two and a half," Whedon told Collider at the SXSW Film Festival. "There was no way a movie with this many great actors and this much epic scope was gonna clock in under two and not feel a little anemic. Somebody wasn't gonna get their moment if that happened. But at the same time, I get very angry that romantic comedies run over two hours long. It's like, 'Guys, that's not okay.' More isn't more. I don't want anything in the movie that shouldn't be."
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So with 45 minutes hitting the cutting room floor, what are we really missing out on? Says Whedon, "There's a lot of me that got cut out, but I think part of the process in a situation like this is you make the movie, you make your movie, then you remove yourself out of the equation. At some point you stop looking beyond The Avengers movie, at your own stuff... You go, 'You know what, The Avengers are more important than I am so these things that I'm obsessed with aren't necessarily moving the story forward, and therefore they are baggage.'"
Unfortunately, Whedon said that a three-hour director's cut was not in the cards for The Avengers Blu-ray or DVD releases. However, he did note that we should expect to see some "extraordinary extras" as a result.
