While fans were disappointed with the theatrical release of ‘Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker’, there appears to be a better cut of the film available. A 4-hour Abrams cut includes a ton of footage from the movie’s final cut and makes the movie better.
The cold war between J.J Abrams and Disney started early on. With reports coming out about how the movie was rushed through the filming and editing process to satisfy Disney executives. Insiders have also claimed that Abrams was blindsided by the editing process, which left out most of his creative vision related to the film. With tensions rising, a Redditor has claimed a 4 hour long Abrams cut, which might change the game if it is released.
Highlights —
- J.J Abrams upset over Skywalker movie
- Could there be a 4 hour long Abrams cut?
- Would Abrams go the Snyder Cut way?
J.J Abrams and Disney
J.J Abrams led ‘Star Wars’ to unexpected heights. The sequels earned Disney a hefty profit for a movie banking on nostalgia from the 80s and exploring the space saga again.
There was no reason to believe that Disney would, in any way, blindside Abrams when it came to his creative vision. After all, ‘Mandalorian’, the recent swathe of ‘Star Wars’ tie-in products and everything else was single-handedly revived at the hands of the director.
However, Disney believes in profits, so when it came out that Abrams was planning to move over to the opposing production team of WB for a Superman movie, Disney executives saw a potential conflict. Rumour sites claim that Abrams’ decision to move over to WB hit Disney executives badly, causing them to ultimately sacrifice the ‘Star Wars’ franchise so that they could save themselves for a reinvigorated DCEU.
The cold war between WB and Disney has been going on over the DC and Marvel properties. With both series earning record-breaking profits, it came up that neither company would take a chance to break the gravy train for the other. With the profile of Abrams, WB would have a fighting chance to take on the MCU juggernaut and possibly even upstage it. So, the decision of Abrams probably landed him in the bad graces of Disney, which led them to sabotage the final Star Wars story.
The Abrams Star Wars
Star Wars was always a lucrative property. Even after the disastrous prequels, which have earned more scorn than praise over the internet forums, the dedicated group of fans continued buying merch and creating fan fiction that made the movies their ongoing legacy.
With Abrams taking in the reign of the possible sequel, fan expectations were high. Abrams had recently rebooted Star Trek for the big screen. With a space opera and a history of famous releases behind him, Abrams was firing on all cylinders when he came on as the creative voice on the ‘Star Wars’ reboot.
The Rey and Kylo Ren saga added to the story from earlier, reviving the series and creating a new host of fans. While fans were upset over ‘The Last Jedi’, the second movie of the series, they were still looking forward to the last film, ‘The Rise of the Skywalkers’.
However, fan hopes were soon dashed when the movie opened to disappointing reviews from critics worldwide, with the “Forbes” critics dubbing it the “worst Star Wars movie ever”. However, rumours suggest that the movie fell short of Abrams’s expectations, and the ‘Rise of Skywalker’ 4-hour cut leak would rectify the problems with the theatrical release.
Could Abrams have one more trick up his sleeve to upset Disney executives?
The Saga of the Snyder Cut
The Snyder Cut was released onto HBO Max with much fanfare after a year-long campaign directed in favour of Zack Snyder. It was received with love and adoration, with many fans being enamoured with this version of the movie.
The existence and the persistence of longer cuts of the movies is no surprise. The 4 hours Abrams cut, if it exists, could become a better-edited film that finally brings to the fans what they wanted out of the Star Wars series.
However, the animosity by the Disney executives means that to achieve this, the film series might need another long campaign. Abrams might be ready with the 4 hour Abrams cut but is he prepared to undertake Snyder’s path of redemption? Abrams has come out to say that he thinks that the movies have reached their final ending and he isn’t interested in other stories.
J.J Abrams’ decision to move onto the WB camp might have cost him the critical accolades from the final ‘Star Wars’ film. Insider sources have claimed that the original version of the film was badly edited to create the theatrical release version that was finally released. However, even if the unedited cut exists, Abrams has shown no sign of wanting a release, saying that ‘Star Wars’ has ended for him and is motivated for his new projects. This might be him burning his bridges with the series as well as with Disney.
