While to the average movie viewer, a film might seem like a definitive work of art, the truth is that directors often have their visions tampered with, and the result is not their preferred version of the movie. In some cases, this has been rectified by allowing directors to go back and re-release their own director’s cut, complete with deleted scenes, restructured narratives, and wildly different creative decisions. In some cases, like in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner: Final Cut, this becomes the preferred version of the film as it best represents what the filmmaker envisioned releasing during the production.
The best director’s cuts add to the original version and make for a more complete and engaging viewing experience, but some directors never got the opportunity to re-release their movies, meaning that alternative versions are lying in vaults, never to be seen by eager audiences. For many reasons, like lost footage, the director’s disinterest, or a lack of permission from the studio, potentially incredible director’s cuts have remained unreleased and deserve a chance to be seen. All of these films have the potential to receive incredible director’s cut editions that one day should be allowed to see the light of day.
10 Event Horizon (1997)
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
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9.3/10 Event Horizon RHorror Sci-FiThriller
Paul W. S. Anderson steps further into the world of sci-fi horror with Event Horizon, a movie set in the future following a crew of Astronauts attempting to locate a missing ship known as the Event Horizon. When the crew finds the ship floating near Neptune, the distress signal relayed is haunting, followed by the discovery what awaits the rescue team isn’t the crew of the missing ship but something far more sinister.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson Release Date August 15, 1997 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Writers Philip Eisner Cast Jason Isaacs , Kathleen Quinlan , Sean Pertwee , Laurence Fishburne , Richard T. Jones , Joely Richardson , Sam Neill Runtime 96 minutes Budget $60 million Expand
Although Paul W. S. Anderson’s sci-fi horror about a spaceship crew encountering a space-time rip straight to Hell was a critical and commercial failure at the time of release, over the years, its reputation has steadily grown in stature. While critics at the time blasted the film as an exercise in style over substance, in retrospect, its strong performances, incredible visuals, and horrifying concept made it stand out. With this later reappraisal, audiences have been clamoring to see Anderson’s original 130-minute cut of the film, which had been chopped down to 96 minutes for the theatrical release.
As a grand and ambitious film that brings together the claustrophobic horror of Alien and the grand unknowable terror of H.P. Lovecraft, it’s only natural that viewers want to see Event Horizon as Anderson originally intended. However, Event Horizon was released just before the widespread popularity of DVDs, which made the inclusion of deleted scenes and director’s cuts much more common. Because of this, the extra footage is believed to be either lost or destroyed, and a director’s cut remains unlikely unless someone can retrieve an original copy from the dark recesses of space.
9 Alien 3 (1992)
Directed by David Fincher
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Alien 3 RActionHorrorSci-FiThriller
Alien 3 is the 1992 sequel to Aliens. Directed by David Fincher and starring Sigourney Weaver in her iconic role as Ellen Ripley, the third installment in the Alien franchise follows Ripley as she leads a group of inmates in the fight against a Xenomorph after her ship crash-lands on a prison planet.
Director David Fincher Release Date May 22, 1992 Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Writers Dan O’Bannon , Ronald Shusett , Vincent Ward , David Giler , Walter Hill , Larry Ferguson Cast Sigourney Weaver , Charles S. Dutton , Charles Dance , Paul McGann , Brian Glover , Ralph Brown Runtime 114minutes Budget $50 million Expand
When looking at the directors of the Alien franchise, it’s impressive how many iconic filmmakers helmed the series in the early days of their careers. The original Ridley Scott Alien has long been lauded as among the best horror movies ever made, while James Cameron gave the world an incredible sequel that expanded upon its lore and concept with Aliens. With this, it’s only natural to think a young David Fincher would similarly carry the franchise into brave new territory through his unique vision for Alien 3.
This may have been the case, but the world will never truly know because the studio interfered so heavily with Alien 3 that Fincher disowned the box office flop. Fincher’s version had been tampered with so much that entire plot points were removed to the point of making the theatrical version almost incoherent. While there’s been an attempt to rectify this with the far superior Assembly Cut addition, which ran at 144 minutes and included 30 minutes of extra footage, Fincher was not involved in its assembly, and a true Fincher director’s cut of Alien 3 has never been released.
8 Dying Of The Light (2014)
Directed by Paul Schrader
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Dying of the Light RThrillerDocumentaryDrama Director Paul Schrader Release Date December 4, 2014 Writers Paul Schrader Cast Nicolas Cage , Anton Yelchin , Alexander Karim , Irène Jacob , Aymen Hamdouchi , Claudius Peters Runtime 95 minutes Main Genre Thriller Expand
Paul Schrader boasts one of Hollywood’s most varied filmographies, as he’s written some of the greatest movies of all time, like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, while also making hugely derided films like Forever Mine and The Canyons. One low point in Schrader’s career came with the release of Dying of the Light, a spy film starring Nicolas Cage as a CIA agent with dementia released on VOD to extremely negative reviews. But looking behind the scenes, it could have been a very different story, as Schrader was denied final cut and the movie was heavily edited without his permission.
The interference from the studio was so great that Schrader and the principal cast disowned the film, with the director stating it had been “taken away from me” by Lionsgate (via Hollywood Reporter.) Dying of the Light was re-edited, scored, and mixed without Schrader’s input. Schrader, co-stars Cage, Anton Yelchin, and executive producer Nicolas Winding Refn were pictured wearing t-shirts bearing their non-disparagement clauses, hinting they weren’t legally able to voice their concerns. While it’s unknown how much a director’s cut would improve Dying of the Light, movie lovers should get to see Schrader’s original vision.
7 Annie Hall (1977)
Directed by Woody Allen
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Annie Hall PGComedyDocumentaryRomance
Annie Hall, directed by Woody Allen, stars Allen as comedian Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton as the titular character. The film explores the complexities of relationships through Alvy’s reflections on his romance with Annie, blending comedy and introspective drama. It won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is noted for its innovative narrative techniques and sharp dialogue.
Director Woody Allen Release Date April 19, 1977 Writers Woody Allen , Marshall Brickman Cast Woody Allen , Diane Keaton , Tony Roberts , Carol Kane , Paul Simon , Shelley Duvall Runtime 93 minutes Budget $4 million Expand
The Best Picture winner Annie Hall has rightfully earned a reputation as a definitive rom-com whose influence can be strongly felt in the genre to this day. With Woody Allen as the neurotic comedian Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton as the free-spirited love interest Annie Hall, this comedy laid the groundwork for everything from Chasing Amy to 500 Days of Summer as it showed how movies could look behind the relationship and humorously investigate the psychology of romance. But it almost wasn’t this way, as the original cut of Annie Hall was less about the relationship and more about Alvy’s neurosis.
The original cut of Annie Hall clocked in at a whopping two hours and 20 minutes as it explored the abstracted adventures of its comedian protagonist (via BFI.) Over time, Allen and editor Ralph Rosenblum agreed to cut down the movie to a far more streamlined 93-minute theatrical release. While this was probably the ideal version of Annie Hall, Allen’s comedic writing was in a really interesting and insightful place at this point in his career, and it’s exciting to think how many funny asides and long-lost scenes would be in an unabridged director’s cut.
6 Scooby-Doo (2002)
Directed by Raja Gosnell
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8/10 Scooby-Doo (2002) PGAdventureComedyFamily
Scooby-Doo is a 2002 film that reimagines the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini, the movie follows Mystery Inc. as they reunite to solve a puzzling supernatural mystery at Spooky Island. Directed by Raja Gosnell, the film combines live-action and CGI to bring the iconic characters and their comedic escapades to life.
Director Raja Gosnell Release Date June 14, 2002 Writers James Gunn , Craig Titley , William Hanna , Joseph Barbera Cast Freddie Prinze Jr. , Sarah Michelle Gellar , matthew lillard , Linda Cardellini , Rowan Atkinson , Isla Fisher , Miguel A. Núñez Jr. , Steven Grives Character(s) Fred , Daphne , Shaggy , Velma , Mondavarious , Mary Jane , Voodoo Maestro , N’ Goo Tuana Runtime 86 Minutes Main Genre Adventure Expand
The live-action Scooby-Doo movie opened to negative critical reception and was slated as a lackluster adaptation filled with corny jokes and a disposable story. However, Scooby-Doo was a hit at the box office and has since built up a cult following due to its campy, tongue-in-cheek style and hilarious performances from its star-studded cast. It also seems that screenwriter James Gunn sought to make a very different kind of movie, as he later revealed that the first cut of the film was much more adult-oriented.
Gunn took to Facebook in 2017 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Scooby-Doo, where he shockingly revealed that the original version of Scooby-Doo was “R by the MPAA.” Gunn explained that the film was re-edited, and “the female stars’ cleavage was CGI’d away so as not to offend.” Sadly, Gunn didn’t go into specifics about what other adult content was included in Scooby-Doo to require such as a strict rating, but, whatever the content, this is a hidden piece of media that long-time lovers of this cult hit would absolutely love to see.
5 Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
Directed by Walter Hill
Another 48 Hrs. was Walter Hill’s disappointing follow-up to one of the best action comedies of the 1980s, 48 Hrs. With Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte back for more buddy cop hijinx, this time Jack Cates (Nolte) needed Reggie Hammond’s (Murphy) help to clear his name after being falsely charged with manslaughter, all while being chased by a criminal mastermind out to kill them. While this 95-minute movie was a badly received rehash of the first film, the truth was the original cut of Another 48 Hrs. was 145 minutes long, and the studio forced Hill to cut large sections of the movie.
Another 48 Hrs. underwent major re-editing after its initial cut, and the movie was reduced to 120 minutes; however, a week before its premiere, Paramount removed an additional 25 minutes without Hill’s involvement (via Collider.) This led to a final version that was full of plot holes, removed important context, and, excluding one brief scene, eliminated Frank McRae’s reprisal of his role as Captain Haden. What was left was a mess of a film, and it’s only right that almost a quarter of a century later, audiences get to see Another 48 Hrs. as Hill originally intended.
4 Batman Forever (1995)
Directed by Joel Schumacher
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6.4/10 Batman Forever PG-13ActionAdventureCrimeFantasySuperhero
After Tim Burton’s plans for a third Batman film fell through, director Joel Schumacher took over the franchise with 1995’s Batman Forever. Replacing Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer stars as Bruce Wayne opposite to Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones, who play The Riddler and Two-Face, respectively. Batman Forever also marks the first time Robin appears on the big screen since Burt Ward reprised his Boy Wonder role in 1966’s Batman: The Movie.
Director Joel Schumacher Release Date June 9, 1995 Studio(s) PolyGram Pictures , Tim Burton Productions Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Bob Kane , Lee Batchler , Janet Scott Batchler , Akiva Goldsman Cast Jim Carrey , Nicole Kidman , Tommy Lee Jones , Drew Barrymore , Chris O’Donnell , Val Kilmer , Pat Hingle , Michael Gough , Debi Mazar Runtime 117 Minutes prequel(s) Batman (1989) , Batman Returns Budget $100 Million Expand
While Tim Burton showcased the viability of Batman on the big screen in the 1990s and Christopher Nolan brought gritty realism to the character in The Dark Knight trilogy in the 21st century, stuck in the middle was Joel Schumacher’s much-maligned movies with the Caped Crusader. Although Schumacher’s second outing, Batman & Robin, is often the prime subject for criticism, the over-the-top nature of 1995’s Batman Forever with Val Kilmer has also received its fair share of critique. However, for a long time, rumors have circulated about a potential director’s cut of the movie that was much darker and less campy.
Following Schumacher’s death in 2020, speculation of a potential ‘Schumacher Cut’ including 50 minutes of extra material from Batman Forever was reignited. Warner Bros. later confirmed the existence of an alternative version of Batman Forever. In 2023, director Kevin Smith claimed to have a copy of the Schumacher Cut in his possession (via IGN), which featured tons of unseen footage, including an alternate opening scene that runs for 15 minutes. Knowing that copies of the Schumacher Cut are floating around means it’s only fair that this version be officially released one day so fans can see it for themselves.
3 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Directed by Chris Columbus
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7.7/10 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone PGAdventureFamilyFantasy
The beginning of the adaptations of one of the most-read fantasy novel series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was directed by Chris Columbus and follows the titular Harry Potter as he discovers he has magical powers. Living with his cruel aunt and uncle, the orphaned Harry lives a challenging life that is changed when he meets a gentle giant named Hagrid, who spirits him away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he soon learns his destiny.
Director Chris Columbus Release Date November 16, 2001 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures , Heyday Films , 1492 Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers J.K. Rowling , Steve Kloves Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , John Cleese , Robbie Coltrane , Warwick Davis , Richard Griffiths , Ian Hart , John Hurt , Alan Rickman , Fiona Shaw , Maggie Smith Runtime 152 Minutes Sequel(s) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Budget $125 Million Expand
Adapting J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series was always going to be a daunting task, and that meant many subplots and different aspects would have to be streamlined to fit into an appropriate runtime. While this was an even greater challenge for the later films, with Deathly Hallows being split into two movies, it can even be seen as far back as the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. While director Chris Columbus did an excellent job telling the story of Harry’s discovery of his wizarding heritage, many viewers were disappointed with the absence of Peeves the Poltergeist.
However, there was actually an unreleased three-hour director’s cut of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that could do justice for Peeves. While British comedy legend Rik Mayall was perfectly cast in the role of Peeves, all his scenes were cut from the theatrical version of the film, which ran at two hours and 32 minutes. Not only would the release of a director’s cut please Harry Potter lovers disappointed by his absence, but it would also be a touching tribute to the late Mayall, who passed away in 2014.
2 Dune (1984)
Directed by David Lynch
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Dune (1984) PG-13
In a distant future ruled by intrigue, power, and the coveted spice melange, House Atreides faces betrayal on the desert planet Arrakis. Led by young Paul Atreides, they forge an alliance with the native Fremen, preparing for a showdown against their enemies. As Paul’s destiny unfolds, he discovers his extraordinary abilities and leads a daring rebellion against the Emperor and his forces. In this epic tale of survival and prophecy, Paul emerges as a transformative figure amidst the shifting sands of Arrakis.
Director David Lynch Release Date December 14, 1984 Studio(s) Universal Pictures Writers David Lynch Cast Kyle MacLachlan , Francesca Annis , Brad Dourif , Richard Jordan , sting , Virginia Madsen , Everett McGill , Patrick Stewart , Kenneth McMillan , Jurgen Prochnow , Sean Young Runtime 137 Mins Expand
The holy grail of all director’s cuts would be a fully authorized release of David Lynch’s Dune that manages to capture the essence of his original vision. While Dune was long thought to be unfilmable, the surreal auteur Lynch gave it his best shot with a wildly original take that cast Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides. However, despite Dune author Frank Herbert’s incredibly realized sci-fi world and Lynch’s penchant for dreamlike absurdity being a match made in heaven, studio interference meant Lynch did not get final cut, and he even had his name removed from the credits.
While a true director’s cut of Dune is unfortunately likely impossible as some of the original footage has been lost (via CBR), it would be thrilling to see a version the director approved of. The recent success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies has only served to ignite interest in the 1984 version, although Lynch has expressed no interest in revisiting this film. In fact, Lynch took the failure of his version of Dune so badly that he vowed never to give up final cut again, and in every project he’s been a part of since, he has ensured full creative control.
1 Tiptoes (2003)
Directed by Matthew Bright
Depending on the version viewers believe, Tiptoes was either one of the worst movies ever made or one of the greatest victims of studio interference and tampering with a director’s unique vision. As a rom-com starring Matthew McConaughey as the lone average-sized person in a family of dwarfs, this controversial film was deemed offensive due to the casting of non-dwarf actor Gary Oldman, its perceived insensitivity, and lack of consistent tone as it moved between lighthearted comedy and intense drama. Released with a running time of 90 minutes, director Matthew Bright’s original version had a whopping 150-minute runtime.
Tiptoes debuted in its 150-minute cut at Harry Knowles’ Butt-Numb-A-Thon film festival, but Bright was fired during post-production and subsequently attempted to have his director’s credit removed (via Yahoo.) While Tiptoes was supposed to address prejudices against little people, the theatrical version missed this point, with co-star Peter Dinklage stating, “It was sort of an amazing idea for a movie, but the result was what we were fighting against — the cutesiness of little people.” The difficult production history of Tiptoes meant that Bright never directed another film, although he’s expressed hope his seemingly far superior version will be eventually released.
Sources: Hollywood Reporter, BFI, James Gunn’s Facebook, Collider, IGN, CBR, Yahoo