I can safely say I’d be one of the first in line if this turns out to be true.

I’d like to emphasize that this is a rumor, and to take the following with a grain of salt. With that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

The response to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has been…polarizing to say the least (you can read my review of the film here). One of the many criticisms of the film has been the disjointed editing and convoluted plot. Well as it turns out, this may be due to the cuts Zack Snyder had to make to the film last minute. Deemed “the ultimate cut”, this version of the film is supposedly 30 minutes longer than the theatrical version and rated R. This is supposedly the version Snyder prefers. Here’s what he had to say in an interview with Collider:

“It was in there until very recently, so all of it’s finished. It was really just a function of time, to be honest. Because the movie’s long now, long-ish—I don’t think it’s long, but when you get over two and a half hours the studio starts getting nervous.

It appears that many of the cuts were made at the studios behest, and not necessarily for the betterment of the film. This could possibly explain why the editing has been so poorly received, and why many of the plot elements seem to either come out nowhere, or are simply dropped (Lex Luthor somehow knowing Darkseid is coming, why he wants Batman and Superman to fight, the entire Lois Lane plot, etc.).

After the film opened with less than projected, WB seems to be entering damage control mode. Just yesterday they released a scene titled “Communion” from the previously announced ultimate cut of the film, which you can watch here:

This scene alone contextualizes Luthor’s state of mind at the end of the film, and gives serious hints to the greater narrative of the DCEU. If the entire ultimate cut of the film is filled with scenes as significant as this, it could end up receiving a significantly different response than the current version we have now. And it seems WB may realize this.

Shortly after WB released this short clip, Steve Weintraub from Collider sent out this tweet:

If WB releases BATMAN V SUPERMAN ultimate cut in theaters I'll be first in line. @ZackSnyder told me he's making a DCP of it so they could. — Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 28, 2016

While this is unconfirmed, it seems to heavily imply that WB is preparing a theatrical cut for release. For those of you who don’t know, a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) is the format type for a film to be played in a movie theater. There would be no other reason for Zack Snyder to be working on a DCP of the ultimate cut unless there were plans for the ultimate cut to be played in theaters.

WB appears to be entering into panic mode right now, due to the overwhelmingly negative response the film has received, and it under performing at the box office. This could be a means of swaying public opinion about the film, as this version is the definitive version according to Snyder. Personally, I’m hoping this rumor is true. I so desperately want to love this film, but can’t due to its glaring problems. The ultimate cut may alleviate a lot of these issues, and I think WB may realize that.

What do you guys think? Will WB release the ultimate cut to theaters? Let me know in the comments below!

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