More Snowpiercer drama as Bong Joon-ho and the Weinsteins are still discussing cuts

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Back in early August we hit you with the news that the Weinstein Company wanted to make cuts to Bong Joon-ho's eagerly anticipated post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller SNOWPIERCER, with word coming down that when the critically acclaimed film finally hits theaters here in North America we will see a cut down version of the directors vision, with 20 minutes excised from the original cut. The film was already a major hit in its native Korea, smashing box office records and generating a lot of positive buzz with critics and audiences going nuts for it, but according to film critic and programmer Tony Rayns…

"TWC people have told Bong that their aim is to make sure the film 'will be understood by audiences in Iowa … and Oklahoma.'"

Leaving aside the issue of what Weinstein thinks of its audience, it seems to say the least anomalous that the rest of the English-speaking world has to be dragged down to the presumed level of American mid-west hicks."

Several weeks later Bong shared that he had been working with the Weinstein Company on the cuts but reassured fans that the cuts weren't all that bad, stating…

Weinstein is actually being pretty soft toward editing, probably because it’s noticed how critics have praised the film and know how angry movie fans get over new edits. They even asked me which parts I want to include in the film. 

Now Variety is reporting that these so called 'soft cuts' may not be the case after all.

According to the article, Bong Joon-ho is actually quite unhappy with the cuts that have been made to his film, telling audiences at the South Korean Busan Film Festival that the screening taking place there would the only way to see the film as it was intended to be seen, stating…

“We are still in discussions about the cut, but it is clear that this is the only director’s cut you will be able to see."

Bong did not provide details of his differences with TWC and understatedly said from the stage that the version for English-language release would be “a little bit different,” but sources close to the director say that privately he is furious.

We'll keep you posted on news regarding SNOWPIERCER as we hear it. Hopefully there will be some light at the end of this tunnel after all.