I think it’s safe to say there’s one moment in Supergirl that sums up a lot of the problems folks have with the movie: the “Jimmy Eat World” scene. Near the end of the film, in a climactic battle, the carnage is slowed down and scored by Kelty Greye and KidMotel’s cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.” To many, it totally undercuts the action, and considering producer James Gunn’s history of legendary needle drops, many wondered how it escaped his attention.
According to a juicy new report in The Hollywood Reporter, that song choice was actually added in a retooled studio cut of the film. Originally, a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was used (though they probably should have just used the original—soulful pop song covers have become a huge cliché).
That wasn’t the only difference, though. The report suggests the version in theaters is not director Craig Gillespie’s cut, which was apparently twelve minutes longer and fleshed out the villain, Matthias Schoenaerts’s Krem, much more. It also had completely different song choices, which is a shame given Gillespie’s prowess at scoring his movies with music is just as respected as Gunn’s.
When the studio cut tested marginally better, it was decided just to go with that version as opposed to going back to the editing room. However, the report notes that the differences aren’t drastically pronounced and that Gillespie never fought for anything to be added back. One thing seems to be clear, though—the studio knew the film wasn’t working pretty soon after principal photography wrapped, and the film never tested particularly well. Its scores were even compared to those of another DC flop, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
It’s interesting to hear about what went on behind the scenes, but I also imagine stories like this are more common than we think—especially on massive tentpole movies. I’m curious as to what the reasoning is sometimes, as there’s only so much post-production tinkering that can be done to save a movie, even with reshoots (which this apparently had as well).
At any rate, the box office pretty much says it all. It’s unfortunate, as it hasn’t proven to be a great launch for Milly Alcock’s take on the character, even though original Supergirl Helen Slater praised it. Whatever the case, Alcock will be back in theaters next summer as a co-star in Man of Tomorrow.
Should we make a push to release the Gillespie cut? What do you think?