While Star Wars: The Force Awakens has only been in theaters less than a month, talks have already been happening regarding the DVD version. Namely, Star Wars fans are wondering how much new material they can expect once the home version of The Force Awakens is available. J.J. Abrams recently opened up regarding what will be included in the DVD version of Episode VII:
There will be deleted scenes, but not an extended version… I don’t know what the longest cut was. Probably, if it were with credits, close to two hours and 50 minutes was the first cut.
Well this might be more disappointing Jar Jar Binks' inclusion in the Episodes II and III. While 2 hours and 50 minutes is too long for a theatergoing experience (sorry Quentin Tarantino), it would be great for super fans to be able to enjoy a marathon version of The Force Awakens from the comfort of their home.
Then again, I can understand J.J. Abrams’ choice in keeping the original cut of the film for the DVD version. He did such an outstanding job with The Force Awakens, so it seems logical that he would want to maintain the integrity of the film that shattered box office records. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The promise of deleted scenes in the DVD is exciting, though. If the original length of The Force Awakens was so long, then it can be surmised that there may be a handful of deleted scenes to enjoy once we can own copies of the movie.
Perhaps the deleted scenes will include some of the footage that we saw in the trailers for The Force Awakens which never made it into the film. These scenes set us into a frenzy when the trailer came out, so it was slightly disappointing to not see the moments in the final cut. One of these scenes included Maz Kanata handing over Luke’s lightsaber to Carrie Fisher’s Leia. While this seems confusing for the final timeline of the film (Finn needed it for his now infamous confrontation with TR-8R), Maz was one of the most mysterious new characters in The Force Awakens, and I wanted more of her.
Most importantly, I’m hoping that we get to see footage of Luke that didn’t make it into the film. The original trailer opened with Luke reciting his lines from Return Of The Jedi (and giving chills to fans everywhere) but in the end his role was silent. Perhaps the final moments between Rey and Luke originally had a bit of dialogue before the credits rolled? Plus there was the original shot of Kylo Ren activating his lightsaber that never made it into the film.
Only time, and presumably a lot of it, will tell what new footage will be present in the DVD for The Force Awakens. Presumably this movie will be released at a time that best markets Rogue One, but who knows. In the meantime you can see The Force Awakens in theaters again and again and dream about the deleted scenes we’ll eventually get to see.
