It's become understandable over the last couple years why Zack Snyder felt the need to split ties with Warner Bros. after the studio was the home for all his previous films from 300 to Watchmen to his contributions to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Essentially, the studio often has whittled down his expansive projects to the bone, leading to often confusing and bland projects or projects that aren't understood because a bulk of their logic is removed. While it was known early on that WB cut 30 minutes from Batman v Superman back in 2016 (with the Ultimate Edition being far better received as a result later on), the now most well-known (and expansive) production history of Justice League really got the ball rolling on discussing the studio's interference with the creative process. Something that WB did with other projects such as David Ayer's Suicide Squad. This is often done in hopes of having shorter movies and thus more showtimes in a single day at theaters. The hope is to thus get more profit, though it seems to have backfired often with the DCEU films.
However, with Snyder given more of a platform to discuss his strained relationship with the studio (leading to him ultimately leaving and signing a contract with Netflix), he more recently spoke about his earlier struggles with the studio when it came to his sole original film at the studio, 2011's Sucker Punch. While the film was deemed a project featuring bland characters and a lackluster story upon it's original theatrical release, Snyder revealed that he had a far denser cut that was, you guessed it, whittled down by the WB. Not only was it longer, but it was an R-rated cut (as opposed to the PG-13 theatrical cut that audiences got). And now, one of the film's stars, Jamie Chung (who played the character Amber), has talked about it today while discussing her work in HBO's Lovecraft Country and the upcoming Dexter revival on Showtime. She had this to say:
"[The theatrical cut] is PG-13, but it feels like such an R-rated movie. And I think that’s one of the reasons why they altered the story. It’s been so long, but there would’ve been a lot more detail. Each scene would’ve been extended by 10 minutes. (Laughs.) We shot the hell out of that movie, and it was so fun. My character was the pilot, but I do know that the fighting sequences were much longer. Gosh, it felt like we trained so long for them. That whole experience in itself was six months, so there’s got to be more out there."
As shown with his director cuts of Watchmen, BvS, and Justice League, Snyder's versions of his projects tend to be better received with many fans of his now famed Snyder Cut of Justice League (brought back from the dead by devoted fan petitioning) now pushing for Snyder's version of the DCEU to be reinstated due to the Snyder Cut getting better reviews. It's a wonder if Sucker Punch would repeat this pattern. Maybe we'll find out someday. Stay tuned!
Other than the train scene movie was a waste of time. Chicks were hot,though.