Sci Fi Wire reports that the theatrical version of Watchmen is getting shorter. Producer Deborah Snyder (wife of Watchmen director Zack Snyder) confirmed that the movie has gone from 2 hours 43 minutes down to 2 hours and 35 minutes, pending approval of the studio.
But that doesn't mean it will be the only version. A director's cut is planned as well. "It has even more than the theatrical version, as far as the detail that gets even closer to the graphic novel," says Zack Snyder.
How detailed? Snyder is also shooting an animated version of the Black Freighter, the comic-within-a-comic from the graphic novel, that will be released onto DVD when Watchmen enters theaters. Snyder's plan is to weave the Black Freighter material into the movie making a "huge epic version of 'Watchmen,' which will probably come out after the movie's theatrical release" that Snyder reveals will run "about 3 hours and 40 minutes." Who watches the Watchmen? Someone with a lot of time on their hands.