When the “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” workprint leaked about a month ago, several prominent voices, including 20 Century Fox head Tom Rothman, stepped up and claimed that the leaked cut, which featured unfinished special effects and sound cues, was vastly different than the version that would hit theaters May 1st.
This didn’t stop thousands upon thousands of downloaders from finding the film on their own and judging its merits, noting the leaked version’s unfinished nature compared to recent reshoots and a runtime of 105 minutes that didn’t compare to the reported 120 minute-length cut. Rothman claimed the unfinished version was “ten minutes shorter” and “doesn’t have key scenes.”*
AICN begs to differ. From a scooper named Veritas, who they feel is reliable enough, the site asserts what many of us have believed all along- the workprint and the theatrical cut are near-identical. Further fed by the new released runtime of 107 minutes, Veritas claims the theatrical cut is “identical,” save for the finished effects, none of which impress him/her. Interestingly enough, he/she claims that the film remains watchable, and indifferently calls it a “fun flick.”
So, who’s to believe? While AICN does seems to have an axe to grind against FOX (as do most geek sites for various reasons, chief being how they’ve fucked up so many of their precious films, see “Daredevil” for one random example) , they are standing by a mighty big claim from a faceless source.
With the workprint being marked with a March date, and with a running time so close to the final number, it’s hard to say if anything major has changed between cuts. Those that have seen the contentious unfinished version have cited no new footage in any of the film’s copious ads, with Veritas claiming that two shots from the trailer are not in the workprint, an alternate death scene for a key character and a cameo from the mutant Storm, are not in the theatrical cut either.
With this new information, coupled with the cold scent of the supposedly major investigation regarding the initial leak, the theory of an intentional stinkbomb being thrown by Fox continues. Could Fox have tried to cut their losses on some troubling, awful dallies and thrown “Wolverine” to the lambs as a case against online piracy? Should Gavin Hood return his Oscar? Is Hugh Jackman just a song-and-dance nancyboy now? Could we stop talking about this embarrassing looking movie?
*A little bird had previously told us the leaked workprint was in fact an alternate cut made for the eventual extended edition DVD featuring scenes that were meant to be excised in the first place. Said bird also held the theory that the leak was intentional, and that even that wasn’t handled properly, as the perpetrator was supposed to leak the actual workprint, and not this alternate version of the film. This theory appears to be incorrect, though all parties involve do believe that the leaked print suggests the film will be completely forgettable at best.