technical prowess Snyder brought to the director's chair, most pointed out the oversexualized characters and lack of depth when it came to plot.
The film revolves around a young girl named Babydoll who is forcefully institutionalized by her stepfather. As a way of coping, she manifests alternate reality scenarios in her mind that help her plan an escape for herself and the other girls trapped in the asylum. Aside from directing, Snyder co-wrote the film with Steve Shibuya, and the cast featured Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Carla Gugino, and Jamie Chung. Sucker Punch also features performances from Jon Hamm and Oscar Isaac, who were just starting to make names for themselves at the time.
During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz asked Snyder about the mention of another cut of Sucker Punch that he may pursue. Snyder said, “Oh, no, I would absolutely pursue [it]." Snyder went on to talk about the changes he was forced to make on the film, resulting in a final cut that was not what he intended for the film. Snyder said:
Well, that movie was supposed to be rated R, right. […] It was a hard R when I wrote it. It was really intense and scary, and it was really meant to - you know, it’s probably the movie that I feel like is the most misunderstood movie that I made. Just in its fight, just to have someone say, ‘oh, that’s the masturbation fantasy of a twelve-year-old.’ You’re like, ‘Wow, that feels…that feels like I must’ve miscommunicated the entire thing because that is the exact opposite.' [...] If you're acknowledging that, then you're culpable for the fantasy. That's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to make you say, 'fair enough.' But are you not complicit? [...] Can you not come all the way back around to say that you did that?
Snyder went on to discuss how the actresses and himself were aware of this, and they were in "cahoots." He also said that he buckled on numerous aspects of the film, including the budget, a PG-13 rating, and an entire musical number that was supposed to be at the end of the film. Test screenings and studio fueled changes with Snyder stating, "It was the first movie that I think that I made where I felt pressure to change it."
While this may have been the first time a studio interfered with one of his films, anyone familiar with Snyder's Justice League woes knows it certainly wasn't his last. Many criticisms of Sucker Punch may be valid, but it's obvious that it's not the version of the film Snyder intended for audiences to see. With the recent success of Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max after a heated social media outcry, Warner Bros. may be open to Snyder also getting a director's cut on Sucker Punch. However, some may see a film like this as unworthy of such an undertaking, especially given that the studio released an R-rated cut of the film. Still, that R-rated cut is not Snyder's cut of the film. Given Snyder's enthusiasm while discussing his cut, which exists, he is clearly game to make it happen. He may just need his fans to show their for the project.
Source: Happy Sad Confused
