Since the success of "Brokeback Mountain", gay sexual content in movies is becoming less of a taboo "don't go there" style concern to more of a potential cash cow idea. That would explain the news today over at The IMDb that Director Oliver Stone is planning to release a third version of his failed "Alexander" epic released in 2004.
Stone insists the cinematic version of his Alexander the Great biopic was hampered by time constraints after being slashed to 168 minutes in length. He originally wanted to release the movie in its original three-hour form but concerned studio bosses forced him to axe scenes containing homosexual content.
Upon its initial release critics mauled the film for assorted problems ranging from atrocious accents, historical inaccuracies, strange directional choices, disjointed structure and a general malaise. Repeatedly though the whitewashing of Alexander's gay side to appease religious and conservative groups received very harsh criticism. His relationship childhood friend Hephaestion (Jared Leto), considered one of the most famous love affairs in history, was reduced to longing stares and the occasional hug.
The film expensive epic was an utter bomb in the US, grossing a mere $34 million in revenue, though internationally achieved decent returns with $139 million in foreign box-office.
Stone re-edited a 'Director's Cut' of the film, released the same time as the regular DVD, which made numerous changes but didn't alter the runtime much.
This explains why the new DVD-only release will be a staggering three hours and 40 minutes in length - nearly a full hour longer than either of the existing cuts. The question is, will it happen? Despite this news hitting a lot of trade publications today, word first emerged on the title around two months ago in an interview with Rope of Silicon.
During that interview, Stone said "I'm doing a third version on DVD, not theatrical. I'm going to do a Cecile B Demille/Oliver Stone three hour forty five minute thing, I'm going to go all out, put everything I like in the movie. He was a complicated man, it was a complicated story and it doesn't hurt to make it longer and let people who loved the film and see it more and understand it more".
