It's safe to say that not everyone loved STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, and we know that there was plenty of footage left on the cutting room floor, which has led some to believe of the existence of a director's cut of the film. Similar to the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement which called for the release of Zack Snyder's original cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE, supporters of #ReleaseTheJJCut believe that a much longer version of the movie is out there somewhere, which was locked before Disney allegedly took over creative control of the film.
While speaking with THR, STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER actor Greg Grunberg, who is also a longtime friend of writer/director J.J. Abrams, denied that any such cut exists.
Yeah, I never understood that. I talked to J.J. as friends throughout the entire process. Every night, I'd be like, "How's it going?" Every time, he was so positive. I'm being completely honest here, but not once did he ever tell me that there was any pressure on him to cut things out. It's part of the creative process, obviously. Kathy Kennedy is brilliant; the people at Disney are brilliant. They give notes, but ultimately, it's up to J.J., the director, who they really trust. Personally, I don't think there's any truth to that, and I would be surprised if there's a "J.J. cut." Every movie goes through a series of cuts; it's just the nature of it. You see what works, what you need more of and where you need clarity. So, I think that's all a part of the creative process. I don't buy into it at all.
Greg Grunberg also touched upon criticisms that J.J. Abrams was pandering to fans with THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. "When the movie came out, I was so pissed off and angry about one specific criticism that I heard. It said, 'Oh, he's just pandering to the fans,'" Grunberg said. "It's like, 'What are you talking about? A movie like this is all about satisfying the fans.' And J.J. does it in an emotional way as the characters are connected. There's almost no fat in this movie at all, and that cannot be said for the others. There are moments where you go, "Oh, you could lose that scene, and the movie would still hold up." Everything in this movie matters, and they did such an incredible job of wrapping up and servicing all the characters. Would I have liked to have seen more of Rose? Yes. Would I have liked to have seen more of the other characters? For sure, but you can only do so much." Grunberg continued, saying you're never going to be able to satisfy everyone.
I don't think any of that criticism was warranted, but then again, everybody is entitled to their opinion. In their own mind, they have the best way they could see wrapping it up. I, personally, cannot see a better version of Episode IX than what J.J. put out. I mean that not as his friend, but as a true fan. It was so incredibly satisfying and so beautiful. There are moments that I've never seen before, especially the battle at the end. I've never seen this stuff so big. He brought it to another level emotionally. I loved the movie so much.
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is now available on Digital, and will soon be released on DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD on March 31st.