Richard Kelly, director of the cult SF movie Donnie Darko, told SCI FI Wire that his recently finished extended cut of the movie, which is due in theaters later this year, dramatically alters the movie. "[Newmarket Films] is re-releasing it, and they're letting me have a director's cut, which will come out this summer in theaters, that I just finished today," Kelly said in an interview at the Saturn Awards on May 5. "No one's seen it yet, but it will definitely be a completely new experience as a film. It will probably surprise and shock even the most hardcore fans."

Kelly said that completing this new version was an opportunity to fully develop all of his original ideas for the film and create what he considered a complete rendering of Donnie Darko. "Ultimately, for me, I'm just psyched I finally got to finish the film," he said. "While I'm proud of the theatrical cut, I feel like there were some elements that were never fully realized that I'm excited to be able to realize now. It's been a dream come true, and I'm really lucky to have gotten to do it."

Donnie Darko stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a disaffected teen who narrowly escapes death, then finds himself taking instructions for increasingly destructive behavior from a six-foot rabbit. Kelly said that the director's cut will premiere at the end of May, and the film's subsequent distribution will be based upon initial reactions from filmgoers at the upcoming Seattle Film Festival. "They're going to test it in Seattle May 29th, and they're going to determine, like, a week later what the audience is, if they can really sell it to the multiplexes and to the suburban crowd," Kelly said. "The anticipation would be that maybe it could cross over and become more than just a cult film. It might become more of a mainstream success."

That's interesting I live by Seattle so I may check that out. More often than not it seems though A director's cut turns a good movie to crap I hope this will not be the case here. IMO that was a very good film all by itself.

I'm not sure about that, the director's cut of Bladerunner was better than the cinema version, well, I think so anyway ;)

Yeah that's right it was good. :thumbsup: O.K maybe not most of the D.C's are bad but I've definitely seen some pips.