Excitement is in the air for Quentin Tarantino fans — “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” is set to be unleashed in theaters next month. We all assumed this would be the unified 248-minute cut combining “Kill Bill Vol. 1” and “Kill Bill Vol. 2” with an intermission — a version previously screened at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema — but it looks like it might be an even lengthier cut.
Tickets are now listed for sale for “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” in the U.S. via major ticketing sites like Fandango and AMC Theatres, and as you can see from the snapshot above, the runtime is actually 281 minutes. This potentially means an extra 33 minutes have been added to the New Beverly cut.
Even if we include the 15-minute intermission, which I had assumed was already part of the original 248-minute runtime, that still leaves 18 additional minutes of new footage. Hopefully, we’ll get an update on this soon.
A trailer was released a few days ago, teasing an uncensored Crazy 88 fight — in color. To avoid an NC-17 rating, Tarantino had originally switched the sequence to black and white to lessen the impact of the blood, which appeared far more graphic in color.
The combined cut also eliminates Volume 1’s cliffhanger and Volume 2’s opening recap, while adding a never-before-seen 7½-minute animated sequence. Some other changes have been made, though it’s not yet clear what else has been added.
And in case you’re wondering, Tarantino counts both “Kill Bill” installments as a single movie, which is why he says he has directed nine films in his career, with one final film left to make before he retires — or so he claims.
“Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” is set for its first-ever nationwide theatrical release on December 5 from Lionsgate. The rollout will feature screenings in both 70mm and 35mm formats, with plans to reach all major markets.
Following “Air,” this is Affleck’s latest stint behind the camera. He has cast himself in the lead role, alongside Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, and Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”).