Yuck. I’ve been anxiously waiting to see The Knights of Badassdom for over two years now. But the version I’ve been dying for is the 90 minute Joe Lynch cut – not this alleged 70 minute version that was assembled by an IndieVest CEO seemingly intent on selling the film without regard for continuity or quality. I’ve reached out to Lynch who has declined to comment. If any of you attend this screening, please be aware of the possibility that you are not seeing the film as it was intended.
If this open letter – which I recommend you read in its entirety – to the board of IndieVest directors is indeed correct, its CEO Wade Bradley has done quite the hack job on the edit, cutting both producer Mark Burton and writer Matt Wall (not to mention Joe Lynch) out of the process. In fact, the letter goes so far as to say, “Mr. Bradley set about editing KoB independently and in violation of his contract with director Joe Lynch per the Directors Guild of America Creative Rights Handbook. The most recent edit is roughly 70 minutes long and includes significant changes to the original story and concept.”
In case you’ve been under a rock for the past few years, here’s the synposis (of Lynch’s version anyway, lord knows what the new cut is about),”In this comedic fantasy adventure, Joe (Ryan Kwanten) is a heavy metal rocker who’s just gone through a painful breakup with his girlfriend, Beth (Margarita Levieva). His concerned roommates (Steve Zahn, Peter Dinklage) kidnap him to their LARP (Live Action Role Playing) gathering, where he enters a realm of fantasy escapism in which pretend knights, elves, and barbarians clash with foam weaponry on a mock battlefield. When Joe’s “sorcerer” roommate (Zahn) inadvertently summons a deadly succubus that takes Beth’s seductive form, bloody reality crashes down upon their fantasy world. Once LARPers start to turn up dead, the make-believe wizards and warriors must join forces with other adventurers (Summer Glau, Danny Pudi) to become the real life heroes they have been pretending to be and conquer the unleashed evil.”
If a buyer happens to pick up this film tomorrow, let’s pray it’s one who will readily confer with Lynch and release his director’s cut. If whomever buys it shows no intention of doing so, an online petition/letter writing campaign might be in order. READ MORE
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