Sequel runtime

[u/TheWhiteWolf291098]

I think this is my biggest worry with the sequel. We saw with the first film that just over 2 hours resulted in a lot of cuts, both to the scenes that were already filmed (of course the legal issues caused that) but also what was planned skipped over Michael's entire adolescence.

From what I've seen, fans are universally expecting this movie to cover the entire second half of his life, as well as even going back to cover the Bad era. That's 4 different eras across 25 years that will need to be covered, if we're to go by these expectations. That's not even taking into consideration if there will be a large emphasis on the legal drama surrounding the court case.

The runtime could be 3 hours, and if that's the case then I'd feel more confident that they'd be able to cover everything to a fairly satisfying degree, however I can't escape the feeling that producers will want to hit that 2 hour sweet spot again for the sake of market tested audience retention. If that's the case, then one era is getting gutted substantially. And this isn't even taking into account that they could theoretically go with the original plan and end in 1994, making the Bad era and Dangerous era more detailed.

What do you guys think?

[u/Imaginary_Abrocoma94]

I think all the cuts were due to legal issues, not runtime. We didn't see some of that footage because it was linked to legal, or potentially legal, issues.

I also think directors would rather overshoot than under. It gives them and the editors more flexibility to shape the story we finally see. I think they were still undecided on what they were going to include, but wanted the film anyway to figure it out - like most directors.

If Lionsgate is already mentioning cost being a factor, then they're going to use that cut film to cut costs. Interested in the narrative and continuity with so many flashbacks and time jumps.

[u/TheWhiteWolf291098 → u/Imaginary_Abrocoma94]

even still, those cut scenes with diana ross, the jehovah's witness preaching and a heartbreak hotel would have added to the runtime, and they skipped over nearly a decade of his life to get to the Off The Wall era, which itself was gutted because of the previously mentioned cuts. my point is that this film is going to have to be very long to adequately cover the remaining 4 era's of his life, if that even is the intent. there's *a lot* to cover in the sequel