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‘Benjamin Button’ to Be So Long That Time Moves Backward?

Just as a new trailer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button premiered on NBC’s Olympics coverage last night, rumors are percolating that the movie’s facing some difficulties behind the scenes. Specifically, Variety’s Anne Thompson writes that director David Fincher has turned in a cut that is “quite long,” just like his last movie, Zodiac. /Film and Ain’t It Cool News have fanned the rumors as well, with a test-screening report at AICN pegging the current cut at three hours.

Seriously, does this movie need to be three hours long? It’s a nifty story — Brad Pitt plays the title character, who ages backward — and the special effects seem impeccable, with old-man baby Brad Pitt particularly terrifying. But is Fincher jealous of Steven Soderbergh’s four-hour Che? Is he hoping to hammer home the tragedy of time’s passage to audiences by taking away three hours of their lives? By the time the movie’s over, will we have aged into old-man babies?

Award Season Hopefuls: Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road [Thompson on Hollywood/Variety]
Benjamin Button Olympic TV Spot and Early Buzz [/Film]
David Fincher’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Has Screened, And We’ve Got A Review! [Ain’t It Cool News]

‘Benjamin Button’ to Be So Long That Time Moves Backward?