Madonna’s film W.E. will be re-edited ahead of its December release following the poor critics received at the Venice and Toronto film festivals, according to reports.
The W.E. (Wallis&Edward) drama is based on the controversial romance between King Edward VIII and his American divorcee wife Wallis Simpson. The story is brought to the present time by a 21st-century New Yorker who becomes obsessed with the pair. W.E. is Madonna’s first full-length film as a director.
W.E. will be distributed in the US by the Weinstein company, which is co-owned by Harvey Weinstein, a producer known for his interventionist approach in the cutting room.
According to Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye and the New York Post’s Page Six column, W.E. would probably lose 10 minutes from its running time.
Madonna showed her willingness to return to the editing room in a conversation with Baz Bamigboye in Venice.
“Maybe it needs a bit of this and a bit of that, and maybe it is still a work in progress,” the singer said.
“For God’s sake, I hope it’s over with soon!”
Critical response to W.E., which stars Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, Oscar Isaac and James D’Arcy, has been mixed at best during its festival run.
There had been some talk of awards season buzz for W.E. prior to its festival run. Last year’s big UK winner at the Oscars, The King’s Speech, also touched on the story of the relationship between Edward and Wallis Simpson, a romance which prompted the monarch to abdicate in 1936.
